What is barbell row

Now squeeze your shoulder blades. Then bend at the shoulders and elbows, pulling the bar upwards and back, trying to touch it to your torso, just a few inches above your belly button.

Your elbows should maintain a degree angle from the body and you should be pulling mostly with your upper arm. Pause when the bar touches your torso or very nearly does , then slowly return to the start.

Think of doing 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps. Keep the elbows a few inches away from your side. This will keep your rotator cuff muscles and rear delts involved in the row, getting them valuable work. One of the most common mistakes made in the row is pulling back the elbows too far.

Doing so is actually not good. When the elbows finish higher than the torso, the head of the humerus your upper arm bone can push forward into the joint capsule of the shoulder. Do this repeatedly, and you could actually make the shoulder joint less tight. To be safe, row until your elbows are in line with your torso, or, at most, 2 inches past it. The barbell row can add a lot of stress on the entirety of the back. Spinal integrity is key, and you should always consider it when choosing your weight.

Use only as much weight as you can while maintaining a strong posture. The stabilization work it gets is similar to the work it gets during a deadlift. There are two ways to grip the bar during barbell rows.

You can either use the overhand grip, as described above, or you can use an underhand grip. Both styles have strengths and weaknesses. If you have front shoulder issues, you may find that the underhand grip, also known as the supinated grip, is a little easier. If not, work to master and own the overhand grip barbell row first.

The supinated grip barbell row increases the involvement of the biceps, so your elbows wind up staying closer to your torso. The overhand grip has more benefits, though, training your grip, rear delt, and upper back more aggressively.

Pin rows in a rack can limit the range of motion, allowing you to work in a position that you can own, and taking some stress off your lower back. This gives you a chance to work on row technique and make sure your body position is clean, while also using slightly heavier weights than you normally would.

To do the dead stop pin row, simply set up a pair of pins at about knee height, or a little higher, and place the bar on the pins. Opting for dumbbells instead will help you balance out your strength on each side. Start with the dumbbells just below your knees and allow your wrists to turn naturally during the movement. Put your right hand and knee on a bench, hold a dumbbell in your left hand and let it hang straight down, with your palm facing in.

Row the dumbbell up, squeezing your shoulder blade in, then slowly lower it. Do all reps on one arm, then switch to the other side. This unstable surface will challenge your core muscle to keep your steady while you complete the movement, which should give you a stronger base when you attempt the barbell version. Row the weights up to your chest and squeeze your shoulder blades together, then lower them again. Make sure your chest stays in contact with the bench throughout so your torso remains in the correct position.

This tougher take on the standard barbell bent-over row takes its name from Glenn Pendlay, the weightlifting coach who championed it. With the Pendlay row, you bend over so your back is parallel to the ground and lower the barbell all the way to the ground with each rep. Otherwise the form points are the same — overhand grip, shoulders squeezed together at the top of the rep, core braced. You will need to reduce the amount of weight you use with the Pendlay row because of the extra challenge involved in lifting the barbell from the ground with each rep.

This particular variant is named after British bodybuilding icon Dorian Yates. But if they move when you Barbell Row, the weight is too heavy. He rebends his knees to lift the weight. He also drops his chest to finish each rep.

Cheating has benefits for advanced lifters, you can use heavier weights to break plateaus. How much cheating is too much? Purists say only your arms should move. Ego lifters say anything counts as long as you hit your chest. This is the issue with Barbell Rows: some are stricter than others which makes comparing hard not that you should do that….

What matters is consistent Barbell Row technique. You shortened the range of motion and used more hips. Use consistent form and consider deviations fails. Coach Glenn Pendlay was first to recommend Barbell Rows with a horizontal torso and the bar returning to the floor on each rep.

He wrote about it online more than a decade ago which is how I discovered this technique. The difference between Pendlay Rows and the Barbell Row you typically see in gyms is that the bar starts on the floor on each rep.

It stays close to horizontal with the floor. This makes the Pendlay Row a more explosive exercise. And it works your upper-back, lats and lower back muscles harder than bodybuilding-style Barbell Rows. And the bar must start and return to the floor on each rep, like on Deadlifts. This is safer for your lower back because you can set it neutral between reps when the bar is on the floor.

Notice the bar starts on the floor on each rep, unlike with bodybuilding-style Barbell Rows. Lower back and head stay neutral, straight line from hips to head. Chest stays up while the elbows go back and behind the torso at the top. Yates Rows are Barbell Rows with an upright torso and underhand grip. The bar touches your body lower, on you belly. Your grip is narrower with your elbows close to your body.

Yates Rows are named after the bodybuilding champion Dorian Yates. He won the Mr Olympia 5x and was known for his back development. He stopped doing Yates Rows with an underhand grip after tearing his left biceps. He uses a normal grip instead of the reverse grip…. Dorian Yates was an amazing bodybuilder. I remember watching his training videos when I started lifting, what an intensity!

