Why You Need Bodyweight Rows

by Monica

Why all my 50 something female clients love bodyweight rows and the top reasons why you need to add them to your weekly workouts.

I don't know if you've noticed but little old lady humpback syndrome (also known as hunchback syndrome, upper cross syndrome, kyphosis/lordosis combo, or dowagers hump) is rampant these days and it's not just 80 year old ladies that suffer from this horrible postural imbalance.

Girls as young as 14 and 30 something moms suffer from this in the worst way too. It's scary to see so many women these days who look like they were born with C shaped spines instead of S shaped spines.

If you think Hunchback syndrome isn't a big deal then think again! It's a huge reason why so many women have a hard time losing stubborn fat. According to Pete Egoscue author of Pain Free: A Revolutionary Method for Stopping Chronic Pain, this postural imbalance kills both your energy levels and your metabolism.

Egoscue explains this is a survival mechanism that keeps you from getting injured (your body is smart like that). I know from working with hundreds of clients that what he's saying is true and worst of all how long it takes to correct once this imbalance gets out of control.

The good news for women and men who only have a minor forward shoulder rotation is that it can be corrected quickly with bodyweight rows of any kind not just the ones with a suspension trainer.

All my 50 something year old clients who start doing rows (on the smith machine or with suspension trainers) are always blown away at how much better they look and feel after a few short weeks.

Don't have access to a suspension trainer or bars? Get a $6 rope like mine and drape it around a tree and get to work with 2 sets of 8 twice a week then increase to 3 sets of 8 twice a week.

After a few weeks adjust the rope and/or your feet to increase the angle so the exercise becomes more challenging and try 3 sets of 8 twice a week. You can even use this as a warm-up for all your upper body workouts.

This simple exercise will improve your posture and make you look taller and leaner, will correct forward shoulder rotation and boost performance in all your other workouts. It will also help you burn more fat and help you get rid of those bat wings and build lean toned arms faster than all those other silly isolation exercises you see women doing in their body pump classes.

Bodyweight Row Tips

Notice how far back my feet are. This is a good stance for beginners. Keep the elbows by your sides and hands above the chest. Release back slowly until arms are straight then squeeze the shoulder blades hard and bend the arms to pull back in keeping your chest high and head back and body straight (no sagging hips or butt). Move the feet in closer to the tree as you get stronger.

Remember that when you give your body what it needs, you get the body you want!