Dwayne Johnson’s Go-To Again Train

Construct a mountainous again that may make “The Rock” blush. 

Final up to date on October twenty third, 2024

Dwayne Johnson is bigger than life. So profoundly devoted to his exercises is “The Rock” that he’s identified for hauling a totally furnished and practical weight room — known as Johnson’s Iron Paradise — to unique locales whereas he shoots films. 

• One in every of Johnson’s go-to again workouts is the dumbbell seal row, a easy however extraordinarily efficient muscle-builder.

We’re going to interrupt down do certainly one of The Rock’s mainstay back exercises so you may construct a heroic again of your personal.

Dwayne Johnson & the Seal Row

Johnson isn’t not working — it’s a part of his model. “7 a.m., puttin’ in work earlier than goin’ to work,” wrote Johnson on Oct. 17, 2024. His subsequent movie, a vacation action-comedy known as Purple One, hits theaters in November.

He hauled a pair of 80-pound dumbbells over to an adjustable weight bench, straddled it, and began rowing. Fortunate for us, Johnson additionally included some professional ideas for mastering the seal row:

Most significantly, Johnson supplied a helpful tidbit of coaching recommendation that applies to only about each train you carry out. “[Get] a deep, totally managed stretch,” he suggested. What’s the large deal right here? A rising physique of scientific analysis signifies that making use of pressure to a muscle whereas it’s stretched out might improve hypertrophy. (1)(2)

How To Do the Seal Row Like Dwayne Johnson

The seal row (also referred to as a chest-supported row) is a row variation that works all the foremost muscle mass in your higher again, together with your lats, traps, rhomboids, and posterior deltoids. It additionally limits strain to your decrease again, making it each time-efficient and secure to carry out when you’re, say, doing stunts on the set of a blockbuster movie. 

Right here’s a step-by-step information to doing the seal row similar to Johnson. For this train you’ll want dumbbells, an adjustable weight bench, and should you like, a pair of lifting straps.

1. Relaxation your chest on a weight bench and permit your arms to hold down beneath your shoulders.
2. In case your bench is excessive sufficient that your fingers don’t contact the ground, you’re good to go. Nevertheless, you might must incline the bench to create further room.
3. Plant your ft firmly on the bottom and push your chest into the bench pad barely.
4. Row the weights by drawing your elbows up and again, whereas preserving your higher arms tucked to your sides.
5. As soon as your elbows are aligned with or barely behind your torso, pause and squeeze your again muscle mass arduous earlier than decreasing the weights down.

Coach’s Tip: You may both relaxation your complete torso on an incline bench or intentionally raise your hips to place your torso parallel to the ground; doing so will make the motion harder. To emphasise your lats, maintain your higher arms tucked. To focus in your traps or rear delts, maintain your arms flared out to the perimeters as you row.

Extra Bodybuilding Content material

References

1. Pedrosa GF, Lima FV, Schoenfeld BJ, Lacerda LT, Simões MG, Pereira MR, Diniz RCR, Chagas MH. Partial vary of movement coaching elicits favorable enhancements in muscular diversifications when carried out at lengthy muscle lengths. Eur J Sport Sci. 2022 Aug;22(8):1250-1260. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2021.1927199. Epub 2021 Could 23. PMID: 33977835.
2. McMahon G, Morse CI, Burden A, Winwood Ok, Onambélé GL. Muscular diversifications and insulin-like progress factor-1 responses to resistance coaching are stretch-mediated. Muscle Nerve. 2014 Jan;49(1):108-19. doi: 10.1002/mus.23884. PMID: 23625461.

Featured Picture: @therock / Instagram