The inverted row or "fat man pull-up" is a great back exercise, and it's not just for beginners... or fat guys. Here's how to make it into a challenging muscle builder.
Inverted Row with Pause
- Place a squat pad in the middle of the bar to serve as a target. This prevents any excessive anterior humeral glide.
- Pause at the pad for a 3-5 second count. I challenge you to do this for 10 reps and tell me your back isn't on fire.
- To make it tougher, elevate the feet. This serves as a way to increase the range of motion so that you're pulling more of your own bodyweight.
- Still not tough enough? Add weight. Adding chains as an external load will make these harder, but for those who train at gyms that aren't well equipped, wear a backpack loaded with weights.