Injured shoulder with head pull. Thrust of the upper block the main types and principles of the exercise

thrust upper block behind the head qualifies as one of the basic exercises for training the muscles of the back. It is easy to perform, and the result will be a beautiful posture and pumped back muscles. There are a number of features and recommendations, the knowledge of which will allow you to get the most out of the pull of the upper block behind the head and achieve the desired result.

First, let's figure out which back muscles are involved in this exercise:

latissimus dorsi;
biceps;
shoulder muscle;
brachioradialis muscle;
large round muscle;
the lower part of the trapezius muscle;
rhomboid muscle.

Based on the participation of the indicated muscles in the training, we understand why the pull of the upper block behind the head is performed: it makes the muscles of the back work and, with a systematic and correct execution, helps to develop it, strengthen the muscle corset, and eliminate pain in the lower back and shoulder girdle. In this article, you will also find a tutorial video on the horizontal block technique.

Benefits of Vertical Block Exercise

Performing the pull of the upper block behind the head leads to the following results:

even posture;
lack of chronic pain in the lumbar region and shoulders;
beautiful relief of the back;
V-shaped torso (increasing the width of the back and reducing the waist);
increase in strength.

Wide Grip Seated Technique

Sit facing the simulator, slightly shifting the body forward.
Place your hips under special support rollers. The angle between the thigh and lower leg should be approximately 90°.
Feet firmly on the floor.
Keep your body straight with your lower back slightly arched.
Take the bar of the simulator wide grip(palms up and looking down).
The forearms are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the floor, while the elbows are bent at a 90° angle.
As you exhale, begin to slowly lower the bar behind your head to the back of your head.
Touching the fingerboard rear surface neck, linger in this position, strongly reducing the shoulder blades.
As you inhale, slowly straighten your arms, returning them to their original position.

Video: how to properly perform the pull of the upper block behind the head

Regardless of your fitness level, before starting a workout, you should do a warm-up to prepare the body for stress and not get injured.
Choose a weight based on your level physical training: You do not need to install a large weight if you are doing the pull of the upper block for the head for the first time.
The exercise is preferably performed in two or three sets of 10-15 times.
If during training you feel a load on your arms, and not on your back, then you are doing the exercise incorrectly - check the accuracy of following the method, since it is necessary to work with the back muscles. If technically you are doing everything right, but you still don’t feel your back muscles, set a lower weight.
If you stoop and have poor mobility in your shoulder joints, for a while, refuse to perform the pull of the upper block behind your head.
Try not to lift your buttocks off the bench while doing the exercise.
Keep an eye on the width of the grip on the neck: if it is too large, this will reduce the effectiveness of the exercise.
Do not straighten your arms to the end in the top position: this will relieve tension from the back muscles, and the exercise will be ineffective and may even injure you.
Perform the pull of the upper block behind the head smoothly, not jerkily.
After training, be sure to stretch and relax your muscles.

Top pull vertical block behind the head while sitting or standing - one of the main exercises for pumping the muscles of the back, allowing you to get good posture, healthy back and toned muscles. Following the recommendations and the correct technique for performing the pull of the upper block behind the head will prevent you from injury and increase the effectiveness of the exercise.

The pull of the block behind the head is a formative exercise for the latissimus dorsi. It is performed with isolation of this muscle due to retraction shoulder joint. The exercise requires the athlete to have a certain experience and level of training. Suitable for girls and men, it is performed in several versions of the technique, which allows you to increase the load on the desired part of the dorsal muscles.

When performing an exercise such as pulling the block behind the head, it is important to understand which muscles are working.

This mindful approach will:

avoid injury;
improve the technique of performing the exercise;
rationally use the strength and time of training;
achieve the best results.

Exercise allows you to create unusual additional stress for the muscles, due to which the muscle increases in volume.

Main

Vertical pull behind the head - a basic exercise for the isolated study of such back muscles:

widest (lower part);
big round.

Additional

A small load falls on the biceps and deltoid muscle. It is important to monitor the position of the elbows, shoulders and shoulder blades. At work narrow grip the trapezius muscle can be loaded. At proper training lats, fatigue should be felt in these muscles. If the biceps get tired more, you need to work less with your elbows, concentrating on the movements of the shoulder blades.

Taking vitamin D and calcium in the morning can improve your metabolism and speed up the process of losing weight. For growth muscle mass athletes need vitamin E, which is rich in liver, nuts, spinach.

