Horizontal pull
Barbell row
Horizontal pulling in a hinged position. Builds back thickness and balances the pressing volume most lifters have too much of.
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Level
- Intermediate
- Primary muscles
- Lats, Rhomboids, Mid traps
- Secondary muscles
- Biceps, Spinal erectors, Rear delts
- Working range
- 6–12 reps · RIR 2
Step by step
- 1Stand over the bar, feet hip-width.
- 2Hinge at the hips with slightly bent knees — torso around 45 degrees to the floor or lower.
- 3Grip the bar overhand, hands slightly wider than shoulders.
- 4Brace and set your back flat. This torso angle stays fixed for the whole set.
- 5Pull the bar to your lower chest or upper abdomen, elbows tracking close to the body.
- 6Lower under control until the arms are straight.
What makes the biggest difference
- Torso angle constant from first rep to last.
- Pull with your elbows, not your hands.
Common mistakes
Standing up on every rep
The torso angle creeps up and the row turns into a shrug. Hold the position or lower the weight.
Rounded back
The hinged position already loads the lower back — rounding adds risk. Shorten the range and fix your setup.
Elbows flared wide
That shifts work to the rear delts instead of the lats. Keep the elbows close to the body.
What to do instead
Lower back pain
Single-arm dumbbell row
Supporting yourself on a bench with hand and knee unloads the spinal erectors.
No barbell
Seated cable row
The same horizontal pull with the torso supported.
Contraindications
- Acute disc problems — the hinged position is among the most demanding for the spine.
This is not medical advice. If any of these apply to you, or the exercise causes pain, talk to a doctor or physiotherapist before returning to training.
Log your sets and watch the progression
You enter weight, reps and RIR — the app computes your estimated 1RM, plots the strength curve and suggests the next session’s load along with the reasoning.
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