How To Do Bent Over Rows: Form, Weight & Mistakes to Avoid

Few things shout out raw power greater than a thick, broad back. But developing the form of lat density that turns heads doesn’t come easy. It takes years of labor within the trenches performing pulling and rowing movements. While the deadlift is the king of back-pulling exercises, the bent-over row is the exercise that can create thickness.

The bent-over row is an exercise that demands heavy, strict training. Unfortunately, it’s all too common to see people butchering this exercise within the gym. This puts excessive strain on the lower back, risking severe injury. This text dissects do bent-over rows with proper form. We’ll also correct steadily seen bent-over-row mistakes, explore weight load, and answer essentially the most common FAQs.

Table of Contents:

• How To Do Barbell Bent Over Rows
• Common Mistakes To Avoid
• Weight Load Suggestions
• FAQs
• Conclusion

How one can Do Barbell Bent Over Rows

The barbell bent-over row may be done with the bar loaded on the ground or on an influence rack at mid-thigh height, as within the video above. If you will have access to a rack, use this feature, because it permits you to get into the beginning position with less effort and risk of lower back rounding.

Overhand Barbell Bent Over Row

Here’s do the overhand version of the barbell bent over row:

1. Load a bar at hip height on a squat or power rack.
2. Walk as much as the bar and grab it with an overhand grip in order that your hands are only outside your body. Your feet must be barely wider than shoulder-width apart.
3. Unrack the bar to come back to a standing position.
4. Take a step back.
5. With knees barely bent, hinge on the hips and push your butt back in order that the bar lowers to roughly knee level. Your core must be braced, and your lats must be engaged on this starting position. Make sure that your lower back is of course arched (not rounded).
6. Row the bar as much as your sternum. Breathe in deeply as you bring the load. Squeeze the lats in the highest position. Don’t lift your torso: the one movement must be the arms pulling up.
7. Slowly lower the bar with control to full arm extension. Exhale on the eccentric a part of the movement.
8. Move easily into the following rep.

Underhand Barbell Bent Over Row

A variation on the usual barbell bent over row is to make use of an underhand grip. This version places more emphasis on the biceps and forearm flexors. Here’s do the underhand, or reverse grip, barbell bent over row:

1. Load a bar at hip height on a squat or power rack.
2. Approach the bar and grasp it with an underhand grip in order that your hands are only outside of your body. Your feet must be barely wider than hip-width apart.
3. Unrack the bar and rise to a standing position.
4. Take one step back.
5. Hinge on the hips and barely bend your knees as you come to a 45-degree torso position. The bar must be at around knee level. Brace your core and have interaction your lats along with your lower back neutral.
6. Pull the bar as much as your sternum. Deal with keeping your elbows in and bringing them up as high as possible. Think, too, about pulling along with your lats, not your biceps.
7. Breathe in deeply as you bring the load up. Don’t let your torso come up as you pull. Squeeze the lats in the highest position.
8. Slowly lower the bar with control to full arm extension. Exhale on the eccentric a part of the movement.
9. Move easily into the following rep.

Learn more concerning the advantages of using the different grips on the bent-over row.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

As a private trainer, I see the barbell bent over row being incorrectly performed each time I am going to the gym. Listed below are the six biggest mistakes I commonly encounter and fix them:

1. Not Hinging Enough

If you don’t hinge your hips sufficiently, you find yourself being too upright. In consequence, you’ll hit your trapezius greater than your lats. If that is what you are going for, you would be higher of testing our list of the Best Trap Exercises This also severely limits your range of motion. As you recognize, you will not get maximum muscle growth unless you’re employed through a full range of motion.

To correct this problem, hinge your hips so that you just are pushing your butt back so far as possible. Stop when your lower back starts rounding. The bar must be at knee level or barely lower in the beginning position. This can put your upper body at around a 45-degree angle.