Execution technique

Pulling the block behind the head is an exercise, the technique of which requires a skill that is gained with light weight. Correct technique allows you to work on those muscle groups for which the exercise is intended.

With errors in technique, other muscle groups are involved in lifting the weight, which reduces the load on the target muscle and reduces the effectiveness of training. The main "chips" of execution:

Sit facing the simulator, fix the hips under the rollers. Adjust the desired height.
The angle between the lower leg and the thigh should be 90 °, the feet should be flat on the floor.
The back is straight in a natural position with a deflection in the lower back, the gaze is directed forward.
Grab the bar of the upper block with both hands with a wide grip - grab it as wide as possible.
While inhaling, gently and smoothly pull the bar by the neck, to the level of the back of the head (ear level).
Try to bring your elbows closer to your body, bring your shoulder blades together. Pull with your shoulder blades together, not with your hands.
At the same pace, return the hands to their original position, exhale. Feel the stretch in the muscles at the top.

If you are exercising with a trainer or a friend, he can help you give the handle and pick it up at the end of the exercise (at the top point). If you are lifting a lot of weight, you can ask someone to back up at the end and help pick up the block.

Start with 4 sets of 12 reps. Set the weight lighter to work out the technique. When training for mass, do 4 sets of 10-12 reps, increasing the weight with each set. Drying - 4-5 sets of 15-20 repetitions with a lower initial weight, increasing the weight or number of repetitions with the approach.

You can watch the technique of performing the exercise on the video:

grip width variation

The width of the grip with which the block is pulled behind the head while sitting - important nuance allowing you to work out the muscles in more detail.

The exercise is performed with such grips:

straight;
back;
wide;
medium (neutral);
narrow.

With the reverse grip, the hands are turned with the thumbs outward. A narrow reverse grip increases the load on the bundles of the latissimus muscle closest to the spine, which increases their relief. The trapezius and posterior bundles of the deltoid muscle are also affected.

This technique helps to gain muscle volume and emphasize the load on the latissimus dorsi, and partially on the large round, while stretching the ligaments in parallel. With this method of performing the exercise, the load is distributed over a large area of \u200b\u200bmuscle tissue.

You can get acquainted with the technique of performing exercises for girls using this video:

How not to get hurt

The vertical row behind the head is suitable for athletes with mobile shoulder joints, as the movement takes place in a slightly unnatural plane.

The presence of injuries of the back, neck and shoulder joints is a reason to temporarily refuse to perform this exercise.

To prevent injury, you need to such requirements:

Before pulling, warm up the muscles of the back, neck, shoulder girdle.
Work with a weight that you can control.
Do not bring the bar too far behind the head and do not lower it below the base of the skull.
Do not perform jerky movements, do not throw the bar.
It is correct to sit on the simulator (as - they wrote above).
Separate deadlifts and block pulls behind the head.

Common Mistakes

Too low lowering of the handles of the simulator.
Neck drop not low enough.
Incorrect position (rounding or excessive deflection) of the back.
Full extension of the arms.
Work with too much weight.
Incorrect position on the simulator.

You can include the exercise in the training program, having developed muscles of the back and shoulder girdle, and master the upper wide traction behind the head, starting with a small weight.

The thrust of the upper block behind the head is basic exercise which is aimed at working out the muscles of the back. Technically correct execution exercises strengthens and promotes the growth of the back muscles in width and contributes to giving expressive, convex forms. The pull of the upper block behind the head actively includes the latissimus dorsi, the large round muscle, the trapezius, rhomboid, brachial and brachioradialis muscles. Additionally, biceps are involved. Top block pull, sort of wide grip pull-up. Pulling up, as an exercise for the muscles of the back, is, of course, more effective than pulling with a wide grip. But the ability to change the working weight on the block is an indisputable plus for traction. In addition, when performing traction for the head with a relatively small weight, the correct amplitude of movement of the arms and shoulder joints is developed, and when lifting your own weight, as in pull-ups, this can not always be clearly controlled.

In addition to the block simulator with a classic handle, traction can be performed in a simulator with a double, “broken” handle.

