Is it just me, or is it really rare to see a workout routine include bent-over barbell rows anymore? I started this move because…well…Arnie did 
But even though I’ve grown past following his routine, bent-over barbell rows have remained at the core of my back routine, and I think I have done nothing but benefit from them…my pulling power is really remarkable, my back strength and stability is just great, and my upper back and anterior deltoid size and definition remain one of my best features…ok, one of my only good features So anyway, does anyone out there still love this move? If you used to but stopped, can you say why?
Have to admit that I hardly ever see them done at my gym, but they have been an exercise I use off and on for as long as I have been lifting.
i actually use bench t-bar rows over barbell rows. i do so many deadlifts (regular, stiff legged, etc) that i get enough stress on my lower back as it is. plus, with deads, i seem to put on a lot of thickness in my back, which is why rowing exercises come second to pull ups in my back workout.
E: I don’t think that there are any two better exercises for putting mass on the back than Bent Over Barbell Rows and Rack Pulls. (If you can get a hold of Kamali’s “Road To Be King”, you can see Rack Pulls performed like an animal, and of course, Dorian Yates “Blood and Guts” as we was a BIG advocate of Barbell Rows.)
It (along with T-Bar rows) is a mainstay in my back routine, but, yes, although I never thought about it, not many people do them. I guess it’s just more appealing to some people to cheat like crazy on lat pulldowns and then pace around the gym with swollen lat syndrome. Then again, guys with great width but no thickness are a dime a dozen. Coincidence? I think not:)
I like them, but I like chins better. I find I can do more weight on chins and it doesn’t “hurt”. For some reason, rows stress my legs/hips/knees a bit. I’ve also learned that I can’t do them around any day I’m doing deadlift or cleans
This doesn’t mean I don’t do them, I like to superset them with bench press, but at a “light” weight (my 15RM for a set of 8) so that I can recover better for the next bench set. I just don’t use them as a power movement.
I’ve always used it alternating heavy and light, and my back is probably my best feature.
It’s right up there with chins IMO.
I love heavy barbell rows. They are the only other exercise I do along with weighted pull ups for back(I deadlift on hamstring day). Every now and then I will do a few pull downs or d-bell rows. But I feel that when training for mass and power these are the two staple exercises that should be included in every routine. By the way Elegua I think you were referring to your posterior deltoid. The anterior deltoid is the front head worked primarily by pressing movements.
Bent over rows are a great exercise. In fact they are a staple of my back routine, along with pullups, chinups, and deadlifts. The reason you don’t see many people doing bent overs is the same reason you don’t see many doing deadlifts or pullups or squats or snatches or so on and so on. Because they are hard and difficult(when done with correct form) and totally wear you out. Never mind the fact that they are great overall developvers and give you the best bang for the buck. In this lazy society,where gym mice (not rats) infiltrate real lifters space most people would rather do cable pulldowns, leg presses, retarded rows( you know,the ones who look like they are wanting to develop whiplash) and other various bullshit movements. I love the hard and heavy lifts and commend you on your choice of harder vs. easier. Keep lifting iron warrior, you will reap what you sew.
I like to use the Hammer Seated Row machine and reverse grip bent-over rows pulling to the waist. I also do an exercise with a home made bungee cords and handle that follows the lines of pulling for throwing (as in judo).
However, recently in the gym I saw a young lad standing almost upright doing a combination of an upright row and slightly bentover row on the end of the bar row machine. He would not take any gentle suggestion on form, so I let him be. Pearls before swine.
I prefer to do bent-over barbell rows after I do dumbell rows.I will change the grip between the two exercises so it isn’t the exact same thing (pronated, supinated etc.). I find doing that works my lats more and my posterior chain less. I already get enough posterior chain work. I rarely see anyone do bent-over barbell rows at the gym. Plus the only people I do see doing them use a lot of body movement, go at a speed of about 5 reps a second and stand up enough that the bar moves about 2 inches.
Because of the effect they have on my lower back, I use barbell rows sparingly. I much prefer strict, heavy (two traits that exclude the majority of them done in the gyms around the world) 1-arm dumbell rows. I do them with both feet on the ground, my body perpendicular to a bench, and my non-working arm fully extended with hand placed on said bench for support; I don’t do the one-leg-and-one-arm-up-on-a-bench crap like most people. I find my technique prevents a lot of cheating and torquing. Gives a killer oblique workout too - the isometric contraction required to keep your torso from twisting once you go heavy enough is really powerful.
What is a rack pull? thanks
I do not ever see people doing this excercise. This movement is a staple in my back routine. I was told by an experienced powerlifter to dip when bringing it up. he said to bend at the knees and bring my chest to the bar. Basically he said that my back should remian the same angle but just drop a little when brinng the bar up. this is supposed to take the stress of the lower back and it felt like it did but in order to do this i had to use a fast tempo. Has anyone ever heard of doing this? I was also wondering at what angle is your torso to the ground when performing bent rows. also what tempo and rep range do you find is most effective?
mufasa–with regards to the kamali and yates videos, which one do you reccomend? i just want to watch something to pump me up, and i think they would be interesting to watch. i know cutlers “a cut above the rest” is like $30, what about the other 2? thx
Al: “Rack Pulls” are essentially Deads where the starting position is just above mid-shin (roughly). The weights are placed at the appropriate starting point via pins on the Squat Rack.
Starting from this point allows for more force and energy to be directed at the back, due to eliminating the lift from the floor.
By the way…I don’t think anyone would be upset at seeing you crank out some heavy Rack Pulls in the Squat Rack!
Hope this helps!
Me and my partner also use the Bent over Barbell Row as a staple in our back routine. Until you mentioned it, I also really don’t recall every seeing anyone else at my gym do this exercise. I have added a great deal of size to my back using this barbell rows!
I’ve always noticed that deadlifts leave my upper back muscles sore all over for days, whilst barbell rows barely tickle me by comparison
My problem is that I like to work back on leg days but my lower back is too fatigued by the time I get to bent-over rows to use any weight. I think I’ll have to move rows to bench day and pulls (chin variations) to leg day. Another of my favorites is dumbbell one-arm rows. I feel the stretch more and less stress in my lower back. I can use 100 lb. dumbbells for 8 reps no sweat but loading 225 on the barbell for 8 is not doable at the moment.
J: The Pro’s Videos tend to show some similar pricing, most likely due to the fact that many are filmed and produced by the talented Mitsuru Okabe…so, you will be in the 30-upper 40 range or so…
Good question…I wish Yates had more “diet” stuff on his tape, but to purely get “fired up?” That workout partner of his really added to the intensity of the Yates Video! So, I would have to go with that one…
I have yet to see the Cutler and Priest Videos, but I heard they were good.