Here's why: almost everyone is dead wrong in how they do Barbell Rows. Most guys do Yates Rows, 50° shrugs with underhand grip named after the steroid bodybuilder Dorian Yates. And, guess what? Unlike Barbell Rows, Yates Rows don't train your back - only your traps - and can rip your biceps tendon apart.

Left: StrongLifts Member Tom Doing Perfect Barbell Rows. Right: Bodybuilder Dorian Yates Doing Yates Rows

Look - if you're one of those steroid meat heads who spends more time with his drug-supplier than on training, you'll grow no matter how you Barbell Row. But if you're a DRUG-FREE, 100% natural lifter like me, then you'll have to do Barbell Rows with proper technique to gain upper-back strength and muscle.

There is no doubt whatsoever that the Barbell Row technique that I'm about to show you is superior to every single other Row variation you'll ever see the curl monkeys do in your gym. In fact, Coach Glenn Pendlay MS USAW (who taught me this very Barbell Row technique years ago) has done EMG studies comparing every single possible variation of Barbell Rows. Guess what he discovered?

Barbell Rows Done With The Bar Returning To
The Floor On Each Rep Strengthen Your Back, Lats And
Traps More Than Any Other Barbell Row Variation!

Here's what this means: you will strengthen your upper-back, lower-back, lats and traps with one single exercise if you do Barbell Rows the way I'll show you. More: you'll not only build a muscular back by Rowing like this, your Bench Press will also skyrocket (because a strong upper-back is key to a big Bench).

Listen: the guys who say Yates Row are better are confused by broscience and muscle magazines. This Barbell Row technique is backed up by EMG studies, REAL science. But don't take my word for it, simply test-drive StrongLifts 5x5 for 12 weeks using the Barbell Row technique that I'm going to show you, and your own body will make you see the truth of what I'm saying.

Here's how to do it: after studying Glenn Pendlay's description of this superior Barbell Row technique, Rowing myself like this for several years and teaching this Row technique to hundreds of guys, I've come up with the seven most important tips to master perfect Barbell Row technique. Here are the 7 tips...

1. Row Each Rep From The Floor. Because you'll never train your upper-back fully if you let the bar hang in the air. Barbell Row like you Deadlift: with the bar starting and returning to the floor on each rep. The barbell should be above the middle of your feet when you start Rowing, same stance as on Deadlifts.

2. Grip The Bar Like You Bench Press. For maximum carry-over to your Bench Press, your Barbell Row should be the exact opposite movement. This means no underhand grip but both palms facing you, using the same grip width as when you Bench. Thumbs around the bar and squeeze it hard for maximum strength.

3. Pull With Your Elbows. This simple trick will help you use your upper-back maximally rather than turning your Rows into a biceps exercise. Pull your elbows towards the ceiling instead of merely pulling with your hands. If you don't "get" it, briefly Barbell Row using the thumbless grip to get the feeling for it.

4. Row Against Your Chest. If the bar doesn't hit your chest, it's like doing a partial Squat or half Bench: the rep isn't completed and you're not getting the most out of the exercise. So always Row the barbell against your chest. Where exactly? Same position as where you touch the bar on the Bench Press.

5. Keep Your Upper-back Parallel. Don't let yourself get carried away by your ego or you won't get the most out of Barbell Rows. Be strict: your upper-back should be doing all the work. If your Barbell Rows turn into 50° shrugs or you're cheating with your hips and knees, the weight is too heavy. Lower it.

Proper Barbell Row Technique: Barbell starts on the floor, pulling with the elbows, bar against chest, chest open, shoulder-blades squeezed together

6. Open Your Chest. It's - again - the same position as for the Bench Press: squeeze your shoulder-blades together at the top as hard as you can and open your chest up. Don't try to hold the weight at the top, that's all unnecessary nonsense because adding weight builds muscle. Simply pull the weight hard and fast against your chest, and then return it to the floor.

7. Keep Your Head Down. Do not try looking at the mirror in front of you in your gym, or you'll get neck pain. Don't look at your feet either otherwise your lower back can round and hurt. Simply look at the floor below you and tape yourself from the side you want to check your Barbell Row technique.

Barbell Row Video. Here's a video of an ex private client of mine, StrongLifts Member Tom, showing the Barbell Row technique described in this article. Pay attention how the bar starts and returns to the floor on each rep, and how his torso remains parallel. The barbell could be a bit closer to his shins if he puts his legs straighter, but otherwise this is perfect technique...