Initial position:
with a wide upper grip, grasp the handle of the simulator;
the grip should be such that when the handle is pulled down behind the head (when the arms at the elbows are bent at an angle of 90 degrees), the forearms are perpendicular to the floor surface and parallel to each other;
sit on the seat of the block simulator. Place your hips tightly under the rollers. Press your feet to the floor;
the center of the handle should be in line with the middle of the back;
arch your back slightly at the waist. Do not tilt your head, but slightly forward.

! Don't slouch. Direct your gaze in front of you.

Exercise technique:
being in the starting position, while exhaling, pull the handle of the simulator behind the head, while bringing the shoulder blades together;
elbows tend towards the body in an arc. Their movement occurs in the same plane. Do not take your elbows back, they look strictly down;
pull the handle until it lightly touches the back of the head. IN lowest point pause for a second and, while inhaling, return to the starting position along the same trajectory;
at the top point of the movement of the arm at the elbows, unbend, but shoulder girdle must remain tense;
so do required amount repetitions.

! Strongly stretch the muscles of the back and shoulders should not be, this can lead to sprains.

To engage and work out the back muscles(which is what the exercise is aimed at), start with a light weight. During execution, you should feel lower part trapezius muscle, rhomboid and latissimus dorsi. Working with a light weight will allow you to perform the traction of the upper block technically correctly.

Do not tilt your head and keep your back straight(don't slouch). Slightly (5 cm) move the body forward with a bent back and a straight head - and the issue is resolved! As soon as you lower your forehead, your shoulders immediately begin to slouch. This position partially turns off the latissimus dorsi and round muscles of the back, and the shoulders and biceps begin to turn on.

Be sure to secure your feet under the roller. For this he is provided. With fixed legs, the buttocks will not come off the seat. By lifting the buttocks, you will be pulling your own weight, not an established counterweight.

Start with small weights and hone your technique, then you will be able to work out the back muscles, and not get dangerous injuries instead.

The pull of the upper block behind the head refers to conditionally basic exercises aimed at strengthening the muscular corset of the back, working out the forearm and biceps. Conceptually, the exercise is similar to pull-ups on the bar and is suitable for people who still have a hard time lifting their own weight on the bar.

Exercise features

This is one of the main exercises in the preparation of training programs for both guys and girls. Pulling the head on a high block allows you to achieve:

V-shaped torso due to an increase in the volume of the broadest;
Visual increase in the width of the back and narrowing of the waist;
Increase in overall physical strength;
Development of the relief of the back muscles, detailing of individual bundles;
Formation of direct and correct posture with strict adherence to technique.

Depending on the goals pursued, it is necessary to choose one or another execution technique. The exercise is recommended to be performed with experienced coach , which will tell you the nuances of the exercise and monitor their observance. And also, before doing it, you should familiarize yourself with the lessons on the Internet containing videos of the pull of the upper block behind the head.

When choosing an exercise, first of all, it is necessary to take into account the fact that vertical thrust block to the stomach allows you to engage in the work of the wide pectorals, which are practically isolated in the pull of the block behind the head. On the contrary, the thrust behind the head shows good muscle activity of the rear bundles of deltas, biceps. Nevertheless, the option of pulling the block to the upper third is considered optimal. chest muscle where the load is distributed evenly between latissimus dorsi and broad chests.

Types of grips when performing vertical pull of the block

When performing a block pull behind the head, you can use various grip options: narrow, wide, straight, reverse. First of all, the impact of the exercise on various muscle groups to a greater or lesser extent depends on your choice.

neck allows you to transfer the load to the outer parts of the widest ( lateral muscles back), which allows you to achieve a visually wider back.
narrow grip- by reducing the width of the grip, you can adjust the impact, gradually including in the work part of the muscles located closer to the spine.
Using medium grip- an option when the palms are located slightly wider than the shoulders parallel to each other, we use the middle region of the widest, which allows us to work out their relief and not deprive each beam of its portion of the working weight.

Stages of the exercise

The basis of the exercise is that with the vertical pull of the block to the chest, it is necessary to use the biceps to a minimum, and give the load to the back as much as possible, because in this case the biceps is an assistant during the exercise. The exercise can be broken down into the following steps:

Step 1. Body position

Go to the simulator with the upper block, set the neck that is comfortable for you. Remember that the choice of neck (wide, narrow, bar with a parallel grip) depends on the muscle activity of a particular group. Sit on a bench under a fixed bar, place and fasten your legs tightly under soft rollers, which will allow you to confidently hold the weight and eliminate the "" option when performing traction. Raise your hands, grab the bar at the fold. By doing this exercise it is possible to use hand straps, which will reduce the load on the wrist. The back and head must be kept upright. This is the starting position for vertical pulling.

