The barbell bent over row is one of the best weight training exercises you can do for your back along with deadlifts and pull-ups. The Barbell bent over row is great for building quality muscle mass in your upper back region and should be used frequently in your back routine. A lot of people get confused as to how to perform this lift correctly so in this article I’m going to show you how to perform the barbell bent over row correctly and with good form.
Barbell Bent Over Row Form
Setting up. The barbell bent over row starts with the bar on the floor and finishes with the bar on the floor. A lot of people get confused with this as they see people in the gym standing upright when performing a similar movement. This is a slight variation of the traditional barbell bent over row where your back is positioned far more vertical. This upright version of the barbell row allows for more weight to be used and is easier than the bent over barbell row. Bent over barbell rows are harder and can help build more strength in the upper back. Things to remember when setting up for the barbell bent over row:
Hand position and grip. Hands should be positioned slightly wider than shoulder width apart. When you bend down and grip the bar you should have your hands positioned slightly wider than your legs. Grip the bar in a way that it is close to your fingers. The bar should not be gripped in the palm of your hand. A good grip can help the movement feel a lot more comfortable. Squeeze the bar before you lift it to ensure you are happy with your grip.
Look forward at the floor infront of you. Try looking at the floor infront of you for maximum comfort. If you look straight forward or up it will hurt your neck. Looking straight down will round your back and throw your form off. Look at the floor infront of you.
Feet. Feet need to be positioned around shoulder width apart. Similar to setting up for the deadlift. Come to mention it, the bent over barbell row setup is extremely similar to the deadlift setup. Toes dont need to be pointing out when setting up. Point them forwards.
Bar Position. The bar needs to be positioned over your feet (shoe laces) and close to your body/shins before you begin the exercise.
Arms straight. Arms need to be straight. Do not start the lift with bent arms. Your starting position should now look like this:
Performing the bent over barbell row. Now you are in position to perform the bent over barbell row lift the bar up off the floor with straight arms by extending your hips. Focus on pulling your elbows up towards the ceiling, and raise the bar up to your lower chest area. Things to focus on:
Bar remains close to your body. Dont place the bar too far away from your body when starting the movement and lowering the bar. This makes the lift harder and a lot less effective taking the tension out of your back muscles. Start with the bar over your feet and lower it back to the same position it started in.
Focus on driving elbows up. You will feel this movement a lot more in your back if you concentrate on driving your elbows up towards the ceiling. Dont just focus on lifting the bar up. Concentrate on lifting it up to your lower chest by driving your elbows up towards the ceiling and opening up your chest.
Elbows tucked in. It’s impossible to keep your elbows fully tucked in for the bent over barbell row but ensure they are tucked in towards your body to a certain degree instead of flared outwards. Do not flare your elbows outwards. Keep them close and in towards your body.
No dropping of the chest or extending the knees. Dont drop your chest to meet the bar when the reps get tough. If you cant perform another full rep either stop or perform partial reps. Dont break your form just to cheat on one or two more reps. Also, knees should not be extended when performing the barbell bent over row. Hips extend slightly on the way up but knees should remain relatively still and straight.
Dont over extend your hips on the way up. A little hip extension is required to get the bar up but dont extend your hips too much. Doing so will move your back up in a more vertical position. Your back should stay in a similar position as it was when you started the lift.
Look at the floor infront of you. Head should remain looking at the floor infront of you to keep form tight and help prevent the back from rounding. Its also far more comfortable than looking up and straining your neck.
Finishing position should now look something like this:
Lowering the bar. To begin the next rep the bar needs to be lowered back down to the starting position on the floor. At first you may find it tricky lowering the weight back down to its exact original starting position. Just focus on keeping the bar close to your body and lower it straight down.
Theres no need to slow the weight down as you lower it. Let it come down naturally but ensure you still have control of the bar. If you find the bar is not quite in the position it should be once lowered then take a second or two to re-adjust before beginning your next rep. Alternatively drag the bar backwards a little so its re-positioned back over your feet if needed. Here’s a great video of the barbell bent over row which im sure will clear up any further confusion you have of this lift:
