Tip: 3 New Ways to Use This Machine

It's not just for back. Check out these muscle-building exercise variations.

The chest-supported row or T-bar machine has always been a staple bodybuilding tool, but it's not just for back. It also works for several Landmine-style movements. You've probably been seeing a lot of cool lifts performed with a Landmine device or with one end of a barbell shoved into a corner, like this:

Landmine

Those are great, but what if you don't have one of those gadgets and the gym owner doesn't take kindly to you messing up his walls? Just head over to the row or T-bar machine. The unique angle will challenge you in a whole new way. Try these:

1 – Squat/Sumo Deadlift

Squat-Sumo

This one feels like the bastard love child of a squat and a sumo deadlift. Use smaller plates to get a full range of motion. Since the weight you can use is limited by the length of the bar, you can do these for higher rep finisher sets. And if you can't squat due to some old injuries, you'll probably find that you can do these just fine.

2 – Kneeling Angled Press

Kneeling Angled Press

This shoulder-friendly variation was popularized by Coach Nick Tumminello. You'll have to do it kneeling here of course, but it's still a great upper-body push exercise. As a bonus, prepare to rediscover your core when you do these.

3 – Angled Row

Angled Row

Here's a different way to do one-arm rows. Think of it as a "drag curl" for the back instead of the biceps. The contraction is intense.

Chris Shugart is T Nation's Chief Content Officer and the creator of the Velocity Diet. As part of his investigative journalism for T Nation, Chris was featured on HBO’s "Real Sports with Bryant Gumble." Follow on Instagram