Sit facing the machine. Place your feet against the footrest and lean towards the pulley.
1. Inhale and pull the handle toward you until it touches your lower rib cage. Be sure to arch your back.
2. When the handle reaches your torso, be sure your elbows travel as far back as possible.
3. Exhale while you complete the movement then, repeat the next repetition.
Notes: This is an excellent exercise for building the back. And, it will actually build the back better if you use a long bar like that in lat pulldowns and a wide grip. To perform the exercise in this manner, attach a long bar instead of the close grip and lean forward so that your face is almost touching your knees just like in crew rowing, which this machine emulates. Pull so that you lean back slightly (about 35 degree) until the bar touches the bottom of your pectorals. Then, return to starting position.
This exercise isolates the lats, teres major, posterior deltoids, biceps, brachialis, brachiordalis, trapezius and rhomboid muscles. When you straighten, it also involves the spinal erectors. The negative phase of this movement, especially with the long bar, when you lean forward to starting position, completely stretches your lats.