Lawn Mower Exercise: How to Do It, Benefits, and Variations

Not all of us have lawns to mow, however everybody can reap the advantages of the garden mower train. This primary transfer—which is completed by pulling a weight or resistance band diagonally throughout your physique—is a wonderful strategy to construct power in your shoulders and again.

As a result of your again and shoulders are a few of the most used muscle tissue (and subsequently probably the most injured), it is tremendous necessary to strengthen them so that you’re simply in a position to do on a regular basis duties (hiya, carrying and placing away these heavy groceries!) with out getting damage.

Maybe one of the best half? The garden mower train doesn’t require a lot house or costly gear, and it is adaptable to all health ranges. TL;DR: It’s a terrific addition to at-home upper-body workout—and who does not love that?

We reached out to purposeful health knowledgeable Noelle McKenzie, CPT, a licensed private coach and co-founder of Leading Edge, for recommendation on easy methods to do the train correctly, why it’s helpful, and extra.

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What’s the garden mower train?

The garden mower train (generally referred to as a garden mower row) is a power train designed to work your again and shoulder muscle tissue. You are able to do it with a resistance band or dumbbell (try these adjustable dumbbells!), relying on what gear you’ve got obtainable.

The train is completed by pulling the burden throughout your physique in a diagonal movement—very like the movement of beginning a garden mower.

This can be a nice train for functional fitness as a result of it improves your power for lifting heavy issues in your on a regular basis life. Strengthening your shoulders and again may assist to improve posture and alleviate again ache attributable to weak muscle tissue or muscle imbalances.

Methods to do the garden mower train with good kind

1. Begin standing along with your ft collectively, holding a dumbbell in your proper hand along with your palm dealing with in towards your physique.
2. Step your proper foot about 6 to 12 inches again, retaining it straight. Carry your proper heel off the ground, balancing on the toes of your proper foot. Your left leg needs to be bent in entrance of you.
3. Lean your torso ahead at a 45-degree angle to the ground.
4. Let your proper arm hold down towards the ground. You possibly can relaxation your left arm in your left thigh for stability if wanted.
5. Preserving your again flat and core tight, retract your shoulder blades to drag your proper shoulder down and again away out of your neck.
6. From right here, pull the dumbbell towards your proper hip by bending your elbow and squeezing your shoulder blades collectively to maintain your scapula retracted.
7. Your proper elbow ought to transfer previous your torso, and it’s best to enable your T-spine (the center part of your backbone) to rotate barely.
8. Slowly return to the beginning place, permitting the burden to drag your arm again down towards the ground in an prolonged place.
9. End your set and repeat on the alternative aspect.

Garden mower train muscle tissue labored

The precise again and shoulder muscle tissue the garden mower train works embrace the next, in keeping with McKenzie:

• Latissimus dorsi (center and decrease again)
• Rhomboids (higher again)
• Trapezius (neck, shoulders, and higher again)
• Rear deltoids (shoulders)
• Biceps (higher arm)
• Forearms (decrease arm)
• Obliques (the perimeters of your trunk)
• Transverse abdominis (deepest stomach muscle)

Advantages of the garden mower train

The garden mower train has the apparent advantages of bettering power and constructing muscle in your again and shoulders, however that’s not all it has to supply.

“As a result of it requires the twisting of your physique, it is nice for coaching rotational actions, which work on opening up your T-spine,” McKenzie says.

It is also a wonderful train for purposeful health, aka the health you require for on a regular basis actions, and bettering your posture.

McKenzie additionally notes that the garden mower train helps enhance stability and muscle imbalances by coaching one aspect of your physique at a time. This may additionally assist relieve ache attributable to muscle weak spot, particularly if stated weak spot is extra prevalent on one aspect of your physique as this will trigger you to compensate on the alternative aspect.

Garden mower train variations

Whereas the garden mower train is nice for lots of people, it’s not one-’cise-fits-all (see what we did there?). Listed here are a number of variations that can assist you discover the most suitable choice for you.

