Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Dumbbell row requires attention to detail in wrist
Attention to detail is critically important in many aspects of life and health, so I’d like to share a quick story about a master of that attention, the late Steve Jobs. Jobs was the enigmatic entrepreneur of Apple.
One time, he called Vic Gundotra, then vice president in charge at social products for Google, early on a Sunday morning while Gundotra was attending a religious service. While Gundotra didn’t pick up the call immediately, he quickly stepped out to call Jobs back. After some small talk, Jobs explained that he had an “urgent issue requiring immediate attention.”
He said, “I have someone from my team assigned to you, and I hope you can work together to fix this tomorrow.”
Gundotra inquired further, and Jobs continued, “I’ve been looking at the Google+ logo on the iPhone, and the second O does not have the right yellow gradient, and I’d like Greg to fix it tomorrow. Is that OK with you?”
Jobs was famous for such attention to detail. His genius was not simply problem solving or entrepreneurship, it was in his ability to focus his energy to fill the tiniest cracks in quality.
I find this story incredibly inspiring. I also see parallels between business matters and the pursuit of better health quite regularly.
Anyone can walk on a treadmill for 10 minutes, but attention to detail is about understanding your target heart zone and adjusting the treadmill speed (or incline) to optimize your workload.
Paying heed to details also matters in weight training, stretching and other exercise pursuits. Small commitments accumulate to create lasting behavior change, and that’s exactly what attention to detail is all about.
This week’s exercise — the Bent Over Grip Variation Row — requires a bit of attention to detail in terms of wrist position. A simple wrist rotation changes the focus of the movement to challenge the shoulder in different ways.
1. Select a single dumbbell and position yourself with your left knee on a flat exercise bench and the right foot on the ground. Your left hand should be on the bench for stability, and the dumbbell should be in your right hand with the arm fully extended.
2. Rotate your right wrist so that your palm is facing you.
3. Perform a dumbbell row by lifting the dumbbell up toward your underarm. Slowly lower the dumbbell until the arm is back to full extension.
4. Rotate the wrist so that your right palm now faces behind you.
5. Perform another row in this position.
6. Continue alternating your wrist position for 12 total repetitions, then switch arms and place your right knee on the bench to repeat.
Of course, this exercise can be performed without any adjustment to wrist position and most people wouldn’t notice any decrease in intensity or results. I’ve certainly cut a few corners in workouts of my own over the years. But any time I consider this kind of action, I think about that second “O” in Google and remember that someone cared enough to make it the perfect yellow gradient.
Director of population health solutions for Quest Diagnostics, Matt Parrott has a doctorate in education (sport studies), a master’s in kinesiology and is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine.