Author Topic: How to do BARBELL ROWS!  (Read 13781 times)

jakesonyou

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How to do BARBELL ROWS!
« on: March 29, 2012, 12:19:21 AM »
Many new lifters I meet will ask me one of these 3 questions...

"what is better bb rows or yates rows?"
"which angle is best for barbell row?"
"are barbell row, yates row, and pendlay row the same thing?"

now I will answer all these questions and go into full detail on how to row!

1.)  Barbell Rows & Yates Rows are basically the same!  The only difference is the grip and sometimes the angle.  Barbell Rows use pronated grip - also known as palms down or overhand.  Yates Rows use supinated grip, which is when your palms are facing you or underhand.  You can do both at a 45 degree angle, but some lifters will do Yates rows more vertical.

2.)  What is the difference between Pendlay and Barbell Rows?

Pendlay Rows your body is at a 90 degree angle, with your butt sticking out and your back straight.  You pull up to your chest and then set the weight to the ground.  You set the weight down after every rep!

Barbell/Yates Rows are done at 45 degree angle.  Instead of pulling to your chest, you pull up to your waist.  Keep your grip narrow.

3.)  Will I tear my bicep doing Yates Rows?!?!

You could tear your bicep if you use sloppy form, use a curling motion, or jerk to heavy weight.  I only do Yates Rows/Underhand rows.  I do 3 plates to a side with strict form and I have not torn my bicep.

4.)  Is Overhand or Underhand grip better?

You will get many different opinions on this.  Underhand does wonders for lower lats and traps.  I personally feel a much better stretch doing underhand which is why I do them.  The best advice is to try both and see what works best for you!

5.)  What muscles do Rows work?

Both Pendlay and Barbell Rows work the muscles of the back!

Pendlay Rows focus more of the upper back, lats, rhomboids, and hit rear delts.

Barbell Rows work the lower lats, traps, and the rhomboids.

Yates Rows do more for trap development and also work the biceps.

6.)  How important is form?

Form is important for both versions of the exercise.  You want to really stretch the lats.  Don't jerk around and involve other muscles.  Don't forget the back is very vulnerable.  Not something you want to get injured!

Many people cheat when doing Barbell Rows because you can lift more weight.  They move their back up and down and shuffle their feet.  The only time I can say it's okay to cheat is if you are pulling out the last rep or two.  You can move the back a bit but make a full contraction!

Be strict with the form.  This is what will separate amateur backs from the pros!

7.)  OK so what is the best way to row?

My personal opinion is that Barbell/Yates Rows are the best for width, thickness, and overall back development.  Pendlay rows are excellent for the upper back and much tougher to do than Barbell Rows.  You should give both a try.

8.)  Are Rows the best exercise for back development or are Deadlifts the best?

Rows.  ;)

hope this helps

local hero

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Re: How to do BARBELL ROWS!
« Reply #1 on: March 29, 2012, 12:40:12 AM »
great self interview,,, truly a great poster, shining new light on the goat and his methods

#1 Klaus fan

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Re: How to do BARBELL ROWS!
« Reply #2 on: March 29, 2012, 01:43:28 AM »
Yes, this Pendlay guy invented the parallel barbell row.  ::)

Marlo Stanfield

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Re: How to do BARBELL ROWS!
« Reply #3 on: March 29, 2012, 03:51:58 AM »
cool bro, you seem to really know your shit around here, and i appreciate you taking the time to show us... can you also show me how one other thing is done? can you please show how not to post on getbig for like 5-6 months?

mesmorph78

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Re: How to do BARBELL ROWS!
« Reply #4 on: March 29, 2012, 05:09:58 AM »
There is. No such thing as a Yates row... Yates  was doing the barbell row wrong
But because he has crazy back genetics  every sheep hopped on the the bandwagon .... If some random guy with a shit back was doing the rows like that he would have been ridiculed.
The Yates would be the same as calling  branch warrens less that 1/4 rep bench presses
The "branch press"
choice is an illusion

bradistani

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Re: How to do BARBELL ROWS!
« Reply #5 on: March 29, 2012, 06:02:49 AM »
There is. No such thing as a Yates row... Yates  was doing the barbell row wrong
But because he has crazy back genetics  every sheep hopped on the the bandwagon .... If some random guy with a shit back was doing the rows like that he would have been ridiculed.
The Yates would be the same as calling  branch warrens less that 1/4 rep bench presses
The "branch press"

that's our very own , messo, putting, yates, the six-time winner of the olympia and his training principles, in their place  :)

wes

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Re: How to do BARBELL ROWS!
« Reply #6 on: March 29, 2012, 06:18:04 AM »
LOL @ The "branch press".  :D

jpm101

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Re: How to do BARBELL ROWS!
« Reply #7 on: March 29, 2012, 09:49:51 AM »
Well that about wraps it up for all of us. Never need any more stupid question about BB rows, All has been explained in painful details.

