How to do a barbell row
- Stand with your feet about hip width apart, the bar over the middle of your foot. Deadlift it up, or take it from a rack at mid-thigh height.
- Grip the bar just outside shoulder width, palms facing you.
- Push your hips back and bend your knees slightly until your torso is well bent over, somewhere between 45 degrees and almost parallel to the floor. Let the bar hang at arm's length below your shoulders.
- Brace your stomach and keep your back flat, neck in line with your spine.
- Pull the bar towards your lower ribs or upper stomach, driving your elbows back past your body and squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top.
- Lower it under control until your arms are straight again, keeping your torso at the same angle.
Cues that help
- "Elbows to your back pockets": it puts the work on your back rather than your arms.
- "Torso stays still": your body angle is set before the first rep and does not change. If it rises on each rep, the weight is too heavy.
- "Squeeze at the top": a brief hold with your shoulder blades together makes every rep count.
- "Pull to your belt line, not your neck": pulling high turns it into an upright row and lets your traps take over.
Common mistakes
- Standing more upright with every rep. It shortens the range and turns the row into a shrug. Lower the weight until your torso can stay put.
- Heaving with the hips. A bit of body movement on the last rep of a set is fine; using your hips to get every rep up means the weight is too heavy.
- Rounding the back. A rounded lower back under load is the risk in this lift. Keep it flat and brace before each rep.
- Pulling with the arms only. If your biceps tire before your back, think about driving your elbows rather than lifting your hands.
- Cutting the bottom short. Let your arms straighten fully between reps so your lats get the full stretch.
What it asks of your lower back
Holding your torso bent over a loaded bar is hard work for your lower back, which is part of why the row builds so much back muscle and also why technique matters.
A study of seven men compared three rows: the standing bent-over row, the inverted row (hanging under a bar and pulling your chest up to it) and a one-arm cable row. The bent-over row produced large activity across the whole back but also the highest load on the lower spine. The inverted row worked the lats and upper back hardest and had the lowest spine load (Fenwick et al., 2009).
So if your lower back is tired or sore, a chest-supported row, a cable row or an inverted row trains the same muscles with less load on your spine.
Sets, reps and weight
- For strength and muscle: 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps, resting 2 to 3 minutes.
- Leave 1 to 3 reps in reserve; it is the last reps where people stand up and heave.
- Add weight when you reach the top of your rep range on every set with a still torso, usually in steps of 2.5kg.
- Use straps if your grip gives out before your back does.
Variations and alternatives
- Dumbbell row: one arm at a time with your other hand and knee on a bench. Supported, so much easier on your lower back.
- Chest-supported row: lying face down on an incline bench. The same pull with no lower back involved.
- Pendlay row: each rep starts from the floor with your torso parallel to it. Stricter and more explosive.
- Seated cable row: a fixed seat and a cable. Easy to keep strict and to train close to failure.
- Inverted row: your body weight under a bar or rings. Low spine load and easy to make harder by raising your feet.
Tracking your barbell row
PushBeyond logs each set's weight and reps, estimates your one-rep max from your best set with the Epley formula, and charts the history of the lift. Its muscle map counts the barbell row for your upper back and lats, with biceps and core as secondary muscles.