But Dorian Yates has admitted using steroids for 12 years. He gets my respect, I wish more people were honest about that. Your lattissimus dorsi is one muscle that runs from your arm to your lower back. How low it attaches to your spine depends on your genetics. Backs with high lats look smaller just like high calves like mine look smaller.

The only thing you can do is increase the size of your lat muscles as a whole. The best way to train your lats is with heavy Deadlifts and Barbell Rows. Deadlifts force you to keep the bar close using your lats. Barbell Rows force you to lift the weight using your lats. Strengthening your lats increases their muscle size. It gives you a v-shape because your lats are your broadest back muscle.

Your genetics determine the final shape of your back. Yates Rows are indeed easier than Barbell Rows. The underhand grip on Yates Rows uses more biceps. This makes Yates Rows easier for the same reason Chinups are easier than Pullups. More muscles working is more strength. But few wrists and elbows can handle an underhand grip on Yates Rows.

Dorian Yates stopped rowing underhand after tearing his biceps. Yates Rows are also easier because the range of motion is shorter. Your torso is incline and the bar touches your belly. On Barbell Rows the bar starts on the floor and your torso is horizontal. You must move the bar over double the distance to hit you chest. Barbell Rows use more muscles and strengthen them over a longer range of motion. Barbell Rows are a more natural movement than Yates Rows.

Barbell Rows are similar to rowing on a boat. Your torso stays perpendicular while you row the resistance to you. Your torso moves slightly back and forth to add momentum.

This helps your upper-back and arms row the weight. Your back starts incline and remains incline for the duration of the set. Your upper-back and arms have to lift the weight alone. With Barbell Rows each rep starts on the floor. You can open your hips to get the bar moving. This helps your upper-back and arms handle heavier weights. Yates Rows are stressful on your lower back. Your torso stays incline the whole set.

Your lower back must stay neutral to avoid compression of your spinal discs. If your trunk muscles get tired mid-set, your spine will bend. This can cause injury. Barbell Rows are safer because each rep starts on the floor.

Your lower back gets a break between reps. And you can set it neutral and tight to avoid lower back rounding on your next rep. You setup on foot stands with the bar between your legs. The bar is fixed on one end and has a T-shaped handle on the other end. You grip the handle and row it to your chest. Some T-Bar machines have chest support to rest on. You can also do T-Bar rows without machine by putting the bar in a corner.

Pull the other end to your chest using a v-handle. Or it stays incline during the whole set. Keeping your torso incline stresses your lower back and may cause Injury. T-Bar Rows are easier than Barbell Rows because the range of motion is shorter. Unless you have long handles, the bar will hit your chest before your elbows go all the way back.

The range of motion is even shorter if you do T-Bar Rows with an incline torso. This is like doing half Squats instead of full Squats. More weight but half the work and half the gains.

Barbell Rows are easier to setup than T-Bar Rows. You control where the bar goes which leads to a safer and more effective bar path straight vertical.

Barbell Rows are simpler and more effective. Stick with Barbell Rows. Machine Rows are Barbell Rows using a machine. You sit upright on a bench with your chest against a vertical support and row the weight to you. Or you lie incline on a T-Bar machine with chest support while rowing the weight.

Or you raise the bench you use for the Bench Press and pull the bar from underneath you to your chest. Machine Rows emphasize your upper-back and arm muscles.

Machine Rows work less muscles than Barbell Rows. Your lower back, hips and legs do nothing. With Barbell Rows, your lower back and abs must keep your spine neutral. Your hips and legs must keep you balanced. Barbell Rows work more muscles. Machine Rows only make sense if some lower back injury prevents you from doing Barbell Rows but Inverted Rows are better, see below. If your lower back is fine, do Barbell Rows. You want to strengthen your back, not keep it weak. Practice is how you fix bad form and how your least favorite exercise often turns into your most favorite.

Dumbbell Rows are a single-arm Barbell Row using dumbbells. The usual way to do them is on a bench. Put your left knee and left hand on the far ends. Your torso should be horizontal with the floor like when you Barbell Row with proper form. Grab the dumbbell in your right hand and row it to your chest. I prefer to rest the dumbbell on the floor between reps. But some people keep the dumbbell in the air like with Yates Rows. Dumbbell Rows emphasize your upper-back like Machine Rows do.

The range of motion is longer, you get a bigger stretch at the bottom. Dumbbell Rows can help you train around a lower back injury. But for gaining overall strength and muscle, Barbell Rows are more effective because they work more muscles with more weight. Progressing is also harder with Dumbbells. Small increments work longer than big ones. Few gyms have dumbbells with smaller increments or adjustable ones. Inverted Rows are horizontal Pullups.

