Barbell row
- Muscle group
- Back
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Primary muscles
- Lats, Upper back
- Secondary muscles
- Biceps, Forearms, Rear delts
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the barbell with an overhand grip.
- Bend your knees slightly and bend forward at your hips until your torso is at about a 45-degree angle. Keep your back straight.
- Pull the barbell up toward your lower chest, squeezing your back muscles.
- Slowly lower the barbell with control back to the starting position.
Tips
- Before pulling, set your spine in a neutral position and keep it there throughout the set, allowing only your arms and shoulder blades to move.
- Drive your elbows back and upward rather than flaring them out to the sides, so the bar travels in a controlled path toward your torso.
- Lower the bar at a controlled speed that lets you maintain your torso angle and grip through the full descent.
Common mistakes
- Rounding the upper or lower back during the pull, so the spine loses the neutral position established at the start.
- Using a jerking motion to initiate the pull by swinging the torso upward, so the bar moves by momentum rather than a deliberate pulling action.
- Letting the elbows flare out wide to the sides rather than traveling back, which changes the bar path away from the torso.
Make Every Set Count.
Plan your workouts, track every session, and see your progress over time.
