Bent Knee Inverted Row

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The bent knee inverted row is one of the best exercises for building up to the standard inverted row. It works the same muscles, is virtually the same movement, and has all the same health benefits. The only thing that's different is that it's a bit easier.

The Basics

The bent knee inverted row is primarily used as a strength exercise. It is classified as a horizontal upper pull movement. It is more generally classified as a upper pull movement. Since it involves significant activation of multiple muscle groups, it is considered a compound exercise.

Form

Set Up

• Set the bar height so that your back doesn't touch the ground when your arms are fully extended
• Lie or sit underneath the bar
• Grasp it with an overhand grip with your hands just outside shoulder width apart
• Position your legs so that your arms are hanging just about straight down from the bar
• With your knees bent 90 degrees, keep the rest of your body held in a straight line
• Keep your shoulder blades held slightly back

Execution

• Pull your chest towards the bar by pulling your elbows back and hands towards you
• As you pull yourself up, pull your shoulder blades together
• Try to touch your bottom of your sternum to the bar at the top of the rep
• Lower yourself under control, allowing your shoulder blades to come apart

Common Mistakes

Flaring the Elbows

When performing the bent knee inverted row, try to keep your elbows within about 45 degrees of your torso. Any wider puts your back in a much less advantageous position to pull and puts your shoulders in a more vulnerable position.

Letting the Hips Drop

Part of the challenge of doing bent knee inverted rows comes from keeping your body (other than your knees) held in a straight line. This requires some core and hip strength and is important because keeping your body straight plays into how much work your back and arms have to do to pull you up. The less straight your body is, the easier it will be.

Keeping the Shoulder Blades Locked

With the bent knee inverted row, the shoulder blades should not be locked into place. Rather they should be held slightly back at the bottom of the rep and brought together at the top of the rep. This allows you to engage and work more muscles in your back.

Additional Info

How much of my bodyweight am I moving?

When doing a bent knee inverted row, you're pulling about 49% of your bodyweight. You can increase this to about 64% by advancing to inverted rows, or even all the way up to 70% by then elevating your feet about 30cm. This would be with your body parallel to the ground at the top position of the inverted row.

Related Exercises

Reviews

Performance Standard Ranks

The ranks assume that you are generally healthy, with no underlying health conditions or injuries and have the mobility to perform the exercise correctly. You can determine your rank by comparing your numbers to the tables below. Your rank is also tracked automatically when using our Workout Log feature.

Strength Standards

The tables show the one rep max* in pounds needed to reach each rank at different body weights (also in lbs). The 1RMs on the table are based on world records, balanced ratios, and the average time needed to attain each rank. To see personalized strength standards for every exercise, check out the Strength Standards page. You can also find your Strength Score to see how you rank as part of our Fitness Score System.

*Added weight if positive, assistance if negative. The planche and levers are also notable exceptions as they show the moment at the shoulder, not weight. For more info, check out the Moment Calculator page.