Exercise:

Standing Twisting High Cable Row

Target Muscle:

Back (Mid/Lats)

Cable Machine, Single-Hand Attachment

Stand facing a cable machine with the pulley attached to the highest setting.

Grab onto the handle and take 2-3 large steps back, holding it around forehead height with an overhand grip. Position your opposite foot behind you and the other foot forward for better leverage. Keep a good bend in your knees.

Pull the cable downward toward your rib cage. As you pull, rotate your body slightly toward the cable while at the same time twisting the handle so that it ends in a neutral position with your palm facing your body.

Once you feel a strong contraction in your lats and mid-back, extend the cable back following the same path until your arm is extended, and then repeat.

- In order to maximize the tension on your back muscles rather than your biceps and shoulders, focus on pulling the cable down using your elbow rather than your hand. Imagine that your hand and forearm don’t even exist, and just place 100% of your focus on driving the weight down and back using your elbow.

- To increase the activation of your back muscles even further, you can use a set of lifting straps or lifting hooks to fully eliminate your grip from the equation.