A bent-over row is a weight training

Weight training

Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength and size of skeletal muscles. It uses the weight force of gravity to oppose the force generated by muscle through concentric or eccentric contraction...

 exercise that targets a variety of back muscles. Which ones are targeted varies on form. The bent over row is often used for both bodybuilding

Bodybuilding

Bodybuilding is a form of body modification involving intensive muscle hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. In competitive and professional bodybuilding, bodybuilders display their physiques to a panel of judges, who assign points based on their...

 and powerlifting

Powerlifting

Powerlifting is a strength sport. It resembles the sport of Olympic weightlifting, as both disciplines involve lifting weights in three attempts. Powerlifting evolved from a sport known as 'odd lifts' which followed the same three attempt format but used a wide variety of events akin to Strongman...

. It is a good exercise for increasing strength and size.

Implements

There are several variants of this exercise, depending on whether dumbbells or a barbell is used:

• Two arm barbell bent-over-row: This version uses both arms to lift a barbell
  Barbell
  A barbell is a piece of exercise equipment used in weight training, weightlifting and powerlifting. Barbells range in length from to although bars above 7' in length are used primarily by powerlifters and aren't commonplace...
  
   from the floor to the stomach in a bent-forward position. The hands are kept pronated
  Pronation
  In anatomy, pronation is a rotational movement of the forearm at the radioulnar joint, or of the foot at the subtalar and talocalcaneonavicular joints. For the forearm, when standing in the anatomical position, pronation will move the palm of the hand from an anterior-facing position to a...
  
   and the back straight.
• Two arm dumbbell bent-over-row: The barbell is replaced by two dumbbells, one for each hand.
• One arm dumbbell bent-over-row: This exercise is frequently performed with one knee and one hand on the same side of the body braced on a bench
  Bench (weight training)
  A weight training bench is a piece of equipment that has a resemblance to a normal bench, but is designed for use in weight training....
  
   with the back straight and parallel to the ground, and the other hand holding a weight with the arm extended. The weight is lifted towards the hip until elbow
  Elbow
  The human elbow is the region surrounding the elbow-joint—the ginglymus or hinge joint in the middle of the arm. Three bones form the elbow joint: the humerus of the upper arm, and the paired radius and ulna of the forearm....
  
   bends past 90° and the humerus
  Humerus
  The humerus is a long bone in the arm or forelimb that runs from the shoulder to the elbow....
  
   is in line with the back, then lowered to the original position.
• One arm barbell bent-over row: Done in a nearly identical fashion as the one arm dumbbell, but with the added instability of a long bar. This necessitated greater work by the radial and ulnar flexors of the wrist to stabilize while pulling. It also gives greater feedback about the pronation and supination as the movement of the bar is very visible.

Form variations

The muscles emphasized in the pulling movement vary based on form:

• The latissimus dorsi muscle
  Latissimus dorsi muscle
  The latissimus dorsi , meaning 'broadest muscle of the back' , is the larger, flat, dorso-lateral muscle on the trunk, posterior to the arm, and partly covered by the trapezius on its median dorsal region.The latissimus dorsi is responsible for extension,...
  
   is best targeted with the elbow close to the torso, bringing it to the hip. It is assisted by the lower trapezius fibers in adducting the scapulae. The latissimus dorsi originate in fascia of the lower back, so the mass is pulled to a place closer to the pelvis. This reduces the amount of work the lower back has to do.
• The transverse extensors (posterior deltoid
  Deltoid
  Deltoid can refer to:* The deltoid muscle, a muscle in the shoulder* Kite , also known as a deltoid, a type of quadrilateral* A deltoid curve, a three-sided hypocycloid* A leaf shape* The deltoid tuberosity, a part of the humerus...
  
   fibers and the infraspinatus and teres minor of the rotor cuff), along with scapular retractors such as the rhomboids
  Rhomboids
  Rhomboids can refer to:* Rhomboid muscles** Rhomboid major muscle** Rhomboid minor muscle...
  
   and entire trapezius, are better targeted when the elbows are brought outwards. This increases the demands on the lower back as the weight is pulled to a point further away from the pelvis.

A medium between the extremes can also be done, such as pulling to a 45-degree angle. Form can easily switch between the two when done with dumbbells. A pronated forearm and a wide grip on a barbell encourages an elbows-out row, while a supinated forearm and a narrow grip on the barbell encourages an elbows-in row.

Safety

Chances of being injured are increased when a lifter deviates from safer postures. Adopting a stable form and alignment can be difficult for many to learn. Being supervised by someone experienced in doing the lift can benefit beginners who would not be aware of unsafe postures. Some things that people do with the desire of safety are:

• Keeping the abs tense to support the back. This likely means contraction of the transversus abdominis, as contraction of the rectus abdominis would cause the back to round and de-activate the lower back.
• Allowing bend in the knees: this lowers the center of gravity and the pelvis is brought closer to the ground. It can decrease stretch in the hamstrings, and make it easier to pick a weight off the ground. It also makes it easier to set the weight down as dropping it would be safer.
• Maintaining an arch (a slight concavity) in the spine for a healthy lower back.
• Starting out by lifting lower weights to build endurance in the lower back as well as the upper pulling muscles/ Upper back muscles often have a lot of slow-twitch fibers so bent-over rows can respond better than some exercises that use muscles with a higher ratio of fast-twitch fibers.
• Doing the exercise with a slow tempo and avoiding jerking. This allows stricter attention to be paid to form by observing deviations throughout the lift and keeping the hips and spine more stable. This also prevents momentum from creating momentary weightlessness or slack in the muscles during the ascent, or from creating a jerking catch on the bottom of the lift if it is dropped quickly.

External links

• Bent-Over Barbell Row Animated Tutorial
• Video demonstration of a barbell row

Elbows out 45 degrees

• Animation and description of one-arm general back dumbbell row with free arm supporting torso
• Animation and description of two-arm general back barbell row

Elbows out 90 degrees

• animation and description of one-arm dumbbell rear delt bent-over row with free arm supporting torso
• animation and description of two-arm barbell rear delt bent-over row

Category:Weight training exercises