Step 2. Technique

Keeping your back straight, as you exhale, lower the bar of the simulator until it touches the upper third of the chest, while the bar should maintain horizontal position. Try to hold the bar in this position for 1-2 seconds, which will increase the load at the point of maximum contraction of the lats. After that, you need to gently raise the neck to its original position. Do not allow sudden movements that can lead to injury to the elbow and shoulder joint, especially when working with large weights.

Do not try to immediately use a large working weight. Try to follow the technique of the exercise. The elbows should tend to the body, the back is straight throughout the exercise, the chin is raised.
At the lowest point to reach maximum effect a variant with lowering the case back is possible. In this case, the posterior bundles of the deltoid muscle are involved in the work.
When performing the exercise during the approach, try not to unbend completely elbow joint, which will leave the load on the muscles of the hands, and not on the joints
Try to change the type of grip from training to training, which will allow you to comprehensively work out the muscular corset of the back and will not allow you to “get used to” the same type of load. The key to muscle growth is the combination of various exercises, which allows you to "surprise" the body.
Observe the breathing technique. We pull the neck on the exhale, let go - on the inhale. This allows you to enrich the blood, and therefore the muscles, with oxygen, reducing the rest interval between sets and reducing overall exercise fatigue.
The optimal weight is 60 percent of the maximum one-time weight, with which it is possible to perform 6-12 repetitions for 3-4 sets. The recommended rest between sets is 1-1.5 minutes.
Girls are advised to increase the number of repetitions, reducing the working weight, which will allow them to achieve a beautiful, embossed back and increase overall endurance.

To pump up the back muscles, especially the wings (lats), you need to do various traction: to the chest, lower back, behind the head, pull-ups and other exercises. The pull of the upper block is one of the main exercises to achieve this goal.

Why Include Exercise in Your Workout

The vertical block pull is the main exercise that imitates pull-ups. Therefore, it is important to perform it to strengthen the muscles of the back. Naturally, working on the horizontal bar without weights, the athlete will achieve little. In order for there to be growth (hypertrophy) of the muscles, good progressive loads are needed.

The pull of the upper block allows you to use weights that exceed the person's own body weight. At the same time, there is no danger of falling down and falling - because you are sitting. Block pull is very important, and now you know why.

Exercise Options

You probably noticed that there is only one handle on the top block - long and slightly curved at the edges. In fact, there are other options, but the pull of the vertical block is done with this one.

To fully engage the entire area of the latissimus dorsi, you need to pull the weight with various grips: behind the head, to the bottom or top of the chest, to the neck. There are options for wide grip, narrow, forward and reverse, and their combinations.

Each nuance can significantly change the exercise. Most often, one complements the other, which we will discuss further. For example, a wide grip vertical row can be complemented with a narrow grip.

Technique

The pull of the upper block with a narrow or wide grip, behind the head or to chest sitting - variants of the same exercise. Each of them has its own characteristics that every athlete simply needs to know. This knowledge will give a tangible advantage when using block simulator.

narrow grip

This is a vertical thrust reverse grip. Set the weight to 10-15 kg for a warm-up in a block simulator. Adjust the seat so that your feet fit snugly into the space between it and the leg support bolsters. If the bolsters are too low, you won't be able to sit properly. And if it’s high, a large weight will lift you up during a session in a block simulator. Pull of the vertical block in wrong technique- bad idea. In this case, the position of the hands should be parallel.

Stand up, take the handle with a narrow reverse grip. The distance between the hands is 10–15 cm.
Sit with your arms straightened with the weight up, feel the burden.
With the power of the latissimus dorsi, bring your elbows down. At the same time, the handle (bar) of the simulator is attracted to your chin.
Raise your head slightly up so that your face does not interfere with the trajectory of the weight.
Pull the handle down to the neck while sitting, trying after that to shorten the wings as much as possible: the weight should drop to the chest.
You don’t need to lean back, otherwise it will be another traction option. We do everything while sitting, do not raise the pelvis from the seat.
Hold the weight at the bottom for 1-2 seconds, then return to the starting position. Practice technique with light weights. The warm-up is 10-15 repetitions.

