Tip 7 Superior Ways to Row Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip 7 Superior Ways to Row The bentover row is great if you don' t screw it up Most lifters do Try these safer stricter variations for back size and strength by Brandon Holder December 12, 2020April 11, 2021 Tags Training Rows are an essential part of any good training program. While the bentover row is prescribed most often, it may not be the best variation for everyone. The bentover row can put a great deal of stress on the lower back, partly because most people do it wrong. Some will turn it into a full-body pull rather than targeting just the back. We've all seen (and heard) that one guy in the gym aggressively pulling the barbell up to his neck. A simple fix is to start with supported rows. Chest-supported rows, specifically, give you all the benefit of the row, but without the lower-back stress or injury risk, and it requires no additional set-up other than having an adjustable bench. Barbell Chest-Supported Row You can do the chest-supported row with a barbell or dumbbells. Just grab a bench. Set up the exact angle or position desired. This will allow you to build strength from specific joint positions and build up your back from several different angles to ensure balance. Some other variations include: Barbell Underhand Grip Chest-Supported Row Dumbbell Chest-Supported Row Dumbbell Single-Arm Chest-Supported Row Dumbbell Alternating Chest-Supported Row Dumbbell Opposite Iso Chest-Supported Row Dumbbell Chest-Supported Isometric 6-1 Row This is a great upper body finisher. The chest-supported position allows you to keep the movement honest and get the most out of each rep. Begin by holding the dumbbells in an isometric squeeze at the top for 6 seconds. Then lower the dumbbells, do 1 rep, and row them back to the top isometric position for 5 seconds. You'll continue this, dropping a second per rep, until you've reached 1 second. This series is brutal. You can also run through the series going from 8-1 or 10-1. Cable Chest-Supported Row Remember, rows are a must for anyone wanting to look and actually BE strong. The bentover row isn't a bad exercise, it just may not be the most appropriate. Try giving your row a little support and you might even find that you prefer the stricter, more isolated counterpart instead. Related: Rows for Pros Related: 6 New Rules for Rows Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training Tip Increase Your Training Intensity Two Ways Put on your gym-face. Add these two intensity-extending techniques into your program. Tips, Training Paul Carter February 17 Training Tip Stability Ball Ab Rollout No ab wheel? No problem. Just use a stability ball. Also works great as a regressive exercise if the standard ab rollout is too tough for you. Abs, Exercise Coaching, Tips T Nation September 25 Training Ripped Rugged and Dense American Chet Yorton, although not as big as Arnold, ran circles around the young Austrian with his vascular, striated physique, exposing the Oak as the amateur he was. Yorton's ripped, rugged, and dense appearance forced Arnold to settle for a distant second place finish. Training Joel Marion June 21 Training Tip How to Fix All Your Biceps Problems Here's what to do if your curls aren't cutting it. Training Tom MacCormick October 31