Dumbbell pull to the waist: exercise technique, what muscles work

fitness trainer

“The dumbbell pull to the waist is a multi-joint exercise in strength training designed to pump the trapezius and broadest muscles of the back. It helps build a strong and voluminous V-shaped back.

Additionally, the exercise engages the posterior deltoids, round back muscles, rhomboids, biceps brachii and back extensor muscles. Some of these are part of the posterior chain muscles, which are located at the back of the body from the ankle to the neck. They help maintain a healthy spine and proper posture.

The dumbbell pull to the waist is suitable for training both beginners and experienced athletes, if there are no serious contraindications for exercise.

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Benefits

Muscle growth. Dumbbell pulling to the waist involves several muscle groups at once, which allows you to effectively increase the volume of muscle mass. If you are training to gain muscle mass, perform two to four sets of 8-12 repetitions per set at 70-75% of your single-repetition maximum (1RM).

Strength Development. This exercise develops strength in your back and arm muscles and increases your overall strength level. If you are training to increase this, perform three to five sets of three to eight reps per set at 80-95% of your 1RM. However, barbell exercises will be more effective for developing strength than dumbbell exercises.

Improving Strength Endurance. Like any other weight-bearing exercise, dumbbell pulls can develop strength endurance by training your body’s ability to withstand prolonged high-intensity exercise. To do this, perform short sessions of 15 or more reps in multiple approaches at 55-65% of your 1RM.

Leveling body asymmetry. Great for those who have an asymmetry in strength between their left and right sides. Because the exercise is done with one arm, you can load the weaker side harder to eliminate the difference and build symmetry in visual and strength performance.

Back pain prevention. Exercise with traction can help prevent back pain. Additionally, the exercise helps with lower back pain and problems.

Strengthening the cortical muscles. The exercise is great for strengthening the cortical muscles and making them strong. According to studies, activation of cortical muscles is better with standing unilateral exercises than seated bilateral exercises.

Improved joint health and injury prevention. Exercise builds a strong muscle corset that protects against various injuries. According to research, exercise can improve joint health. Dumbbell pulling helps to increase the range of motion in the shoulder and improves nutrient metabolism in the shoulder joints.

Improved posture. The exercise promotes a beautiful and correct posture by strengthening the muscles of the back. Strong back and arm muscles remove unnecessary load from the cervical and lumbar spine.

Complementary exercise. Many people can not perform pull-ups or pulling with a barbell because the load is large, and the muscles are weak. Dumbbell pulling to the waist gives you the opportunity to work with dumbbells from 1 to 50 kg. This allows you to use the exercise both as a beginner and an experienced lifter. You can also use this exercise as an auxiliary exercise to improve your results in pull-ups or other pulling exercises.

Dumbbell pull to the waist with a bench rest: technique

There are several variants of dumbbell pulling to the waist: with a bench rest, without a stop, without a stop with two hands and others. The choice depends on individual characteristics, body limitations and training goals.

Choose a bench about knee height and place a dumbbell next to it. Lean along the bench and rest your left knee and the palm of your left hand on it. The right foot is on the floor. Position your limbs diagonally to give your body more stability.
Keep your back straight and parallel to the bench. Keep your lower back straight without tension, shoulder blades together and down your spine, eyes directed to the floor with your neck flat.
Grasp the dumbbell with your right hand. The elbow is pressed against the body. The grip can be closed or open.
On exhalation, pull the dumbbell diagonally to the waist, so that the elbow is parallel to the body, and fix for half a second.
Full exhalation is done at peak load. Start the exercise with a scapula movement, not just bending your arms at the elbows.
As you inhale, smoothly straighten your arms at the elbows to the starting position. Try to keep your shoulder blades together throughout the exercise.

Perform three approaches of 10-15 repetitions. The number of repetitions depends on your fitness level and training goals. Rest between approaches – one to two minutes.

What to pay attention to?

Technique of execution. Master the correct position of the back, the direction of movement of the dumbbell, the position of the limbs on the bench relative to each other. So you will be able to maximize the use of the exercise without injury.

Breathing. Proper breathing increases performance. Exhalation is done at peak effort when pulling the dumbbell to the waist, and inhalation when slowly pulling the dumbbell down to the starting position.

Warm-up. We recommend warming up before working approaches to warm up muscles, joints and ligaments. This allows you to work with more weight, and the risk of injury is reduced. Do one or two dumbbell pulls for 10 reps with a weight of 40-60% of 1RM. This will be enough to warm up before the main part.

Increasing the load. As you train, your muscles adapt to the load and stop growing in volume and strength, so you need to stress them regularly. It is important to gradually increase the difficulty of an exercise and to do it periodically, not at every session. To do this, we recommend increasing the weight of the weight, increasing the number of sets and repetitions, reducing the rest time between approaches, changing the amplitude of the movement, and changing the speed of the exercise.

Common mistakes

Round back. Many beginners do exercises with a round back. This is a common mistake in the technique of the exercise. A round back increases the risk of injury and reduces the effectiveness of the exercise because of the short amplitude of movement.

Cheating. When a lifter helps himself to pull a dumbbell by swinging the body and deviates from the correct technique of the exercise – this is called cheating. The athlete is not able to lift the weight or do the specified number of repetitions, so he resorts to this method. In this case, the load is redistributed to other muscles of the body and the risk of injury increases.

Fast movements. If you move the dumbbell down too quickly (eccentric phase), the lifter loses a significant load, reducing the opportunity for muscle growth. Try lowering the arm with the projectile in a slow rhythm.

Overinvolvement of the biceps. Some beginners bend their arms at the elbows when performing the exercise, loading the biceps rather than the back muscles. It is important to pull the scapula and take the elbow behind the back to work the broadest muscles and trapezius.

Short amplitude and incorrect body position. A 45-degree body position and short amplitude of the pull are common mistakes. This is due to too much weight or lack of knowledge of the technique. It is recommended to place the body parallel to the bench and make the movement in full amplitude.

Contraindications

Physical exercise has a positive effect on psychological and physical health, but each of us may have contraindications.

We recommend that you consult a doctor before exercising. Especially if you have cardiovascular diseases, spinal disorders, joint problems, pregnancy, obesity, diabetes and neurological diseases.

Limit performing dumbbell waist pulls if you have:

acute joint pain;

acute pain in any part of the spine;
infections;
elevated body temperature;
exacerbation of chronic diseases.

Varieties of dumbbell pulls to the waist

Both variants of the dumbbell pull to the waist have their advantages. Which variant to include in training depends on your tasks, individual characteristics and health limitations.

Dumbbell pull to the waist with a stop. When pulling dumbbells to the waist with a hand resting on the bench, the lifter has a more stable body position, reducing the load on the cortex and lower back muscles. This allows you to focus on the broadest muscles of the back and the trapezius muscle. This option is safer for the lower back, so it may be suitable for people with back problems.

Dumbbell pull to the waist without a support. In the unsupported variant, the cortex and lower back muscles are more actively engaged to keep the body in a position parallel to the floor. This variant is more difficult and requires a high level of physical fitness. If you have back problems, it is recommended to prefer the version with a support.