Bent Over Row

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In terms of bang for your buck, it doesn't get much better than the bent over row. It works every muscle in your upper back, improves your core stability, strengthens your glutes and legs, and has great carryover to your deadlift. While all of this makes the bent over row incredibly effective and efficient, it also makes it challenging. It must be performed with proper form to maximize its effectiveness and safety.

The Basics

The bent over 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

• Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart
• Hinge at your hips and bend your knees to bend down to grab the barbell
• Grasp the barbell with an overhand and your hands just outside shoulder width apart
• Brace your core to keep a neutral spine
• Keeping your arms straight, lift it up as if you were deadlifting but stop just below your knees
• Your torso should be at about 30 degrees from parallel with the ground
• Keep your core braced

Execution

• Pull the weight towards the bottom of your sternum by pulling your elbows back and hands towards you
• Keep the rest of your body braced and your back neutral
• Touch the weight to your sternum and pause for a moment
• Lower the weight back down under control

Common Mistakes

Excessive Leg Drive

The main goal of the bent over row is to work your upper back muscles. It's okay to use a little leg drive, but be sure to keep the focus on pulling the weight up with your back, not using the momentum from your legs.

Rounding Your Back

Proper form for the bent over row isn't so much about the actual rowing of the weight, it's more about keeping the rest of your body in a safe and stable position to row the weight. The most important part of this is keeping your core braced and back neutral. Excessively arching or rounding it can lead to injury.

Back Angle Too High or Low

To do the standard bent over row, your torso should be about 30 degrees off parallel with the floor. There is a fair amount of leeway (give or take 15 degrees), but at a certain point your bent over row becomes better classified as one of its variations. The Pendlay Row has a back angle that is parallel with the floor and the Yates Row has a back angle that's 45 degrees or more from the floor.

Additional Info

Balance

For a number of reasons, many people prioritize pushing movements, like the bench press, over pulling movements. However, keeping your muscular development balanced is important for both your health and aesthetics. The bent over row is a great exercise for balancing out all the pushing movements that many people do.

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.