Bent over barbell row

A common back exercise, the bent over barbell row stresses the upper back muscles, specifically the lats, rhomboid, and trapezius, and also recruit's the biceps and forearms.

To stimulate the upper back muscles optimally we must perform the bent over row in a controlled manner to ensure maximum work load on the target muscle groups. Cheat reps are sometimes performed with this exercise to increase intensity, but this is usually reserved to those who know how and when to use this advanced training technique. This should not be an excuse for a slack of form, and for the majority, and for the majority of the time, the bent over row should be performed in a controlled and strict manner.

Performing bent over barbell rows

When training for muscular size it is often best to train in a rep range of 6-12 repetitions, although there is often much debate on the optimal rep range. It would be advisable to experiment with different ranges to see which suits you.

• Load bar with correct weight. Put on safety collars.
• Place barbell on low rack, or on the floor.
• Bend knees, learn forward keeping a straight back, and grasp barbell with a wide overhand grip.
• Maintaining good posture whilst bent over, pull the bar up to lower abdomen area.
• Keep elbows relatively close to torso during execution.
• Once peak contraction is reached, control the weight back to starting position.
• Repeat for desired amount of repetitions.

Bent over barbell rows courtesy of Fitness Uncovered - Bodybuilding & Fitness

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