Set your working weight to do 3 sets of 10 reps. If you can't pull over the last reps, or you need to do them with snatches, reduce the weight by 5 kg (usually a step in a block simulator is just 5 kg).

This version of the exercise, along with the broadest, actively involves the biceps, but the amplitude of movement is maximum.

Wide grip

Option 1: Reverse Grip and Chest Row

This is also a vertical pull with a reverse grip. Put a weight of 10-15 kg and adjust the seat of the simulator as described just above.

Stand up, grab the handle with a moderately wide grip. Your arms should be slightly wider than your shoulders.
Sit down, stretch your arms up. Lean back a little so that the cable of the block simulator stretches under the weight of the weights you have installed. Your body is the counterweight.
Pull the weight down with the force of the wings so that the elbows are pointing 45 degrees down.
Bring the bar of the machine to the top of your chest, maintaining the angle of deviation of your body.
Put the weight back on. Do 10-15 warm-up reps.

Place a working weight and do 3 sets of 12 reps. Such a pull of the upper block to the chest pumps the bottom of the wings.

Option 2: direct grip on the head

This is a vertical pull with a wide grip on the head:

Grab your hands with a straight grip on the bends of the neck. Such a grip is considered wide.
Sit down. The body must be located strictly vertically, deviations back or forward in this case are impractical.
We tilt our head slightly down so that the back of the head does not interfere with the movement of the bar.
With the power of the wings, we pull the weight down behind the head, touching the neck.
Hold the weight in the lower position for 1-2 seconds and return to the starting position.
We do 10-15 warm-up approaches.

Next, set the working weight and perform sitting 3 sets of 10 repetitions. This version of the exercise will be more difficult and traumatic than the rest, so it is better for experienced athletes to use it. It is believed that he the best way engages the teres major muscle.

Option 3: straight wide grip to the chest

This is a vertical block pull to the chest or vertical pull with a wide grip to the chest:

We take the neck in exactly the same way as in the previous exercise.
The body is tilted back a little, the head is also thrown back a little.
With the power of the wings, sitting, we pull the weight to the top or bottom of the chest. In this case, due to the deviation of the body, we achieve the desired angle for the correct work of the muscles. With the thrust of a horizontal block, such an effect cannot be achieved.

Such a thrust of the upper block to the chest shakes the top of the latissimus dorsi. In addition, there are handles for doing parallel grip rows. This is acceptable, but it is better to pull the horizontal block with a parallel grip.

The top pull is an exercise for the back muscles. No wonder we each time focus on the phrase "the power of the wings." This means that you need to clearly feel what you are working on, what muscles are involved in the process.

The fact is that a significant part of the load from this thrust can be taken due to the strength of the biceps, and the rest can be brought with the wings. In this case, the meaning of the exercise is lost. And it will be the biceps that will get tired. Usually in humans they are much stronger than the wings. Therefore, when the weight goes to the latissimus dorsi, they immediately begin to experience discomfort, sometimes even hurt and “fail”. The weight immediately becomes heavy.

When you pull big weight, and it seems easy to you, think, are you doing the exercise with biceps? There are a wide range of specific exercises for them, but here they just help, but do not prevail, as most beginner athletes often do.

Elbow position

Raise your hands up in front of the mirror. Pay attention to your wings, turn your elbows in different sides– what do you see? The wings are moving. Therefore, the position of the elbows during any pull decides which part of the latissimus dorsi will work.

That is why there are different hand positions. It is necessary in each grip option to keep the elbows in a strictly defined way. This will ensure the work of the necessary sections of the spinal muscles. During the exercise, the elbows must be fixed so that they do not “float” from side to side.

Also watch your shoulders. In any case, the course of the arms will be parallel, but one shoulder may be higher than the second.

Jerks, cheating, injuries

If you are doing jerks, then you have taken a lot of weight. Turn it down and do everything smoothly.

Some people pull the bar down with the weight of their own body, giving the movement an initial acceleration, and then return it back with muscle power. This is dangerous, you risk damaging the ligaments.

The exercise involves the back beams deltoid muscles. They are very vulnerable, for the sake of them we do a warm-up to properly warm up. If latissimus dorsi pulling is not so easy, then the shoulders are elementary. It is enough to make a sharp jerk on the “cold” muscle. The easiest way is to pull the upper block with a reverse grip, it is most often used to injure the shoulders. Be careful and the pull of the vertical block will serve you well!