2. Rounding the Lower Back

Allowing the lower back to change into rounded plays excessive stress in your erector spinae muscles (which must also be worked out). It also limits your ability to utilize your back’s pulling muscles. Your erector spinae will quickly change into the weak leak, fatiguing before your lats have been sufficiently stimulated.

To beat this problem, consciously arch your lower back in the beginning position by pulling your stomach into your spine and arching the back to pull back your shoulder blades and lift your chest.

3. Not Protracting Your Back within the Bottom Position

The bent-over row, when done properly, does greater than work your lats. It also hits your middle traps and rhomboids. These muscles retract the scapula. Nonetheless, for them to do that, it’s essential to protract in the underside position.

This simply means that you just stretch your scapulae within the bottom position. For an observer, it’s going to appear like your back is sinking barely in the underside position. Your arms should achieve a dead hang on this position.

4. Not Coming Up High Enough

The perfect range of motion is to come back from a dead hang to touching your stomach, just under the sternum. Yet, I see many individuals overloading the bar with an excessive amount of weight, which prevents them from touching their tummy on the pull.

You must use the touching of the bar to your stomach as a cue. It’s going to set a regular so you recognize that you just are executing a full range of motion on every rep. Lower the load if you will have to, but ensure you’re coming all the best way up.

Weight Load Suggestions / Going Heavy

The barbell bent-over row requires an honest amount of weight for maximum effectiveness. Should you go too heavy, though, your form will break down, and your back muscles is not going to be sufficiently activated.

Should you are latest to this exercise, begin with a weight that permits you to learn the correct technique before you pile on the plates. Do three sets of 15 reps, with the last two or three reps being difficult. Pay special attention to the common mistakes mentioned within the previous section.

Once you’ve got nailed your form, it is time to increase your lifting poundage. Remember, though, that going super heavy, with fewer than eight reps, is not ideal for this exercise. You will see that that your body will fatigue before your back muscles are fully stimulated whenever you load up within the 5-8 rep range. Having to support your body within the bent-over position with an enormous weight in your hands will demand quite a lot of your core – and it won’t find a way to maintain it for very long. This can prevent your back from receiving sufficient time under tension.

Neither must you go too light with super high reps on the bent-over row. Should you do, your spinal erectors will fatigue first. They’ll, subsequently, change into the weak link stopping your lats, traps, and rhomboids from getting maximum stimulation.

The ideal rep range for this exercise is ten to fifteen. Use a weight that challenges you for the last three reps. You must feel like you’ve one rep left within the tank for the primary few sets. Then, on the last two sets, that final rep must be the limit you’ll be able to do with proper form at that weight.

Here’s a suggested set and rep scheme for the barbell row over five sets:

• Set One: 15 reps
• Set Two: 12 reps
• Set Three: 12 reps
• Set 4: 10 reps
• Set Five: 10 reps

FAQs

Is it higher to make use of barbells or dumbbells for bent-over rows?

Each barbells and dumbells are effective for bent-over rows. Barbells will let you use more weight, while dumbbells let you get a rather greater range of motion. Dumbbells also allow for unilateral training in order that both sides of your back muscles is pulling its own weight.

Should I do bent-over rows if I actually have lower back problems?

If you will have lower back problems, you will likely be higher off doing a modified version of the bent-over row that gives more back support. I like to recommend performing an incline bench row, where you lie face down on an incline bench and row dumbbells or a barbell as much as your chest level. On this position, the bench fully supports your lower back. Should you desire a real challenge, you’ll be able to attempt to perform seal rows, which involve laying flat on an elevated bench.

How often should I perform bent-over rows?

In case your goal is hypertrophy, I like to recommend including bent-over rows as a part of your normal back workout, which you ought to be performing twice per week. Allow 2-3 days between sessions to permit for full recovery.

Conclusion

The bent-over row is an efficient back-thickening exercise. But it’s going to only profit you when done with proper form. That is an exercise where your ego must be kept in check; pulling up weights which are beyond your ability is silly. Train smarter than that by learning proper form, avoiding common mistakes, and exercising inside the 10-15 rep range.