Inverted Row Variations For Upper Body Strength

When building functional strength in your upper body for surf and snow sports there are 2 major movements which you need to incorporate into your training, these being “pushing” and “pulling.”

Today we are going to focus on the “pulling” movement and specifically the horizontal pulling motion (as opposed to vertical pulling – eg pullups and chinups).

Towels have more uses than just drying yourself…

The most common horizontal pulling exercises are dumbbell rows, however there are lots of other variations and I think some of the best exercises are inverted rows using your own bodyweight.

In the video below I will demonstrate 3 different inverted row variations which you can do at home or at the gym depending on what equipment you have available. And yes I will show you how to use a towel to perform inverted rows (the added benefit is that the towel variation will also help build forearm and grip strength).

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 3 Inverted Row Variations – make sure you try the towel version

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Whenever you are doing any sort of inverted row, make sure you focus on bracing your core muscles so that your trunk stays straight and doesn’t sag.

You can change the stability of the exercise by using a swiss ball as I have done, or putting one leg on the floor or on a bench. If you want to increase the intensity you can also wear a weight vest or balance a weight plate on your chest.

Inverted rows will help build a strong back and arms, and will also help you keep your shoulders healthy. For surfers this means stronger paddling muscles, for windsurfers this means easier control of your sail and for skiers and snowboarders it will help keep your body in balance and help protect your joints from injury when you fall.
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If you haven't tried this advanced core exercise before make sure you have a go at it.

 

It is a great exercise for not only your core stability, but also for building your rotational strength through your hips.

 

When you do the exercise make sure you keep your core braced and focus on hip movement (not your lower back).

 

 

 

Start slow and as you get comfortable with the movement you can increase the speed of the rotation so it becomes a faster more powerful movement.

 

If you like this core exercise and want a step-by-step functional training program guaranteed to improve your core strength for surfing (as well as paddle power, total body strength, flexibility, endurance, etc), make sure you downloadTotal Surfing Fitness - Functional Training for Surfers.

How To Develop A Strong & Stable Posterior Chain

Having a strong posterior muscle chain (the muscles that run down the back of your body) is very important for the functional performance of any surf and snow athlete.

Very often this group of muscles are neglected and this can cause muscle imbalances which can lead todecreases in performance and even injury. One of the best ways to get started with training this group of muscles is using variations of the single leg deadlift.

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The single leg deadlift is beneficial as it allows you to work on single leg strength and iron out any imbalances between the left and right side.

Check out the video below which shows 3 variations you can start incorporating into your training routine…

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Teaching points for all 3 exercises:

• Keep you core braced throughout the movement
• Keep you back straight and don’t allow your lower back to round forwards
• Try and keep your knee aligned over your toes (don’t let it cave in)

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Exercise variation #1 – Single Leg Deadlift

This is basically a traditional deadlift performed on one leg. This will help build functional strength through your glutes, hamstrings and lower back muscles.

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Exercise variation #2 – Single Leg Straight Leg Deadlift

This is a similar movement only you don’t change the bend at your knee. Although it is called a “straight leg” deadlift this is slightly misleading as you need to have a slight bend in your knee, however you don’t bend it further as you lower the weight. The movement comes from your hip.

Don’t use too much weight the first time you try this exercise as it can make your hamstrings work pretty hard and they may pull up a bit sore the next day or two.

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Exercise variation #3 – BOSU Single Leg Straight Leg Deadlift

This variation works more on your stability and balance than strength. You are basically performing a straight leg version on top of the BOSU. Start just using your bodyweight and when you have mastered this you can hold some light dumbbells.

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Because having a strong and stable posterior chain is so important, I incorporate a lot of single leg deadlifts into my workouts.

How To Manipulate These 3 Variables To Challenge Your Stability

Stability, it’s a pretty trendy term in the fitness world, especially when you through the work “core” in front of it. But did you know that stability is more than just core related. In fact you need to develop stability at all your joints in order to perform at your best.

Think about when you are riding on a wave or some fresh powder. From the ground up you need to be stable at your ankles, knees, hips and core. When you are paddling for a wave you need shoulder stability for paddle efficiency and if you crash land a jump when snowboarding or skiing you need stability at your should joint to preventing impact injuries.

So when it comes to your workouts, what training variables can be manipulated to enhance your stability?

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1. Base of Support

By decreasing your base of support during an exercise you are making things more unstable and hence forcing your body to compensate by working harder to stabilize. For standing exercises (eg dumbbell shoulder press) the easiest way to achieve this is to stand on one leg instead of two. Sometimes it might even be enough to move your legs closer together (for example in a swiss ball pushup) to increase the stability challenge.

For exercises where your arms form a base of support (eg front plank), you can decrease your base of support by raising one arm off the ground.

Unstable Surface Training – The other way to manipulate your base of support is through the use of unstable surfaces. By performing exercises on equipment like a swiss ball, balance board or suspension trainer you can increase the degree of instability and train your joints to stabilize more effectively.

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Non-Essential Equipment (But Makes Workouts More Fun!)

Resistance Bands – Bands are awesome for doing all sorts of pushing and pulling exercises as well as rotational core training.

Make sure you get bands that have enough resistance to challenge you. Many bands available at fitness stores are designed more for rehabilitation and are not strong enough for challenging resistance exercises.

Personally I use ‘Smart Toners’ which are available at www.qpec.com.au (Australian / NZ customers), www.twistconditioning.com (North American customers) or www.physicalcompany.com (UK customers).

If I had to get just one band I would get the “6 Foot Very Heavy Smart Toner.” It has enough resistance for most people. If you are pretty strong then you could get the “6 Foot Ultra Heavy Smart Toner” as well.

Surfers, if you are wanting a resistance band for band paddling practice, I would just get a fairly light resistance band from your local fitness store. You are working on paddling endurance, so you only want a very light resistance.

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Essential Equipment

Adjustable Dumbbells – Get hold of a set of adjustable dumbbells with enough weight for at least 10-20 kg (22-45 lbs) per dumbbell. Most women should be fine with up to 10kg per dumbbell to start with. Men will more than likely need 15-20kg per dumbbell.

Remember you can always buy more weight plates if you need to increase the weight. Adjustable dumbbells can be purchased from any fitness store if you don’t already have a set.

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Swiss Ball – Also called stability ball, exercise ball or fitball. Make sure you purchase an ‘anti-burst’ swiss ball. For most people a 65cm ball will do the trick just fine unless you are extra tall (try a 75cm ball) or short (try a 55cm ball).

Stability balls are available for purchase at all major fitness stores. Just make sure you pay a few dollars extra and get one that is ‘anti-burst’ so it will last longer.

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Pullup Bar – Everyone should have somewhere they can hang to do pullups and chinups.If you don’t have anywhere to do chin-ups then I would recommend you purchase a pullup bar that mounts in your door frame.

These can be purchased from most major fitness stores. Basically they just fit into a door frame in your house and you are good to go. There are several brands available so check your local fitness store or just search online.

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Exercise Tip - Are you doing your rolling and stretching?

 

Make sure you spend 5 minutes foam rolling before you start your workout to loosen any tight muscles especially in your legs.

 

You can even use a tennis ball to get into some of those harder spots like your glutes or the back of your shoulder.

 

If you have some muscles that are especially tight, stretch them before your workout in addition to the stretches at the end of the workout. Plus for extra benefit, roll and stretch tight muscles on the days when you don't workout as well. 

 

You only have one body, so be nice to it and hopefully you can stay surfing for years to come!