Training Rhomboids

Rhomboids

Rhomboids (middle back) are the unsung hero of the back.  They add thickness to a back.  You never hear of anyone working them out.  However everyone does when they do most of lat and trap work.  Wide grip pull ups to the front work this muscle very well, so do Bent Over Rows and Seated Cable Rows.  There are only a few exercises that target this muscle primarily.    And here they are: Bent Over Barbell Rows.  Do these the same way as Bent Over Barbell Rows for upper back, the only difference being a slightly wider grip.  Your really have to try to feel your shoulder blades coming together due to rhomboid contraction.  Doing this exercise for upper back though, should be good enough. Seated Cable Rows.  Execute this exercise exactly the same way as Seated Cable Rows done for lats with one major difference.  Instead of pulling the weight to your stomach area, pull it to where your abs meet your chest. Rhomboid Shrugs are done either with a low pulley or on one of the Cybex or Stairmaster type Rowing Machines (this said in full recognition of your preference for free weights!!)  Begin as if you are going to do regular rows but rather than bending the arms, keep then (relatively) straight and try to pull the shoulders back - can use a rotating motion but recall your caution about rolling the shoulders while doing shrugs. This is rather like a seated, horizontal shrug. Really gets to the middle of the back - involves the trapezius also. Could be done with a barbell or dumbells in the bent over rowing positionbut you might not be able to focus on the proper movement. ( thanks to Mike Nix ) *If anyone can come up with another exercise for rhomboids I would be happy to hear about it.