Thread: Best way to do bent over rows?

Fingers over the bar means less biceps and more back work. I'd keep my back still, if you're looking for hyperthrophy.

Here is a quote from Glenn Pendlay about doing bent over rows.

"The best way to do them is to start with the bar on the floor every single rep. Your middle back will have a slight bend to it. You pull the bar off the floor quickly with the arms, and by a powerful arch of your middle back. You finish by touching the bar to your upper stomach or middle stomach.
At no time is there any movement of the hips or knees, no hip extension at all, all that bends is the middle back and the shoulders and elbows. This is hard to do and you have to have good muscular control to do it, or you'll end up straightening up at the hips along with the arching of the back. But if you can master doing them this way you will get a big back" (Glenn Pendlay).

I have been doing them this way recently and really like it. It takes a little getting used to, but it just seems to really hit my back far better than conventional bent over rows, where you don't pause at the bottom.

Originally Posted by mrmark

How do you guys reckon is the best way to perform bent over rows?

I want to get my back as much as possible, as im not concerned with my bicep size.

Do I keep my torso fixed and only move my arms to maintain a strict form or do i move my body up as i pull, like Lee Priest does?

Also, for back, which way round should I hold the bar? eg, fingers over or under the bar?

Thanks for the help!

I think it's just a question of how much weight you use, like cheating a little when doing arm curls. If you use your body to start the lift and gain some momentum then you may give yourself the illusion you are lifting more, but ultimately it won't be the targeted muscles doing the work. Having said that, I think probably do allow a little bit of torso movement, particularly on heavy sets. However, as with any good rowing, the movement should start by pulling your shoulders back and squeezing your shoulder blades together, and then bending your arms only by neccessity, not as the focus of the lift.

I don't think there is anything wrong with a little body english to get the weight moving, however I would advise it is no more than comes naturally as you may hurt your back by moving around so much and eventually you'd be cheating.

I don't think forced restriction is natural, if you want to be strict then just do support rows.

make sure you are retracting your scapulae