Gym Planner

Upper Back

Pendlay Row

Advanced Barbell Compound Upper Back

How to do it

  1. Set the bar on the floor over mid-foot with your feet hip-width apart.

  2. Hinge until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor, knees softly bent, back locked flat.

  3. Grip slightly wider than shoulder width, brace hard, take a breath and hold it.

  4. Row the bar explosively to your lower stomach without letting the torso rise at all.

  5. Return the bar to the floor and let it come to a full stop before the next rep.

  6. Reset your back position each rep; every rep starts from dead stop.

Common mistakes

  • Bobbing the torso up and down like a mini deadlift on every rep.

  • Bouncing the bar off the floor for momentum.

  • Rounding the back because the horizontal position is demanding.

  • Never letting the bar settle on the floor, which makes it a regular barbell row.

Tips

  • Use less weight than your regular barbell row; this position is far stricter.

  • Sits best at 5-8 reps for building raw horizontal pulling strength.

Secondary muscles

Alternatives

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