Just wondering though ..... when Jake-You does his strict 3 plates rows..are those the paper plates that people eat food off of...like at party's,etc? And are they white, red or designer ones?

Heard that the Yates row was given the name by Weider..because of course Yates was his star pupil. But then again, guys were doing that type row for years before......Hmmmmmm, confusing.

Personal view (whatever): Curl grip rows, to the lower abs, are well worth the effort in building great lats. Feel free to encourage the 45 degrees style, which almost becomes a form of the Drag Curl (Gironda) at the upper portion of the lift.

Good Luck.

Good Luck.
F

Montague

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Re: How to do BARBELL ROWS!
« Reply #8 on: March 29, 2012, 10:01:58 AM »
LOL @ The "branch press".  :D


That'll be next month's "column."

Yev33

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Re: How to do BARBELL ROWS!
« Reply #9 on: March 29, 2012, 10:12:57 AM »
When I woke up this morning I was wondering about barbell rows and had many questions. Good thing our very own resident trainer of champions and world renowned muscle guru Jokesonhim decided to make this thread.

By the way, could you post up an instructional video of you doing the strict bb rows with 3 plates aside. It would really help drive some of your points home.

jakesonyou

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Re: How to do BARBELL ROWS!
« Reply #10 on: March 29, 2012, 01:08:49 PM »
Yes, this Pendlay guy invented the parallel barbell row.  ::)
I can't say that Glenn Pendlay invented the row.

If you want to keep it simple, all 3 of these are classified as a row.  It's just the angle that comes into play!

You can use dumbbells as well but I much prefer a barbell.  :)

hope this helps

TrapsMcLats

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Re: How to do BARBELL ROWS!
« Reply #11 on: April 04, 2012, 11:04:13 AM »
Well that about wraps it up for all of us. Never need any more stupid question about BB rows, All has been explained in painful details.

Just wondering though ..... when Jake-You does his strict 3 plates rows..are those the paper plates that people eat food off of...like at party's,etc? And are they white, red or designer ones?

Heard that the Yates row was given the name by Weider..because of course Yates was his star pupil. But then again, guys were doing that type row for years before......Hmmmmmm, confusing.

Personal view (whatever): Curl grip rows, to the lower abs, are well worth the effort in building great lats. Feel free to encourage the 45 degrees style, which almost becomes a form of the Drag Curl (Gironda) at the upper portion of the lift.

Good Luck.

Good Luck.

so, what do you consider correct form for a row?

funk51

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Re: How to do BARBELL ROWS!
« Reply #12 on: April 04, 2012, 11:16:25 AM »
bill says ;D ;D
F

jakesonyou

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Re: How to do BARBELL ROWS!
« Reply #13 on: April 07, 2012, 10:44:39 PM »
to each his own I say!

jon cole

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Re: How to do BARBELL ROWS!
« Reply #14 on: April 21, 2012, 04:14:38 PM »
on the yate's row, position of elbow is crucial, it will be too long to explain so watch doz doing them and you'll understand.
so find a video of doz and watch only his elbow during row.

when you got the trick about position of elbow is a terrible exercise for lats and traps.
asstropin

Lucky Lance

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Re: How to do BARBELL ROWS!
« Reply #15 on: April 28, 2012, 12:47:08 AM »
I've been doing barbell rows for about 17 years now and have built my strength up to be able to currently handle 365 lbs for a hard 7 to 8 reps, and have never gotten injured with it.  As with any exercise, you just have to use common sense and not go wild with the form.  But with such a basic, "power" movement, you shouldn't be going too strict either and baby-ing yourself.

I do my barbell rows at roughly a 75-degree angle, but this is an individual thing.  I just feel the movement best at that angle.  Everybody's body mechanics are different, so some will feel it better at 90-degrees and some will prefer 60-degrees.  I know Lee Haney prefers 90-degrees, and Yates actually preferred a 70-degree angle in his heyday.  Anything more upright than 60-degrees, in my opinion, is just "ego training" and are basically just angled shrugs if anything.

