How to Perform The Barbell Row with Proper Technique
Oct 1st, 2007 by Mehdi
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Barbell Row. Image credit: Glenn Pendlay
Barbell Rows are hard. Not as hard as Squats or Deadlifts, but certainly harder than the Bench Press. When you get stronger on the Barbell Row, you’ll often see your strength increase on other strength training exercises.
Barbell Rows are the best exercise to train your upper-back. Unfortunately the Barbell Row is often done with incorrect technique. This article will teach you how to perform the Barbell Row with proper technique.
What’s a Barbell Row? Pull the barbell from the floor to your chest while extending your hips. Done. Variations of the Barbell Row:
- Pendlay Row. Pendlay Rows involve arching of your upper-back.
- Reverse-grip Row. Using an underhand grip. Works biceps more.
The barbell starts & ends on the floor on each rep, just like Deadlifts & Pendlay Rows. Mark Rippetoe supports this Barbell Row technique in Starting Strength 2nd Edition. Here’s a video of the Barbell Row.
Benefits of Barbell Rows. Barbell Rows are a tough exercise that will often get you dizzy when using heavy weights. However they’re worth the effort.
- Back Strength. Barbell Rows strengthen your upper-back. You need upper-back strength for Squats & Deadlifts. The Overhead Press & Bench Press are the opposite movement of the Barbell Row. Get stronger at Barbell Rows & you’ll get stronger on your other lifts.
- Builds Muscle. Upper-back & arms pull the weight to your chest. Trunk muscles including lower back stabilize the weight. Hip muscles build momentum at the start of the Barbell Row to get the weight up.
Bar on The Floor. The bar starts & ends on the floor on each rep. The bar doesn’t hang from the arms between reps. Two reasons:
- More Strength. You can build momentum by using your hip muscles. This helps your upper-back muscles lift more weight than if you’d start the Barbell Row from a dead hang at the arms.
- More Muscle. You’re using your upper-back & arms but also hip muscles.
Hip Extension. Extending your hips builds momentum, helping your upper-back & arms lift more weight. Using too much hip extension turns the Barbell Row into a partial Deadlift, killing the purpose of the Barbell Row.
Your upper-back is most worked when your torso is parallel to the floor. Don’t overdo the hip extension. Weight increases on Barbell Rows must be the result of strength increases, not of a more advantageous technique.
Barbell Row Setup. The bar starts & ends on the floor on each rep. Keep your lower back straight & your chest up.
- Foot Stance. Foot stance on the Barbell Row is same as for the Deadlift: about shoulder-width apart.
- Bar Position. Put the bar directly under your shoulder-blades. Over your feet, close to your body.
- Grip Width. Same as for Bench Press: about 55-71cm/22-28″. Forearms perpendicular to the floor when the bar touches your chest.
- Grip. Put the bar close to your fingers, not in the palm of your hands. This minimizes callus formation.
- Head Position. Looking forward will hurt your neck. Looking down will make your back bend. Look at the floor in front of you.
- Knees. Keep your knees almost straight but unlocked at the start of the Barbell Row. Hips move, knees don’t.
Barbell Row. Image credit: Glenn Pendlay
The Barbell Row. Get the bar off the floor with straight arms by extending your hips. Pull your elbows to the ceiling, slamming the bar against your chest.
- Breathing. Take a big breath before pulling the weight to your chest. Breathe on the floor between reps.
- Hip Extension. Don’t extend your hips too much. Your back shouldn’t rise much higher then where it was at the start of the Barbell Row.
- Elbows Back. Don’t pull with your hands. Pull your elbows to the ceiling. Try to make your shoulder-blades touch & open your chest.
- Bar Against Chest. Pull the bar against your lower chest, not to your stomach. Pull it against the xiphoid process.
Common Errors. The bar starts on the floor on each rep. Don’t overdo the hip extension. Don’t try to hold the bar against your chest. Don’t try to return the bar slowly to the floor.
- Bar Too Far Away. Keep the bar close to your body. Put the bar over your feet, straight under your shoulder-blades.
- Back Going Vertical. It’s not a Deadlift. Your upper-back should do the work, not your hips. Lower the weight if you extend your hips too much.
- Dropping the Chest. You’ll drop your chest to meet the bar when the weight gets heavy. Lower the weight when this gets excessive.
- Extending the Knees. Use hip extension on the way up, but no knee extension. Keep your knees unlocked but straight.
