Bent over barbell rows

[JAja04]

Having troulbe figuring out how much weight to use on this exercise.. I once read that you should be able to row what you can bench press. Right now I Bench 230 for 10 reps.. so does that sound accurate to everyone else as a rule of thumb. Impossible to do these heavy without a little swinging.. Just curious as to the wisdom on the board

 

[Marat]

Having troulbe figuring out how much weight to use on this exercise.

Head to the gym, start light, and add weight until you've found the weight at which your rep range is satisfied.

 

[Perdido]

I bench allot more than I BB row. I do prefer T bar rows and can go heavier with emphasis on negatives.

 

[JAja04]

Should the bar touch your stomach on the peak part of the rep.. or should it just get in a very close proximity?

 

[min0 lee]

I once read that you should be able to row what you can bench press.

I heard that also but I was told you pull with what you warm up with on benches.
Mostly for beginners.

 

[ALBOB]

I heard that also but I was told you pull with what you warm up with on benches.
Mostly for beginners.

I'm the opposite, I can row quite a bit more than I can bench.

The key to rowing is to arch your back as much as you can and squeeeeeeze your lats at the top of the movement. Also, you want to start out light so you can develop a good mind/muscle connection. I could never "feel" my lats working when doing rows until I backed off and used a lighter weight for higher reps. Only then was I able to really feel the movement in my lats. Once I get that feeling I was able to really pile on the weight.

P.S. Another thing that helps get that feeling is to do some dumbbell pullovers before rowing. You get a nice stretch in your lats with these.

 

[sakbar]

Hi Albob,

Yes, your observation is so right - I always feel a tremendous pump in my biceps and even forearms when doing these rows. I reduced the load yesterday and focused on the negative which seemed like a really good thing to do.

Do you recommend keeping the torso parallel to the ground when doing the Bent-Over rows?

Thanks,
Sak

 

[ALBOB]

Good question. No. I "learned" to do rows by reading articles on Dorian Yates' technique. He sort of invented the underhand grip for rows and he stood with his back at about a 45 degree angle to the floor. The underhand grip put his bicpes in a more mechanically superior position to allow him to work his lats much harder and the more upright position also allowed him to work his lats very hard but with less stress on his lower back.

 

[ZECH]

Weight is not the key here......form is. You want to keep your angle at 45 degrees or more. If you stand up and exceed the 45 degree angle, you take the pressure off the areas you want to hit.

 

[min0 lee]

I'm the opposite, I can row quite a bit more than I can bench.

Not when I started, I think it's easier for a beginner to bench with decent form than doing bent over rows.

To this day I still prefer looking in the mirror while doing them to make sure I do it properly.....I don't want to hurt my back any worse.

Good question. No. I "learned" to do rows by reading articles on Dorian Yates' technique.

He's a good person to follow as far as back is concerned, one of the best backs in the business.

 

[ALBOB]

Not when I started, I think it's easier for a beginner to bench with decent form than doing bent over rows.

To this day I still prefer looking in the mirror while doing them to make sure I do it properly.....I don't want to hurt my back any worse.

Yeah, couple of good points. Until very recently I couldn't row nearly as much as I could bench. When I finally got the feel of the movement my strengtth increased dramatically.

Amen on the mirror. During both rows and deadlifts I HAVE to be in front of a mirror to ensure my forms stays very strict. Second worse weight lifting injury I ever had was deads NOT in front of a mirror and it tore my back up bad. At this point it's more psychological than anything else, but even that little measure of security allows me to push that much harder.