Muscles Worked: Lateral Muscles, great for adding thickness to the lateral muscles
Spotter Required: No
Minimum Equipment required: Standard barbell with standard weights
The Best Equipment to Use: Olympic barbell with Olympic weights
Warming up: If barbell bent over rows is the first exercise in your back workout I strongly suggest warming up the back with about 5 warm-up sets, gradually increasing the weight and lowering the reps as you go through the warm-up sets. For example:
Warm-up set 1: 20% of the weight you normally lift for 12 reps
Warm-up set 2: 60% of the weight you normally lift for 8 reps
Warm-up set 3: 75% of the weight you normally lift for 5 reps
Warm-up set 4: 85% of the weight you normally lift for 3 reps
Warm-up set 5: 95% of the weight you normally lift for 1 rep
How often should I perform this exercise: Barbell bent over rows are great for the lateral muscles and can be performed with every back workout. Bent over rows can also be completed using dumbbells, see one arm dumbbell rows.
When should I perform this exercise: Barbell rows do not use a great deal of energy so they can be performed near the end of a back workout.
How to do the exercise: Standing with your feet shoulder width apart grab the barbell with a shoulder width overhand grip. Now slightly bend your knees and hinge at the hips so your back is at a 45 degree angle, retract your shoulder blades and make sure your head stays neutral with your spine. Keeping this position throughout the workout simply begin to lift the barbell into your mid/lower abdominals, making sure your elbows do not flare out to the sides when you lift, keep them tight to the body.
When the barbell reaches your abdominals squeeze your shoulder blades for half a second to contract the lat muscles, then lower the weight to the starting position in a controlled manner (never let gravity drop the weight back down), complete this movement until the set is finished.
If you find that you cannot control the weight on the way up or down its too heavy, put down the weight and try it again.
Variations: If you grip the barbell with a wide grip it will target the posterior deltoids (rear shoulders). Bent over rows can also be performed using dumbbells. To target the lower part of your lateral muscles you can use a shoulder width underhand grip.
Note: To take pressure off your lower back you should put a slight arch in the lower back; the best way to do this is to stick your butt out after you move your back to the 45 degree angle.
Common Mistakes:
Lifting too heavy – I often see people in the gym lift far too heavy, in fact they lift so heavy that they just throw the weight up and allow gravity to bring it back down, with no strict control whatsoever. Unfortunately for these people they are only risking injury of the back and also not working the lateral muscles.
Keeping your head down or forward – I often see people keep their head forward and look in the mirror, never do this, always keep your head neutral with your spine throughout the workout.
Flaring the elbows – People seem to forget that this exercise is a row for the lateral muscles. When you use a rowing machine do you flare your elbows out to the side when you pull the cord? Of course you wouldn’t, you would make sure your arms stay at your sides the whole time, so make sure you do this with barbell bent over rows.
Mentality: Barbell bent over row is a rowing exercise, if you begin to lose form remember that this is a rowing exercise not a lifting exercise. Also, make sure you squeeze your lat muscle at the top of the movement as this will force blood into the lateral muscles for a better contraction.
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