Going Wide, Getting Big

2010 IFBB Europa Show of Champions winner Hidetada Yamagishi talks about wide-grip upright rows

Japan’s Hidetada Yamagishi has come a long way in a short period of time. A couple of years ago, the 5’5″ pro was relegated to also-ran status. But last year, he was runner-up in two IFBB Pro League contests, and this year he’s racked up two more seconds and added his first pro title, the Europa Show of Champions. Most guys his height are battling in the 202’s, but Yamagishi proved at the New York Pro (one of his two seconds this year) he can hold his own against the behemoths. A key reason is his shoulder width. Not blessed with Cutler-sized clavicles, he has nonetheless packed on so much delt mass his shoulders seem to be reaching for opposite sides of the stage. A key exercise for filling out his medial delts is the wide-grip upright row, a favorite of trainer Charles Glass. Hide tells us about this exercise and shares his “wide-ranging” delt routine.

HIDE ON WIDE-GRIP UPRIGHT ROWS

“This is a very good exercise. Unlike a close-grip upright row, it focuses more on your side delts and not so much on your traps. I take a grip at about shoulder-width or slightly wider and I pull to my upper chest. My elbows go straight out at my sides. Another way to do this is to use two dumbbells and hold them at your sides. Pull up with your elbows and keep the dumbbells against your sides as they go up.”