Ever skipped back day because you haven’t quite got your head around pull ups yet, or because you don’t have access to fancy gym machines that target these muscles? Please say ‘hi’ to the inverted row. This bodyweight exercise trains your back, shoulders, arms, and core. It requires a minimal set up, is easy to execute, and is scalable to every fitness level.

What is an Inverted Row?

An inverted row is a bodyweight pulling movement that targets your lats, traps, deltoids, rhomboids, biceps, and even activates your core and glute muscles.

• Use a 20kg Olympic Barbell secured in a power rack, a pair of gymnastic rings, or high parallettes. The bar or rings should be set to just under waist height.

• Grab the bar, Rings, or parallettes and ‘lie down’ underneath, keeping your body in a perfectly straight line with your arms extended. You can use either an overhand or underhand grip, keeping your hands shoulder-width apart. The only point of contact between your body and the floor should be your heels.

• Retract your shoulder blades, bend your elbows, and pull your chest towards the bar, rings, or the top of your Parallettes. Keep your body as straight as possible and your elbows tucked in.

• Pause at the top for a second or two.

• Slowly lower yourself back to the starting position.

To get optimal results from this bodyweight row, it’s important that you keep your body straight throughout the entire movement. Sagging at the hips indicates a lack of core and glute activation and puts a disproportionate amount of stress on your lower back. Make sure you squeeze those muscles to prevent losing tension!

Inverted Row Regression

• Reduce the angle - The more upright your body, the less weight you’re pulling. If you’re having difficulties reaching the top of your rep, take step back to start at a steeper incline.

• Bend your knees - Place your feet flat on the ground and bend your knees. This also reduces the amount of weight you’re pulling and will make your reps easier.

• Negative reps - Instead of pulling yourself up, start your rep with your chest close to the bar, rings, or parallettes and slowly lower yourself down.

Inverted Row Progression

• Elevate your feet - Where a reduced angle makes inverted rows easier, an increased angle makes it harder. Place your heels on a plyo box or exercise step.

• Eccentric focus - Once you’ve pulled your chest to the bar, rings, or parallettes, lower yourself back to the starting position in a slow, controlled manner. Take at least four seconds for the descent. The focus on this eccentric phase adds a challenging element to the inverted row.

• Isometric pause - Hold halfway through your rep or at the top of your rep for five to ten seconds. This will help boost your strength and endurance without needing any additional equipment.

Benefits of Inverted Rows

• Strength and posture - Inverted rows are an efficient way to build upper-body strength. By developing the muscles that pull back your shoulders, this exercise will also improve your overall posture. If you spend your working day behind a desk, adding inverted rows into your training regime will be a great move!

• Grip strength - Regardless of the equipment you’re using, inverted rows boost your grip strength, which improves your performance in strength exercises and gymnastic and Olympic weightlifting movements.

• Pull up progression - Inverted rows are a must-do exercise if you’re building towards your first pull up. This movement targets all the right muscles and builds the foundational strength you need to perform pull ups or chin ups.

• In addition - inverted rows are friendly on the joints, require a minimal setup, and are easy to adjust to your needs.

And there you have it — everything you need to know to perform an inverted row. Whether you are a beginner or seasoned gym rat, this exercise will help you build a strong back and boost your pulling power. Perhaps it’ll even be the key to your first pull up!

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Tags: Equipment > Dip Bars ; Exercise Type > Strength