Barbell Row

Exercise technique:

Stand up, your feet are hip-width apart, you take care to bend your knees slightly. Lean torso forward (90 degrees), lower back slightly arched, hands in supine grip spaced a little wider than shoulder width. Pull the bar towards you, higher or lower on the trunk, from a position where the arms are practically extended.

Practically, because you will have to keep your elbows slightly bent while extending your arms, you would place the triceps, its long portion and the biceps in a “weak” position. The risk of tearing would then be increased.

As with most rowing exercises, it is above all by seeking to tighten, bring the shoulder blades together that the rowing movement should be encouraged, then secondarily followed by bending the elbows.

Finally, it is worth noting that as with all back exercises, your rib cage should be “out” during the positive phase of the exercise. You should not be flat or round at any time during the contraction (concentric).

Muscles worked:

Main: trapezius, latissimus, teres major, biceps, triceps (long portion)
Secondary: shoulders, forearms, abdominals, lumbar

The barbell row is above all an exercise to work the thickness of the back, that is to say the middle and lower trapezius mainly.

Nevertheless, the latissimus dorsi and the teres major will also participate strongly in the movement, especially with the bust also bent and if you will look down well by unhooking your shoulders during the negative phase.

The abdominals and lumbars intervene to sheath the trunk and thus keep it straight.

Finally, the supination grip allows you to pull with the elbows closer to the body and to better apply the lower trapezius as well as the “lower back”.

The interest of barbell row:

The Supine Rowing Barre is one of the most effective exercises for building a strong back.

However, the 90-degree bent bust position makes it uncomfortable for straining and above all very risky for the lower back.

Note also that we are stronger in supine grip than in pronation grip.

Variants :

If you have an elbow valgus, don’t hesitate to use an EZ bar:

Or dumbbells.

Danger / contraindication

Above all, take care not to find your back round during this exercise. You will have to be careful to keep your chest fixed, your gaze forward and not to build up momentum, otherwise the injury (s) will soon occur.

Also be careful not to fully extend your arms at the bottom of the movement.