allright, i have yet another growth surge question. in phase 2, what exactly are T-Bar rows. is it a machine exercise, just a special bar for cable rows, or is it an actual free weight movement? also, i am assuming i should do full ass to ground squats for all 3 stages of the program, not parallel right?
T-bar rows are done on a machine that has a foot platform at the bottom and a pad at the top for which you rest your chest on. The machine is on a 45 degree angle and has a long bar starting at the foot platform and goes into handles and a place to put weights. That is the best way I can describe it. It’s like doing barbell rows for back but with a pad for your chest. Hope that helps.
thanks jason, i know exactly what you are talking about. i just didn’t know thats what they were called. the one at my gym has two sets of handles on it so you can either use a wide prone grip (the “T” part i guess) or a medium neutral grip. does it matter which grip i use?
Assuming that your gym doesn’t have a dedicated T-bar machine, here’s how the old-timers did it: Take a barbell. Stick one end of it into any convenient corner. (I mean a literal corner, where two walls meet the floor.) Stack some weights onto the other end. You should now have a barbell that starts in a corner and points up from the floor at about a 20 or 30 degree angle. Okay. Straddle the barbell, facing away from the corner. Grab the barbell with both hands behind the weights. (You can alternate grips - right hand close to the weights, left hand close to the weights, on alternate sets.) With your back straight and your head up, and while leaning back slightly, lift the load off the floor and proceed to row the weights into your chest, using the corner as a fulcrum. When you’re done with your sets, start looking around for a new gym to join, as most places’ owners will go absolutely batshit when they see what you’re doing to the corner of their gym. But if you’re lucky enough to work out in an old concrete building somewhere, you may be able to skip this last step. Good luck!
With the old school style T-Bar rows char-dawg described… You can also get the closegrip attachment for seated rows etc. and drape it underneath the bar and grab on to that. Thats how I always liked to do them.