Oleh Kryvyi Shares His Top 3 Pulling Exercises For Back Muscles

Ukrainian bodybuilder Oleh Kryvyi is still riding high after topping the 212 division at the IFBB New York Pro and as he heads to Olympia, he’ll be pulling out all the stops in order to display one of the best backs in the business, and that means utilizing a great pull workout in the process. Fortunately, for those who want to follow in his footsteps, Kryvyi has shared three exercises for working on your wings.

“A few working sets from today’s back session with my wife,” demonstrated Kryvyi to his almost 80,000 followers on Instagram. Here’s the rundown:

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Plate Loaded Standing Incline T-Bar Row

Standing in an upright position with his upper body supported, Kryvyi’s stacks the plates and goes heavy on pull day. He concentrates on form before going all out with this move however. Similar to bent-over rows, this exercise will work your latissimus dorsi (side muscles in the lower back), rhomboids (muscles in the neck and shoulder), the trapezius muscles (upper back, shoulders, and neck). You will also activate surrounding muscles required for stabilization such as the abdominals, hamstrings, glutes, biceps and triceps. An excellent time saver, the T-bar row is great for hitting multiple regions of body with one action.

Plate-Loaded Seated Single-Arm Machine Row

A single sided movement is a great way to fix mobility and strength imbalances as you work each limb independently. The natural path of motion offered by the seated row ( source: https://www.matrixfitness.com/uk/eng/strength/plate-loaded/mg-pl34-seated-row ) means you’ll be working both your upper back and your shoulders here, taxing the lats along the way. From a high seated position, Kryvyi demonstrated strict form by planting his feet and pulling with his arms to reduce strain on his back.

Seated Cable Row

The seated cable row is another great exercise for putting emphasis on the upper back so that you can achieve that much coveted winged appearance. Notice how Kryvyi keeps his elbows close to the width of his torso so that he’s not taking the full load on his arms. The Ukrainian doesn’t rush here, making sure to achieve time under tension by making controlled pulls and releases.

With his passion for pumping iron on full display, it’s easy to see why Kryvyi will be one to watch in the 212 division at Olympia in Las Vegas come October. “If you truly believe in yourself you can achieve anything you dream of!” he said following the New York Pro.

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