Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   Stand with feet hip-width apart, hinge at the hips to roughly 45-60 degrees of forward torso lean, and grip the bar just outside your knees with an overhand or mixed grip.

2. 2

   Brace your core by drawing a deep breath into your abdomen, and set your lower back in a neutral position with a slight natural arch.

3. 3

   Pull the bar toward your lower ribcage by driving the elbows behind the torso, initiating the movement with scapular retraction.

4. 4

   Squeeze the shoulder blades together at the top of the pull, holding for a one-count to maximize mid-back recruitment.

5. 5

   Lower the bar under control to full arm extension, allowing the scapulae to protract slightly at the bottom for a full stretch on the lats.

6. 6

   Maintain your hip hinge angle throughout—do not rise up between reps to use momentum.

Common Mistakes

• Using excessive torso elevation (heaving) to lift the weight, converting the row into a hybrid shrug-deadlift pattern.

• Rounding the lumbar spine under load, increasing shear forces on the intervertebral discs.

• Pulling with the biceps first instead of initiating with scapular retraction, limiting lat and rhomboid activation.

• Cutting range of motion short by not allowing full scapular protraction at the bottom or full retraction at the top.

About This Exercise

The barbell bent-over row is a horizontal pulling movement that targets the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, and mid-trapezius, with secondary biceps brachii involvement. Maintaining a rigid hip hinge position throughout the set simultaneously trains the erector spinae and hamstrings isometrically, making it a potent total posterior chain developer. Varying the torso angle and grip width allows precise manipulation of lat-to-upper-back emphasis.