Rhomboid
The rhomboid muscles, often simply called the rhomboids, are rhombus-shaped muscles and are used to pull the shoulder blades together. They also rotate the scapula in a downward direction and provide stability for your shoulders.. There are two rhomboid muscles on each side of the upper back Rhomboid major muscle and Rhomboid minor muscle.
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Reverse Fly
Dumbell
Strength Standards (1RM)
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Beginner - 2 kg
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Novice - 8 kg
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Intermediate - 18 kg
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Advanced - 31 kg
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Elite - 48 kg
Based on an 80kg Male Lifter, for more strength standards we recommend you visit strengthlevel.com
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Sit down on a bench with your feet flat on the floor. Keep your knees at a 90-degree angle. Hinge forward at the hips and hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing away from you. Have the dumbbells resting in the space between your legs and the bench. Your stomach should be on your thighs, and your arms should be fully extended to your sides. This is your starting position.
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Exhale and engage your core. In one motion, perform a reverse fly while lifting your torso away from your thighs and sitting upright.
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As you raise the dumbbells out to your sides, rotate your wrists so they’re now facing the ceiling, ending at shoulder height. You may bend your elbows slightly if you need to. Your upper body should be in a “T” position.
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When you’re seated tall with your palms at shoulder height, rotate your wrists downward to the floor and back up to the ceiling one time. This forces you to hold this position for an extra count. You’ll strengthen your forearms and contract your shoulder blades down and back.
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Inhale, slowly reverse the steps, and lower the dumbbells back down to your starting position with your torso on your thighs.
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Repeat
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You can use a number of different hand attachments and we recommend cycling through different grips in order to avoid injury.
Landmine Row (T Bar Row)
Barbell & Attachment
Strength Standards (1RM)
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Beginner - 37 kg
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Novice - 60 kg
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Intermediate - 89 kg
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Advanced - 124 kg
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Elite - 163 kg
Based on an 80kg Male Lifter, for more strength standards we recommend you visit strengthlevel.com
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Set a barbell in a landmine and place some weight on the opposite end of the barbell.
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Wrap a V-bar handle around the weighted end and grasp its handles.
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Hinge forward so your torso is at a 45-degree angle with the ground; this is the start.
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Squeeze your shoulder blades and row the weighted end of the barbell toward your chest;
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Pause, then return to the start.
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You can also perform the landmine row using one arm, in which case, begin by standing to one side of the bar. This unilateral form of the move allows you to focus on one side of the body at a time, so you can spot and then work on any strength imbalances.
Inverted Row (wide grip)
Bodyweight
Strength Standards
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Beginner - <1
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Novice - 5
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Intermediate - 18
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Advanced - 35
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Elite - 53
Based on an 80kg Male Lifter, for more strength standards we recommend you visit strengthlevel.com
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Lie under a barbell or Smith machine and grab the bar with an underhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width. Position your feet and torso so that you’re at a 45-degree angle with the ground.
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Squeeze your shoulder blades; this is the start.
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Now pull your torso and body upwards, aiming to touch the bar between belly button and chest.
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Lower back to the start. That’s 1 rep.
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You can also use weights to progress the exercise (make it more difficult.)
Bent Over Row
Barbell
Strength Standards (1RM)
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Beginner - 40 kg
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Novice - 60 kg
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Intermediate - 85 kg
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Advanced - 114 kg
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Elite - 146 kg
Based on an 80kg Male Lifter, for more strength standards we recommend you visit strengthlevel.com
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Prepare your barbell and sit it on the floor in front of you. Always remember less weight is better when learning a new movement, especially one involving sensitive areas like the back.
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Position your feet shoulder-width apart and hinge at your hips, bending your knees and keeping a neutral back.
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Grab your weight from the floor with the standard overhand grip, remembering to engage your core. However, unlike the deadlift, your reps will not start and end at the floor, but rather at the end of the arm extension.
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Begin the movement by squeezing your shoulder blades together and bringing the weight to your chest. It should mimic the movement needed to row a boat, hence the name. Be sure to keep a neutral spine and avoid rounded shoulders by keeping your chest out. Maintain proper neck positioning by keeping your gaze forward.
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Lower the weight back down to the full extension of your arms. Always maintain a slow and controlled approach.
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When doing rows, focus on really squeezing your rhomboids at the end of the row.
Face Pulls
Cable
Strength Standards (1RM)
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Beginner - 12 kg
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Novice - 26 kg
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Intermediate - 47 kg
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Advanced - 73 kg
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Elite - 103 kg
Based on an 80kg Male Lifter, for more strength standards we recommend you visit strengthlevel.com
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Set up a cable machine with a double-rope attachment fixed to the high pulley.
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Grasp the handle in an overhand grip (palms facing the floor) and hold it with your arms fully extended out in front of you.
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Pull the handles towards you, keeping your upper arms parallel to the floor, so that the handles go either side of your face.
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Then return to the starting position, keeping the tension in the cable. Keep your movements slow and controlled throughout the exercise.
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Don’t overdo the weight with this exercise – doing so will mean your lower back gets involved, reducing the focus on the shoulders and upper back – and make sure you don’t move your head forwards to meet the handle while pulling.
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There are a number of variations for this exercise including alternative attachment (instead of ropes.)
Pull-Ups
Pull-Up Bar
Strength Standards
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Beginner - <1
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Novice - 4
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Intermediate - 13
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Advanced - 24
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Elite - 36
Based on an 80kg Male Lifter, for more strength standards we recommend you visit strengthlevel.com
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Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand (pull-up) or underhand (chin-up) grip, hands about shoulder-width apart. Keeping your core tight, bend at the elbows and shoulders and pull your chest to the bar.
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Pause, then lower with control.
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You should make sure to change the had positions regularly when incorporating Pull-ups or Chin-ups into a exercise programme over an extended amount of time to prevent injury.
Seated Cable Row
Machine
Strength Standards (1RM)
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Beginner - 41 kg
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Novice - 60 kg
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Intermediate - 85 kg
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Advanced - 115 kg
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Elite - 147 kg
Based on an 80kg Male Lifter, for more strength standards we recommend you visit strengthlevel.com
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Sit on the bench with your feet on the footrest. Your knees should be slightly bent. Grip the handle with a wider than shoulder-width overhand grip. Sit up tall and pull your shoulders down and back.
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Bend your arms and pull the bar into your chest. Keep your elbows up and roughly level with your shoulders.
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Extend your arms and repeat.
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Seated cable rows are similar to barbell rows in terms of effectiveness but much more lower back-friendly.
Incline 'Y' Raise
Dumbbell
Strength Standards (1RM)
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Beginner - 3 kg
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Novice - 10 kg
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Intermediate - 23 kg
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Advanced - 40 kg
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Elite - 61 kg
Based on an 80kg Male Lifter, for more strength standards we recommend you visit strengthlevel.com
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Lay face down on an incline bench with your arms extended down holding an appropriate weight.
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Keeping both arms extended, raise your arms in an upward forward motion to form an "I".
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Squeeze the upper back muscles (focus on the shoulder blades/rhomboids)
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Lower your arms back to the starting position.
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Lift both arms upward and diagonal to form a “Y”. Squeeze the upper back muscles (focus on the shoulder blades/rhomboids)
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Lower your arms back to the starting position.
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Raise both arms upward and to the side to form a “T”. Squeeze the upper back muscles (focus on the shoulder blades/rhomboids).
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Lower your arms back down and then repeat from the “I” raise.
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If you cannot manage doing the exercise with weights, then work up to it just doing it with no weight for up to 50 reps.
