when it comes to back training, you are constantly told to “squeeze the elbow back”. While this is important for shoulder extension, we have to remember that the lats, rhomboids, and traps all attach to the spine. This means, to fully contract these muscles, you have to shorten the muscle fibres, and in this case these muscle fibres run in the direction towards the spine. Which is why you have to squeeze the elbow back AND towards the spine to maximally contract them.

when it comes to back training, you are constantly told to “squeeze the elbow back”. While this is important for shoulder extension, we have to remember that the lats, rhomboids, and traps all attach to the spine. This means, to fully contract these muscles, you have to shorten the muscle fibres, and in this case these muscle fibres run in the direction towards the spine. Which is why you have to squeeze the elbow back AND towards the spine to maximally contract them.

Original article and pictures take https://gymguider.com site