Upper body resistance training - Part 2  

The muscles of the upper back and sides of the upper torso include the latissimus dorsi muscles. As is the case with all muscle groups, there are multiple different ways in which you can exercise these muscles. One commonly used approach is the “chin up”. In this exercise a horizontal bar, which is fixed to a wall or frame above head height, is gripped with both hands and the whole body is lifted off the ground. As in the case of the bench press, this is a compound exercise which engages a range of muscles at the same time.

In the initial stages of training, if your level of strength is not sufficient for a full set of chin-ups, there are several alternative approaches. One requires the use of a particular exercise machine that is not available in all gyms. This machine is known as an assisted chin up machine. The use of this machine is by means of resting your knees on a padded board that is attached by ropes and pulleys to a variable number of weights. At the same time a horizontal bar up across the top of the machine is gripped by the hands. The overall effect of this system is one of an assisted chin up, whereby the arms and hands are in the usual chin up posture, but instead of the lower body being freely suspended, a counter-weight pushes upwards via the padded panel on which the knees are resting. The net effect is that the total load which the arms and upper back muscles are required to lift is reduced.

In the event that your gym does not offer such an assisted chin up machine, another option, based on the same principle is as follows. Have a fellow exerciser stand behind you as you grip the chin up bar. In the course of your first chin up, interlock your feet at the ankles and raise your feet behind you by bending the knees to a ninety degree angle. Your assistant’s job at this point is to grab hold of your feet with some degree of upward pressure. You then proceed to engage in your planned set of chin ups. The practical effect of your assistant’s help is to proportionally reduce the amount of weight carried by your own hands in the course of the set of chin ups.

A further alternative is to circumvent the whole idea of doing chin ups, whether unassisted or assisted by machine, or assisted by a fellow exerciser. This alternative involves the use of a machine known as the “lat pull down” machine, "lat" being an abbreviation for the latissimus dorsi muscle. This machine is much simpler than the assisted chin up machine, and is to be found in a majority of gyms. The basic principle is to sit on a padded chair and reach with both hands above your head, where they will find a horizontal iron bar suspended by a cable from the machine. This cable is attached via pulleys to a variable stack of weights. The net effect of this machine is that it enables the user to engage in a similar muscular activity to that of the chin up, but at a much lighter weight, and indeed a weight that can be precisely adjusted. As a result of this option to adjust the weight setting, the user can gradually increase the load over a period of weeks. Subsequently, after reaching a sufficiently increased strength, the user can progress on to the chin up bar.

With regard to the abdominal muscles, the first necessity is to clarify an issue that has been subject to much myth and misinformation. The point that requires explanation is that abdominal muscle and abdominal fat are two different things. This may seem to be an obvious point; however it is often overlooked in the following way. People are often convinced that abdominal muscle exercise, such as sit ups, will reduce abdominal fat deposits commonly referred to as a “pot belly”. The reality is that this belief is conflating two separate issues. Let us now deal with the two issues in turn, the first being abdominal fat deposits, and the second being abdominal muscle. A basic principle of body fat metabolism that is often overlooked is that fat loss cannot be targeted to a particular part of the body (in the absence of liposuction or related procedures.) The only way to lose weight in a particular area of the body, say the abdominal area in this case, is through overall lifestyle changes of healthy eating and regular exercise that result in reduction of fat generally in the body. In other words, fat loss in the abdominal area or any other part of the body can certainly be achieved, but only as a part of overall reduction of fat in the body generally.

And so, having dealt with the question of abdominal fat deposits, we can now move on to the related but separate question of abdominal muscle. And indeed, abdominal muscle strength and abdominal muscle tone can be developed and increased. This augmentation of abdominal muscle can be brought about by means of any exercise that works the abdominal muscles in an appropriate manner.

For example, sit ups, in which the exerciser begins the process in a supine posture, and then raises his upper body, followed by a gradual re-lowering of the upper body to its original position. Once again it is crucial that this exercise be carried out with good form. That is to say, the movement must be smooth, steady and gradual. There ought not to be any jerky or sudden movements. The two-fold benefits of exercising with good form in this way are, firstly, that the risk of injury is thereby minimized, and secondly that the full benefit of the exercise, it terms of abdominal muscle development, is more likely to be reaped.

A somewhat more advanced level of sit ups is one in which there is a slight rotation of the upper body, to one side and then the other alternately, at the same time as the elevation of the upper body. The benefit of this approach is to target the abdominal muscles that are located to the sides of the abdominal area in addition to the more central abdominal muscles.

In addition to sit ups there is a wide range of equipment-based abdominal muscle exercises. These various devices are in many cases suitable for abdominal muscle training, as long as it is kept in mind that the reduction of abdominal fat deposits will require an overall strategy of healthy eating and exercise.

Furthermore it should be noted that abdominal muscle strength is not only of cosmetic benefit, but has become increasingly recognized as an important element in the prevention and treatment of backache and related chronic pain conditions.

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