Stand with your knees slightly flexed. Bend your torso at an angle of about 45 degrees while keeping your back straight. Take an overhand grip on the bar with your hands more than shoulder-width apart and your arms dangling straight down from your shoulders.
1. Inhale, Contract your abdominals isometrically. Pull the bar straight up until it touches your chest.
2. Return to the starting position, exhaling while you do so. Repeat next repetition.
Notes: This exercise works the lats, teres major, posterior deltoids, arm flexors, biceps, brachialis, brachiordalis. The rhomboid and trapezius muscles are also worked when you press your scapulae together at the end of the movement. The spinal erectors are also worked in an isometric way with this exercise while you are bent over.
As with most other exercises, you can use a variety of foot positions and grip widths to work the back differently, including the angle of torso tilt.