1. Banded bent-over row with bilateral stance

Greatest for: those that wrestle with stability

1. Begin by standing along with your ft shoulder-width aside.
2. Place one finish of a resistance band beneath each ft and seize the opposite finish with each palms.
3. Lean your torso ahead at a 45-degree angle to the ground.
4. Retract your scapula by pulling your shoulder blades down and again away out of your neck.
5. Whereas retaining your again flat and parallel with the ground and your core engaged, drive each elbows up previous your hips, squeezing your shoulder blades collectively.
6. Slowly return again to the beginning place, permitting your arms to totally lengthen towards the ground.
7. Repeat.

2. Bent-over dumbbell row on bench

Greatest for: those that lack T-spine mobility

1. Set an adjustable weight bench to a flat place.
2. Stand with the burden bench to your left, holding a dumbbell in your proper hand, palms dealing with in towards your physique.
3. Place your left hand and left knee on the bench, along with your proper foot firmly planted on the bottom.
4. Flatten your again, brace your core, then retract your shoulder blades to drag your proper shoulder down and away out of your neck.
5. From right here, pull the dumbbell towards your proper hip by bending your proper elbow and squeezing your shoulder blades collectively to maintain your scapula retracted.
6. Your proper elbow ought to transfer previous your torso whereas retaining your shoulders sq. with the bench.
7. Slowly return to the beginning place, permitting your proper arm to totally lengthen again towards the ground.
8. End your set and repeat on the alternative aspect.

3. Seated row with band

Greatest for: those that have to—or want to—sit

1. Begin sitting on the ground along with your legs prolonged straight out in entrance of you.
2. Wrap the band across the balls of each ft and seize both finish of the band in every hand.
3. Retract your scapula by pulling your shoulder blades down and again away out of your neck.
4. Together with your chest open and core tight, bend your elbows and pull them again towards your hips. Be certain to squeeze your shoulder blades collectively to maintain your scapula retracted.
5. Slowly return to the beginning place by straightening your elbows.
6. Repeat.

Should you’re nonetheless undecided which variation is the appropriate choice for you, McKenzie has a number of extra solutions that can assist you slim it down:

• The banded row variations are nice for individuals who wish to work on energy and velocity, reminiscent of athletes.
• The bent-over dumbbell row utilizing a bench is a good choice for folks trying to maximize muscle progress.
• For these coming off a shoulder or again damage, begin with the seated banded variation as a result of there’s minimal resistance initially of the pull.
• For older adults or those that are extra sedentary, it could be finest to progress up towards the rotational garden mower variation to regain extra mobility by way of your T-spine, which is one thing folks are inclined to lose as they age and turn out to be much less energetic. This mobility is essential to sustaining a wholesome functioning physique.

Garden mower train security suggestions

Though the garden mower is fairly protected so far as at-home workout routines go, there’s all the time the opportunity of damage if you happen to aren’t cautious. Listed here are a number of suggestions from McKenzie to maintain you out of hurt’s approach when doing the garden mower train:

1. At all times keep correct kind to be sure to’re partaking the appropriate muscle tissue and never over-compensating someplace. If ever your kind breaks down, it is an indicator that you simply both have to drop down in load, do fewer reps, or modify the train to one of many variations offered above. Should you’re simply beginning out, use a mirror so you may assess that your kind is right.
2. At all times test your gear to make sure it is safe. When utilizing the train bench, ensure that it is locked within the place you’ve got it set to. Be certain your bands are anchored nicely, and when selecting a weight, begin low and transfer up—it’s all the time finest to start out beneath your max to make sure you’re utilizing a weight you may deal with safely.
3. Prep your physique for train with a dynamic warm-up with strikes like banded shoulder openers, wall angels, and spinal managed articular rotations (CARs).
4. Assess for ache earlier than you start, and concentrate on your physique all through the transfer. Should you ever expertise ache or discomfort, ensure that to change as wanted or cease utterly. It is best to by no means push by way of ache as this will result in damage.