Q & A With Team WB Fitness

This week’s Thursday Q&A comes from long time reader and frequent weekend challenge doer Consolation_of_Philosophy. We are all grateful for this question as it touches on one of the most important lifts possible. COP write:

A bonehead-level, stupidly granular form tutorial for bent over rows is in order (at least for me). This is a recurring trouble spot for me, and the mind-muscle connection just is not there. I am very lopsided in terms of lat/back power (but not aesthetics, thank goodness), and when I watch my form in the mirror my body mechanics looks completely different from right-side to left-side when I do the movements. I also notice that my left lower lats fucking ache from keeping me upright when I do a bicep routine, so additional education is in needed!

Lou Skunt

Hey CoP, great question! Bent over rows are to back development what squats are to legs. When performed correctly, they are the single best movement for overall back development, and my personal favorite. They are brutal, but they build a Back like nothing else. But like squats, they can pose a challenge to some people, as your biomechanics really come into play (we all appear to have the same moving parts, but everybody’s joints articulate in a little different fashion). You may need to experiment and find what works best for you.

I’m unapologetically old-school, so my preferred method has always been to stand on a large wood block, but if your gym has a special stand made just for this movement that will work also. The elevated stance provides for more stretch at the bottom of the movement. I’ve found that the back, lats, etc. respond really well when they are fully stretched, then fully contracted. I like to bend low, approximately parallel, with an overhand grip (a few inches wider than shoulder width). As I pull up, my body comes up just a little bit as I drive the bar into my lower abs. Experiment with an overhand or underhand grip.

Since you mentioned that you feel a little lopsided at times, you can also perform this movement with dumbbells, as you won’t be restricted to just the straight barbell grip and you may feel the stretch and contraction in (each) lat a little better. You still focus on a good stretch at the bottom, but when you pull up, the wrists should twist slightly and face in (palms facing each other) and dumbbells end up next to your hips.

Another option may be to try this movement with a cable machine. Get the bent bar and hook it to the cable crossover machine with the pulley all the way down near the floor. Now, walk back and bend over, allow the arms to fully stretch, this is where you plant your feet, now drive the bar into your lower abs. Experiment with an overhand or underhand grip.

The key for me with this movement was to always get that deep stretch at the bottom of the movement. As you lower the weight, think of detaching your shoulders momentarily and let the lats really stretch, this way you are forcing the back to really pull the weight and only really using your hands as hooks. I would also recommend stretching in between sets. Stretch with both arms or one arm at a time, grab a piece of equipment at waist height and just lean back deep to really dig into those lats, don’t bounce, just long, 5-10 second deep stretching. You’ll even things up in no time, brother!”

J.Nyx

I can’t add too much to the great points Lou and WB gave but like all lifts, there is always form to consider. I personally have freakishly long arms so I’ll have to dial in my hand positioning, elbow angle, and foot placement. One way to make this easier is to use a super light weight to try different grips and stances until it feels right.

I personally like doing bent over rows with dumbbells as well as the barbell. I feel that greater ROM with them. Also, dumbbell rows allow you to do them parallel with your wrists facing you the way a barbell would allow, but also perpendicular, with your wrists facing each other. Give it a try next time you’re in the gym.

Great Question COP! First I have to say that I second everything that Lou put out. That can be the definitive guide to bent over rows! He made it pretty hard to add to anything. So, for my part I am just going to go briefly through form and then mention a couple of common mistakes you may be making and ways to combat them.

So basic form. First, you want to stand with feet hip-width apart with the barbell over the middle of your foot. Bend over and grab the bar with an overhand grip and get into a deadlift position with your back flat (obviously we at WB Fitness are about safety and not about showing off how big our dicks are by putting more weight on the bar, but for a bent-over row from the floor you have to be using 45 pound plates. If you aren’t then you should be setting up on a rack rather than the floor or doing dumbbell rows until you build the strength for a min of 125 pounds on the back row). Pull your shoulders down and back and have your arms straight. Pull the bar the same way you would a deadlift until the plates are an inch above the ground.

Second, make sure to keep your core as tight as possible and pull your shoulders back to initiate the row. The motion of the row should be powered by you driving your elbows back. Drive the elbows back until the bar touches your chest.

Third, lower the bar with control and focus until your arms return to the starting position.

Thursday is my back and chest day. If I get a spot in the gym where there aren’t too many people I will video tape a form video for you!

So here are some common mistakes. Think about these when you are lifting and make sure you aren’t doing any of them.

Are you bouncing up and down with the weight? If so, the weight is too heavy. The bounce is a cheat. It takes weight off the targeted muscle group so not only are you moving around in a jerky fashion that could get you hurt but you aren’t doing anything to help yourself. Combat this problem by dropping the weight to a level where you can comfortable do the row without requiring all that other bodily motion.
You are not bent over for your bent over row. As Lou points out above, you want to be as close to parallel as you can. This is all core strength that lets you do this. If you aren’t at least reasonably close to parallel when you do barbell rows I suggest moving to dumbbell and T-Bar rows while doing things like hanging leg raises and cable curls to build up that core strength. Give it 6 weeks. This isn’t a race. Better to get you in a position to where you can do it correctly. If you CAN get into that parallel position, but just don’t because of force of habit, try placing (or having someone place, a plate on your back. Keeping it flat and balanced and from falling off will force you into the proper form.
DO NOT FLARE YOUR ELBOWS!!!!! I can’t stress this enough. Protect your elbows. Flaring your elbows will not only hurt them, but also put the weight on your lower back instead of where it belongs. This can cause joint pain, back pain, shoulder pain and needs to be avoided at all costs. Resolve this by rowing just the bar hundreds of times until you are doing it right. Hell, use some PVC pips just to row so often that your elbows do not flare anymore without you thinking about it
Are you rounding your back? This is a really bad thing to do. Not only are you not getting the benefit of the lift, but you are buying yourself a one way ticket to the orthopedic surgeon. One reason this happens is that you are not fully bracing your abs. You should hold your abs, through your rows, as if you are bracing to take a punch in the gut. Give that a try and see how it improves your lifts.
Make sure your neck is aligned with your back. Picture a nice straight line through your spine into and through your neck right out the top of your head.

One last thing, I am glad that Lou mentioned doing these off of a block. The elevation is excellent for the lift for exactly the reason Lou points out above. My gym has a special platform. I have done them off of a block. However, tomorrow I might through a set in doing them the way Arnold did….not off a platform, not off a block, but off the freaking bench!