Exercise library
Barbell Row
How to row without turning it into a shrug or a deadlift, the hinge position that makes it work, and where the bar should touch your torso.
How to do the barbell row
- 01Stand with the bar over mid-foot, feet hip-width, and take an overhand grip just outside your legs.
- 02Hinge at the hips with soft knees until your torso is around 45 degrees from horizontal, back flat.
- 03Let the bar hang with your arms straight and your shoulder blades protracted.
- 04Pull the bar to your lower ribs or upper abdomen, leading with the elbows and squeezing the shoulder blades together.
- 05Lower under control to a full stretch. That is one rep — your torso angle has not changed at any point.
Coaching cues
- Row to your belly button, not your chest.
- Elbows past your ribs, not out to the sides.
- Your torso is furniture. If it moves, the set is over.
Common mistakes
FaultTorso rising with every rep
FixYou are deadlifting the weight up. Fix the hinge angle and reduce the load until it stays fixed for all reps.
FaultJerking with the hips
FixA little body English on a last rep is one thing; using it from rep one means the weight is chosen for your hips rather than your back.
FaultRowing to the chest with flared elbows
FixThat is a high row and it loads the rear delts and traps. For lats, pull toward the lower ribs with the elbows travelling back past your torso.
FaultNot letting the arms straighten
FixThe bottom stretch is where the back is loaded at length. Let the shoulder blades protract fully before each pull.
The barbell row is the best horizontal pull most people can do, and the one most often turned into a partial deadlift with a shrug at the top.
Your torso is furniture
Set a hinge angle — around 45 degrees is a good default — and treat it as scaffolding that does not move for the whole set.
The tell is easy to spot: if your chest rises as the bar comes up, your hips extended and the weight travelled because of that, not because your back pulled it. The bar might reach your stomach, but the back did a fraction of the work.
Film one set from the side. It is the fastest technique audit in the gym.
Row low, not high
Where the bar touches determines what you train.
Pull to your chest with elbows flaring wide and you are training rear delts and traps — useful, but not what most people mean by “back thickness”. Pull to your lower ribs with the elbows travelling back close to your sides and the lats take the load.
The elbow is the thing to think about. It should finish past the plane of your torso.
Use the whole range
The bottom of a row, arms fully straight and shoulder blades allowed to slide forward, is where the back muscles are loaded at length.
Cutting that short to keep constant tension removes the most productive part of the movement. Let it stretch, then pull from there.
When to use something else
If your lower back gives out before your lats do, the hinged position is the limiter rather than the pull. That is a signal to use a chest-supported row or a lat pulldown for volume, and keep barbell rows as a lower-rep strength movement rather than the main driver.
Common questions
What angle should my torso be for barbell rows?
Around 45 degrees from horizontal for most people. Closer to parallel with the floor increases the range and the lat demand but is much harder on the lower back. More upright makes it easier to cheat with the hips. Pick an angle and hold it for every rep.
Where should the bar touch on a barbell row?
Lower ribs or upper abdomen. Rowing to the chest turns it into a rear-delt and trap exercise. Rowing low with the elbows travelling back past your torso is what loads the lats.
Is the barbell row bad for your lower back?
The hinged position is demanding on the spinal erectors, which is part of the training effect, but it becomes a problem when the back rounds or when momentum takes over. If your lower back fatigues before your lats, use a chest-supported row instead.
Overhand or underhand grip?
Overhand keeps the elbows naturally wider and emphasises the upper back. Underhand lets the elbows tuck closer, increases lat involvement and lets most people move more weight, at the cost of more biceps. Both are legitimate.
How heavy should barbell rows be?
Light enough that your torso angle does not change. Most people row far too heavy and hide it with hip drive. If someone filming you from the side sees your chest rising, the working weight is not what you think it is.
Swap it out
Same training effect, different demand on the joints.