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Hi,
I have a question about the barbell rows. I just finished a workout earlier today. And I noticed something when I finished my barbell rows. After each set I would feel a moment of lightheadedness. It would last a few seconds then disappear. During the actual exercise I’m okay. It’s when I stand up after the set when I get this sensation. It’s kinda alarming since this is the first time to experience this. I’m still early on in the program and the weight is moderate. I’m not yet straining under the weight. (Bar = 20Kg, 20Kg of weight).
Am I doing something wrong? Is this expected? Can I do cable rows as an alternative?
Could be from the horizontal position. Don’t worry about it. Barbell Rows are a tough exercise, I often get a bit dizzy when going heavy on them. Cable rows are not a valid alternative, just keep working at them Ron, you will improve.
I was just worrying. I don’t want to have a brain hemorrhage os something
Light headedness/dizzyness is more a sign that you’re out of shape, especially if you’re using only 20kg. No offence Ron, you’ll me if I’m correct or not. As a general rule: if an exercise is physically hard to do, you need to do it more.
Looks like your row video on this page is no longer available.
Nevermind. It’s working now.
Sometimes videos at Youtube hang for some reason. Reload the page & it should work Crispy.
should the bar be at a certain height, similar to the deadlift?
It’s an assistance exercise so it doesn’t matter that much.
Mehdi,
Why should you pull the bar towards your lower chest? The trainer at the gym and even the people at ExRx.net (link below) argue that the bar should be pulled toward the waist or bellybutton. It clearly shows in the animation. Isn’t it so that both styles are correct, but target different areas of your back? Thanks in advance for your answer and keep up the good work.
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/BackGeneral/BBBentOverRow.html
@Niels
The goal is not to target a particular area of your back. The goal is get strong. You can lift more weight when pulling to your lower chest.
how much of an angle should my back be at, when doing the row, i noticed that in the videos people did them at different ones, is it just a case of preferences or flexibitity? i’ve doing doing them, so my torso has been also parallel with the floor, is that ok? or should i lift up slightly?
thanks
@Bob
Bar starts on the floor on every rep. Back should be near to parallel with the floor, little hip extension on the way up. Your technique sounds ok yes.
I’ve got two more questions, maybe they are a bit dumb:
1) I guess your weight should be on your heels to prevent from falling flat on your face? Curl your toes up?
2) By hip extension, do you mean thrusting your hips forward like you would do when performing deadlifts, although less far?
I’m sorry if these were waste of time but thanks a lot!
@Bluze
1) Weight on the heels indeed, and bar close to you so you don’t lose balance.
2) Hip extensions is bringing your torso more incline to make it easier to pull the weight up. How much you bring your torso up is up to you, but the more you stay with your back parallel, the more you work your back. Too much hip extension is cheating.
I seem to perform the exercise right and have my torso parallel to the floor, but instead of working the upper back I feel that my lower back is getting worked out more because I work hard to keep it straight and parallel to the floor. Does one normally feel the lower back worked out as well?
@Jack
Yes. Soreness will diminish as you get stronger.
I asked the trainer at the gym about this exercise, and he told me to avoid doing it because it can cause some serious back injuries. the man is an experienced Bodybuilder who had injured himself more than once, so I believe he knows what he says. I know about the advantages of standing exercises and I really want to strengthen my back. Should I give the it up? (Really sorry about my English)
Hey man,
I’ve noticed that when doing Barbell Rows and Yates Rows, I can rarely feel anything in my back. Instead, I feel a lot of stress on my arms (biceps particularly).
Do you know what could have caused this? I am probably not executing these exercises correctly, but I have heard that the body can “shut down” muscle groups, refusing to flex the muscles.
Although my partner says that I am doing it right and when he tries to feel my trapz, he says that they are flexing.
This is a really huge problem for me, so I hope you can help. All I can do now is try further train my technique.
Thanks,
Chris, Denmark
Chris, post the question in the forum, questions to posts older than 7 days are not answered.
Great instruction. I especially like the pull from elbows (think of opening up chest) tip.
I have a question regarding muscles involved in the lift. It seems i have a weakness in my left rear delt/ teres minor area. (I think it is from a history of pitching/muscle imbalance and not addressing it)
Do you think any additional exercise that works this weakeness could benefit my strength in the bent over barbell row quicker or just continue the movement as is.
p.s ( i tried a lying on flat bench face down dumbell version of the movement to isolate the left side) perhaps you could give me your opinion, it would be greatly appreciated.