well, the thing is, if you do them pendlay style, you can have your back at pretty much 90 degrees and not feel too much strain because of the way you deload the bar on the floor.
i would imagine it would be bothersome with heavy weight on a regular row, but it really works for the pendlays.
I'll attest to that. My lower back can tolerate a lot, but not unsupported bent over rows with significant weight.




You can do a lot of exercises even though you have a hernia. My suggestion - find a good sports med doc that operates on hernias. I had to see 5 docs until they found mine - the last doc knew exactly where it was. I actually had two hernias on one side and was able to play ball and lift heavy for more than six months. It only bothered me once in a while. Now it's all good. The recovery isn't too bad (two weeks of no lifting - then slowly get back into it)
