Barbell Inverted Row

How to Perform the Barbell Inverted Row

Set a barbell in a squat rack at approximately waist height.
Position yourself beneath the bar, gripping it with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder width.
Extend your body so you are hanging beneath the bar with your arms fully extended, heels on the floor, and body in a straight line from head to heels.
Engage your core and squeeze your glutes to maintain the rigid body position.
Pull your chest up to the bar by driving your elbows back and squeezing your shoulder blades together.
Touch your chest to the bar or get as close as possible at the top.
Lower yourself slowly back to the starting position with arms fully extended.
Repeat for the prescribed number of reps, maintaining the straight body line throughout.

Letting the hips sag or pike upward

Maintain a rigid, straight body from head to heels as if you were doing a plank — squeeze your glutes and brace your core.

Not pulling the chest all the way to the bar

Aim to touch the bar with your lower chest at the top of each rep for a full range of motion.

Craning the neck to reach the bar

Keep your head neutral and focus on pulling with your back muscles; if you cannot reach the bar, raise it higher to make the exercise easier.

✓A scalable bodyweight exercise that builds horizontal pulling strength for all fitness levels.
✓Teaches proper scapular retraction mechanics that transfer to all rowing and pulling movements.
✓Requires minimal equipment and can be performed in any rack or even under a sturdy table.

●Raise the bar higher to make the exercise easier; lower it to make it harder.
●Elevate your feet on a bench for an advanced variation that increases the load.
●Use an underhand grip to emphasise the biceps and lower lats.

Strength

4-5 sets of 5-8 reps (with feet elevated for added difficulty)

Hypertrophy

3-4 sets of 10-15 reps

Endurance

2-3 sets of 15-25 reps

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