One thing that has not been mentioned is how to set-up your body just prior to beginning the exercise to reduce the risk of injury and to best feel the muscle contraction and get the most out of the exercise.  I never start my barbell rows by simply bending over to pick up the bar and start rowing.  In my opinion, it doesn't set up your lower back and core correctly and opens yourself up to a higher risk of lower back injury.  I prefer to strap in (with a thumbless grip; the 'ol "hands as hooks" analogy) and stand straight up with the bar first, then make sure my feet are firmly planted to the floor.  I then make sure to squeeze everything (legs, core, arms, shoulders, lats, and even the damn bar!) before slowly lowering my upper body to the 75-degree angle and slowly applying a slight bend to the knees before I begin rowing.  Keep squeezing everything throughout the exercise until you're done with the set and you drop the weight to the floor.  Also, many tend to emphasize to arch the back to get a good contraction at the top of the movement, but I think a lot of people overly exagerate this.  In my own experience, it helps to contract the rhomboids more, but not necessarily the lats.  As long as your back is slightly arched to ensure that you don't let your back "round" or hunch over, your lats should be in their best position to get hammered.

local hero

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Re: How to do BARBELL ROWS!
« Reply #16 on: May 04, 2012, 07:15:02 AM »
I've been doing barbell rows for about 17 years now and have built my strength up to be able to currently handle 365 lbs for a hard 7 to 8 reps, and have never gotten injured with it.  As with any exercise, you just have to use common sense and not go wild with the form.  But with such a basic, "power" movement, you shouldn't be going too strict either and baby-ing yourself.

I do my barbell rows at roughly a 75-degree angle, but this is an individual thing.  I just feel the movement best at that angle.  Everybody's body mechanics are different, so some will feel it better at 90-degrees and some will prefer 60-degrees.  I know Lee Haney prefers 90-degrees, and Yates actually preferred a 70-degree angle in his heyday.  Anything more upright than 60-degrees, in my opinion, is just "ego training" and are basically just angled shrugs if anything.

One thing that has not been mentioned is how to set-up your body just prior to beginning the exercise to reduce the risk of injury and to best feel the muscle contraction and get the most out of the exercise.  I never start my barbell rows by simply bending over to pick up the bar and start rowing.  In my opinion, it doesn't set up your lower back and core correctly and opens yourself up to a higher risk of lower back injury.  I prefer to strap in (with a thumbless grip; the 'ol "hands as hooks" analogy) and stand straight up with the bar first, then make sure my feet are firmly planted to the floor.  I then make sure to squeeze everything (legs, core, arms, shoulders, lats, and even the damn bar!) before slowly lowering my upper body to the 75-degree angle and slowly applying a slight bend to the knees before I begin rowing.  Keep squeezing everything throughout the exercise until you're done with the set and you drop the weight to the floor.  Also, many tend to emphasize to arch the back to get a good contraction at the top of the movement, but I think a lot of people overly exagerate this.  In my own experience, it helps to contract the rhomboids more, but not necessarily the lats.  As long as your back is slightly arched to ensure that you don't let your back "round" or hunch over, your lats should be in their best position to get hammered.


?..... are you contradicting your self there?

Lucky Lance

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Re: How to do BARBELL ROWS!
« Reply #17 on: May 05, 2012, 08:12:48 AM »

?..... are you contradicting your self there?

Sorry if the description of upper body angles was confusing.  I consider 0 degrees as the upper body being fully upright and 90 degrees as the upper body being bent over to the point where it's parallel with the floor when describing bent over rowing.  Therefore, a 75 degree angle would be just slightly higher than parallel with the floor.

Lucky Lance

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Re: How to do BARBELL ROWS!
« Reply #18 on: May 05, 2012, 08:21:23 AM »
First off....DID NOT READ.

Second, it's all about drugs, don't matter how you train.


BOOOOOOM <><><><> Me So Smart



No one gets smart by NOT reading.  One "gets smart" by reading different theories and hearing other peoples ideas, then taking what makes sense to him/her from all of those ideas and formulating their own theories/ideas based on experience and trial and error.  I'm lifetime natural, yet even at my old age I'm still improving little by little and am the strongest and biggest I have ever been because my training and nutrition continues to "get smarter."

BOOOOOOM <><><><> Me so "common sense"

trapz101

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Re: How to do BARBELL ROWS!
« Reply #19 on: May 17, 2012, 09:33:06 PM »


fast forward 1min...
T

ritch

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Re: How to do BARBELL ROWS!
« Reply #20 on: May 17, 2012, 10:38:15 PM »
Funny Vid!
?

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Re: How to do BARBELL ROWS!
« Reply #21 on: June 02, 2012, 02:47:46 PM »
There is. No such thing as a Yates row... Yates  was doing the barbell row wrong
But because he has crazy back genetics  every sheep hopped on the the bandwagon .... If some random guy with a shit back was doing the rows like that he would have been ridiculed.
The Yates would be the same as calling  branch warrens less that 1/4 rep bench presses
The "branch press"

x2
.

kimo

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Re: How to do BARBELL ROWS!
« Reply #22 on: June 26, 2012, 06:33:49 AM »
any record poundages in barbell rows ed coan used to to them with 500 pounds it seems . are t bar rows much fifferent from them i enjoyed barbell rows for years but hated T BAR ROWS .