Lie with your back on the floor in the Power Rack. Grab the bar, raise your butt and straighten your torso. You should hang from your arms with only your heels touching the floor. Now pull yourself up until your chest touches the bar. Pull with your elbows so you use your upper-back and arms, not your legs. Inverted Rows force you to lift your body-weight, like Pullups do. Progression is also harder with Inverted Rows. You start out by trying to get more reps each workout. Once you can do sets of ten reps, you elevate your feet to shift your center or gravity and make it harder.

When that gets easy, you add weight using an x-vest or loaded rucksack or chains. All of this works. They only train your upper-back and arms muscles. Inverted Rows can be a helpful temporary substitution exercise if some lower back injury prevents you from doing Barbell Rows. But it also makes them less effective for gaining overall strength and muscle. Barbell Rows use more muscles, with heavier weights. This is always better. Barbell Rows are safer than Power Cleans.

Many people injure their wrists, elbows and shoulders doing Power Cleans because they lack flexibility. Power Cleans require more time and effort and often a coach to master proper form. Barbell Rows are easier to learn and build your upper-body muscles more than Power Cleans do. Many gyms lack the equipment to drop the bar safely on Power Cleans.

Power Cleans can be useful for athletes who must be explosive for sports. But you can develop power faster and more easily by increasing your Squat and Deadlift. But if you just want to get stronger and build muscle, Barbell Rows are better. Power Cleans consist of pulling the bar from the floor on your shoulders. The top position is like a Front Squat with horizontal upper-arms.

But you need flexible wrists to keep your elbows high. The bar will stretch and hurt your wrists and elbows. The weight of the bar can also hurt your shoulders if you have existing issues like shoulder impingement. Your hips must be flexible to keep your lower back neutral while you bend over and row the weight. But you can easily fix that by raising the bar. Or put plates flat on the floor under the weight.

Lower back injuries are less likely on Barbell Rows. The movement is slower. This makes it easier to lift with proper form. Power Cleans are faster. Many people pull the bar to their shoulders by doing a reverse curl and leaning back. This squeezes your spinal discs and can injure them. You can do Barbell Rows wrong too and hurt your back by rounding it. Barbell Rows are safer to fail than Power Cleans. It will drop from a higher position than with Barbell Rows.

It will make more noise, especially if you Power Clean without bumper plates or platform. And the bar can hit your arms and legs on the way down which will hurt. You can work on improving your flexibility. You can spend time and effort mastering proper form. And you can buy bumper plates or build a platform to drop the bar. Or you can just Barbell Row. They need less flexibility, are easier to learn and require the same equipment you use to Deadlift.

Barbell Rows are safer for most people. Barbell Rows are a slower movement than Power Cleans. You have to be explosive. But the faster you lift, the harder to control the bar and your body. The more your form can breakdown and cause injury.

The Barbell Row is also a shorter movement. The bar moves half the distance. Less things can go wrong. Barbell Rows look less intimidating and complicated than Power cleans, and they are. Many people say you need a coach to learn how to Power clean. This is true if you want to become an Olympic Weightlifter.

All it takes is stretching, videotaping yourself, watching videos, comparing your form against them and tons of practice. They want results fast. Learn to Squat , Deadlift and Barbell Row with proper form first. These movements are slower and easier to learn.

Build a foundation of strength and technique first. Power Cleans require you to drop the bar from your shoulders to the floor on each rep. It breaks the bar, the plates and the floor.

It makes a ton of noise and will piss off your gym manager. You need bumper plates made of rubber to absorb the shock when you drop the bar. The only way to Power Clean without bumper plates is to drop the bar on your thighs. Drop the bar from your shoulders to your mid-thighs while doing a quarter Squat. Keep your hands on the bar to slow it down. Your legs will absorb the weight. Now lower the bar to the floor like on the way down of Deadlifts. This is how people used to Power Clean before they invented bumper plates.

But it hurts. Heavy weight will bruise your thighs on every rep. I Power Cleaned without bumper plates for months. The bruises on my thighs I could take. But not how lowering heavy weight stretched my biceps and lower back on each rep. There were no bumper plates for sale in Belgium at that time. I had to ship them internationally which was crazy expensive.

So I quit doing Power Cleans after reaching kg. You can drop the bar on your thighs but it will hurt once the weighs are heavier. You can stay away from failure but that limits your progress. You also switch to a gym with bumper plates or buy your own and build a home gym. Or you can just do Barbell Rows using the equipment you use already use on Deadlifts.

Power Cleans are mostly a hip movement. The bottom is like a Deadlift. Your knees and hips straighten to lift the bar and create momentum. The top is like a Front Squat with your shoulders catching the bar in a Quarter Squat like position. Your traps shrug under the weight while your lats keep the bar close.