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Standing Barbell Rows


Overview

Bent over barbell rows is a great basic exercise that places stress on a variety of muscles groups including the lats, shoulders (deltoids), traps, biceps, and the forearms. As with the other rowing exercises, some of the greatest stress is placed on the lats and the upper back muscles.

Setup

Load up an Olympic bar with the necessary amount of weight and place it on the ground. Stand in front of the bar with stable footing and bend at the waist to lower the upper body until it is parallel with the ground. Bend your legs slightly, and take an overgrip on the bar with the hands at about shoulder width apart. Arch your back slightly and straighten your knees as necessary to lift the weight off the ground while still keeping your upper body parallel to the floor.

Movement

Allow your elbows to travel back as you pull the weight upwards until it touches your stomach muscles. Hold the weight at this high position for just a moment before slowly lowering it back down to the starting position. Repeat this movement for the desired number of repetitions.

Tips From the Trainer

In order to perform this exercise properly so that it places maximum focus on your back muscles, be careful to keep your body still throughout the movement. Moving the body up and down removes the focus from the lower back muscles. Also be sure to keep your upper body parallel to the floor throughout the movement.

One of the most common mistakes made during this exercise is to bring the bar upward until it touches the chest. This incorrectly shifts the focus of the exercise to the arms. To keep the focus on the lats, be sure to bring the bar upward and touch it to your stomach muscles as your elbows travel directly back behind you.

Once you have mastered the barbell version of this exercise, you can add some variation to your rows by performing this exercise using dumbbells.



Barbell Grip Grip barbell on ground

Barbell Rows Start Start: back parallel to ground

Barbell Rows End End: bar to abdomen