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Here's a free video of Glenn Pendlay explaining the Pendlay Row technique, and of one of his athletes Max Aita (Squats 665lb raw high bar, here 572lb for 27 reps over 7 sets) showing proper technique on Pendlay Rows. Watch and learn.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The big difference between Pendlay and Barbell Rows, is that the bar returns to the floor on each rep with Pendlay Rows, like with Deadlifts. By Rowing this way, you will strengthen your back, lats and traps more than with bodybuilding-style Barbell Rows. Obviously, a strong back is key to a big Bench Press. I highly recommend you to use this rowing technique on StrongLifts 5x5.

The following text and pictures are from Glenn Pendlay himself. Enjoy.

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How to Pendlay Row. Well, the best way to do them is to start with the bar on the floor every single rep. Your middle back will have slight bend to it. You pull the bar off the floor quickly with the arms, and by a powerful arch of your middle back. You finish by touching the bar to your upper stomach or middle stomach. At no time is there any movement of the hips or knees, no hip extension at all, all that bends is the middle back and the shoulders and elbows.

Unlike bodybuilding-style Barbell Rows, the bar always starts and returns to the floor on every single repetition with Pendlay Rows

This is hard to do and you have to have good muscular control to do it, or you'll end up straightening up at the hips along with the arching of the back. But if you can master doing them this way you will get a big back.

This works because the lats actually extend (arch) the middle back in addition to other functions, just like with glute-ham extensions compared to leg curls. You always get a stronger contraction when you move both the origin and insertion of a muscle, flexing it from both ends so to speak.

End position of the Pendlay Row

Pendlay Row vs. Barbell Row. The bar returns to the floor after each rep. The Pendlay Row is actually best done as an explosive movement and the bar is moved fast. I have trained many people who could do this exercise with 350 or more lbs. I have done reps with 425, Ed Coan, who also knows how to do them properly, has done reps with over 500lbs without his back ever coming above parallel with the ground. That is stronger than Dorian Yates or Ronnie Coleman.

I did Pendlay Rows with Ronnie Coleman once, actually, and I was far stronger than he was. He could not do more than 350lbs strictly although he could do over 500lbs by standing almost all the way up at the completion of each rep. Ed Coan is probably the strongest person on these, although one power-lifter I trained did manage 525 for a double done strictly.

I have done EMG work on a large quantity of people for various Barbell Rowing techniques. And I've always found that Pendlay Rows activate the lats most completely. Look at an anatomy chart. If the scapula and upper-arms are held in a constant position, shortening of the lats WILL result in arching of the middle and upper back. I AM NOT saying that the lats are primarily responsible for upper back flexion. What I am saying is that they can assist in this. There is no doubt that Pendlay Rows performed as I describe them will activate the lats more completely than done any other way I have ever seen. And besides, even if you don't buy the fact that they activate the lats better, you can always be content with the fact that your getting an erector workout.

Pendlay Row Technique. Pendlay Rows look so simple I'm almost embarrassed to post pictures. And this kid is terrible at relaxing his upper-back at the start, but you can see that he is "scrunching" his upper back at the top, trying to arch the upper spine as much as possible, that's really the key to get as much activation as possible, making the attempt to arch your back, upper-back specifically as much as possible at the top, without extending the hips.

Pendlay Rows always start with the barbell on the floor, and the bar returns to the floor on every single repetition.

You can see that his hip angle doesn't change at all. The chest comes up because he is arching his back as he pulls, but the hips don't extend. When you let the bar down, let the upper-back relax, and if possible bend the spine a little and let the shoulders come forward. Then as you pull the bar up, pull the shoulders back, arch the back, and pull with the arms all at the same time.

Keep your torso parallel with the floor and contract your upper-back as much as you can everytime you Pendlay Row

Looks simple, and really is simple to do once you do it once and see how it feels. with a guy like this who cant bend his upper-back that well, it doesn't look much different than any other row. But again, it's the effort to pull the shoulders back and arch the back as you pull that makes the difference. Even though there will be more spinal and shoulder movement in some people than others.

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Author Info: Glenn Pendlay is a world famous Olympic Coach of 97 national champions and the “hidden genius” behind StrongLifts 5×5. Glenn has so far produced more than 20 medalists in international competitions and his athletes have broken over 13 American records. For more info check www.pendlay.com.

