Barbell row: how to do it, muscles worked and variations
Bent over with a still trunk, you pull a bar towards your abdomen. It trains the latissimus dorsi and rhomboids, while the erector spinae holds the position for the whole set.
- Main muscles
- Latissimus dorsi, Rhomboids
- Secondary muscles
- Biceps brachii, Trapezius, Deltoid
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Variations
- 3
How to do it
- With your feet hip-width apart and the bar over the middle of your foot, bend your knees slightly.
- Push your hips back until your trunk is somewhere between parallel to the floor and about 45 degrees. That lean is what you have to hold.
- Grip the bar just outside your legs and drive your elbows back until it reaches somewhere between your lower chest and your navel.
- Lower until your arms are straight, with your trunk still. The usual sign of too much weight: your torso rises a bit more every rep, until the set is a hip swing.
Which muscles it works
With an overhand grip and in the Pendlay, the lats and rhomboids lead, with the biceps brachii, deltoid and trapezius helping. With an underhand grip the lats stay in the lead and the biceps give more. The erector spinae does not change length, but it gets no rest on any rep.
Which variation to choose
The Overhand-grip barbell row is the base version. The Underhand-grip barbell row lets you load slightly more thanks to the biceps, provided your wrists and elbows are happy with it. The Pendlay row starts from the floor every rep, which stops the swing, but it needs mobility and 45 cm plates. If your lower back tires before your upper back, move to the seated cable row.
All 3 variations
Overhand-grip barbell row
Bent-over barbell row with an overhand grip.
Form. Keep a stable hinge and pull the bar toward the torso.
Common mistake. Turning every rep into a lower-back jerk.
Pendlay row
Barbell row with a dead stop on the floor on every rep.
Form. Fix your back and pull explosively without losing the hinge.
Common mistake. Raising the torso before pulling.
Underhand-grip barbell row
Bent-over row with an underhand grip.
Form. Pull toward the abdomen keeping your wrists and elbows comfortable.
Common mistake. Loading too heavy and losing hip position.
Frequently asked questions
- How far should I bend over?
- The more horizontal you are, the longer the range and the more your lower back works; very upright, it drifts towards a shrug. Choose an angle you can hold the same from first rep to last.
- Is a little body movement normal?
- A small kick on the last reps will not ruin the set. If it is there from the first rep, the weight is too much.
