Muscle_Performance_June_2017

our years ago, we embarked on a daunting
task — ranking the 10 best exercises for each
major bodypart. Ever since, we’ve been sharing
our picks in the pages of this magazine, starting
with the 10 best back moves in October 2013,
and most recently running down our 10 favorite
functional moves this past December.
Ranking the best bodypart exercises was quite
a challenge. It included passionate debates from
experts and editors about every move that ultimately
made — or didn’t make — the list. Friendships
were strained, eye rolling became a workout in and of itself,
and once published, we heard plenty from our readers who thought
some of our choices were, well, nuts. So you’d think we’d breathe a
sigh of relief when it was said and done.
Post-publication, though, we scanned the proverbial cutting-room
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nearly as good — and, dare we say, perhaps even arguably better
ȄϐǤǡǯ
again, and are now delivering the “next best” 10 exercises for every
muscle group, opening once more with back. All of the following
moves merit consideration when planning your training regimen,
and should be blended with the original 10 exercises for a balanced
program. After all, for continued progress, variety is key. On that
point, there’s certainly no controversy.
THE ORIGINAL
10 Best Back Exercises
These were our picks for the best back
moves, as featured in the October 2013
issue (available in the Past Issues section at
muscleandperformance.com):
10. Hammer Strength Iso-Lateral Row
9. Barbell T-Bar Row
8. Barbell Deadlift
7. Seated Cable
Row
6. Inverted Row
5. Straight-Arm
Pulldown
4. One-Arm
Dumbbell Row
3. Pulldown
2. Bent-Over
Barbell Row
1. Pull-Up
#10: RENEGADE ROW
Muscles Targeted: lats, rhomboids,
teres major and minor, infraspinatus,
erector spinae
Bodybuilding purists would scoff at the
inclusion of this functional movement,
and if muscle mass is your one and only
goal, there are certainly better exercises
from which to choose. However, when
it comes to developing synergistic body
strength and total-body control, the
renegade row delivers, calling heavily
on your core for stabilization and your
nonworking muscles for isometric
strength while you row with the other
Ǥǯϐǡ
also can slot it in as a warm-up or a
secondary move after a bout of heavy
barbell or dumbbell rows.
How-To: Position two dumbbells
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a push-up position with your hands on
the dumbbells and your legs splayed
wide. Your head, hips and heels should
align, core tight, head neutral. Row
ϐǡ
your elbow skyward while keeping
your hips level and your head neutral.
ϐǦ
tinue, alternating sides for reps.
38 MUSCLE & PERFORMANCE y JUNE 2017 MUSCLEANDPERFORMANCE.COM