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I just started doing the exercise again after a two month break because of back pain. This time I really want to do it right so I grow strong without pain. Can I do better?

Click here to view the embedded video.

When you Barbell Row like this, you're probably going to hit your knees because they'll be in the way of the barbell. Solution: straighten your legs a little so the bar has room to travel. If you feel it pull in your hamstrings, stretch them.

The last thing is that you really need to pull faster than that. One because you'll lift a lot more weight. Two, you will recruit more muscle fibers by lifting fast. Be explosive and Barbell Row fast like StrongLifts Member Tom does here.

If you want me to review your technique, post a video of yourself Squatting, Deadlifting, Benching or Pressing on the StrongLifts Fan Page. I’ll select a video every now and then, and review it in a technique clinic like this one.

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Your website, and your blog does a lot for me, highly educational and motivational both. I do have a question actually:

What are your thoughts comparing weighted chins VS the barbell rows? Once I started hanging weights from my waist to do chinups it seemed like I started making some solid gains in the upper back, shoulders, etc. But I had not been doing the rows either, so are the two pretty similar as far as what muscles are hit?

thanks much, Phil

Bodybuilders would say that Weighted Pull-ups are more for back width while Barbell Rows are for back thickness/mass. Strength trainers will tell you that getting stronger at Barbell Rows is almost always going to boost your Bench Press and Deadlift. Pull-ups are closed chain and tend to help your Press more (exact opposite movement, use same grip width for even more carry-over).

I frankly don't like that mindset of "what's the best exercise, X or Y". You should just do Weighted Pull-ups, Barbell Rows and Deadlifts for maximal muscle and strength gains. Okay, StrongLifts 5x5 doesn't include Pull-ups because there's only so much you can do in 1 workout, but you could do 3x12 after Deadlifts.

Remember you can't do endless reps of body-weight Pull-ups forever or you're just working endurance. You need to add weight because muscle size is directly related to strength gains. This is why you started seeing more gains in your upper-back and shoulders after you began adding weight to your Pull-ups.

As an extra bonus, getting stronger at Weighted Pull-ups will make body-weight Pull-ups a lot easier. Not quite as much as Barbell Squats makes body-weight Squats easier, but still. So don't be afraid of switching to Weighted Pull-ups.

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Again, this is NOT something I changed just to come up with a 3rd version of the 5x5 report, but rather the result of me analyzing almost 2700 training logs of StrongLifts Members, examining what they were and were not doing.

StrongLifts Members who have been with me since 2008, like Keith, Simon and John ("Kib", "Mouse" and "Baughmjk", all in the 5x5 report), will remember that Barbell Rows were part of StrongLifts 5x5 in the first edition of the book.

In the 2nd edition of the book I substituted them for Inverted Rows. Why? Because I saw guys struggling with Barbell Rows - lower back pain being the most common complaint, often as a result of lack of flexibility and weak abs.

Looking back, I made a HUGE mistake. Before I tell you why, let's make this clear - if you experience back pain when doing Barbell Rows, my advice remains to start with Inverted Rows so you can train pain-free while you fix whatever is causing that pain. Then you can switch to Barbell Rows later.

My mistake was that I had not researched how many guys struggled with the Barbell Rows vs. how many did not. Upon investigation, I've discovered that the first group is actually a minority. The large majority of StrongLifts Members never struggled with Barbell Rows at all and many started with them immediately.

So I just changed StrongLifts 5x5 to reflect what almost all StrongLifts Members were already doing. And while I still believe the Inverted Row is an underrated exercise, the fact is that Barbell Rows are superior for 3 reasons:

• It's easier to add weight - you simply add 5lbs to the bar. No need to wear a rucksack or chains to increase your workload.
• It's easier to track progression - does the weight increase or not? This is more accurate than counting how many more reps you can do.
• Barbell Rows work your posterior chain - Inverted Rows only work your upper-body. More muscles worked is obviously better.

And to the guys who care a lot about what other people think in the gym, Barbell Rows obviously look way cooler than Inverted Rows.

Bottom line: start with Barbell Rows, adding 5lbs each workout. If you're one of the few experiencing lower back pain, do Inverted Rows for a while until your abs become stronger, your flexibility increases and your posture improves. Then switch to Barbell Rows like everyone else. See page 61 of the 5x5 report.

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