Upper back exercise
Pendlay RowHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Upper back, Lats
- Also works
- Biceps, Lower back
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
How do you do the Pendlay Row?
- Stand with the bar over your mid-foot, feet hip-width.
- Hinge until your back is flat and nearly parallel to the floor; grip just outside your shoulders.
- Brace and pull the bar fast to the bottom of your chest.
- Lower it under control to the floor.
- Let it stop completely, reset your brace and pull again.
Cues
- Back flat, chest stays low.
- Pull fast, lower slow.
- Dead stop every rep.
Common mistakes
- Standing up as you pull: keep your back angle fixed and lighten the bar.
- Bouncing the bar off the floor: let it settle before every rep.
- Rounding your back: brace hard and set your hips before each pull.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
Loaded bar (45 cm plates) on the floor over the middle of the feet. Feet hip-width apart, toes forward to slightly out. Overhand grip a little wider than the shoulders (about 1.25 × shoulder width), thumbs wrapped, wrists straight. Hips set as for a deadlift but higher, so the back is about parallel to the floor. Knees bent about 45°. Back flat from pelvis to head, stomach braced, gaze at the floor just ahead of the bar.
The movement
The bar is pulled fast in a near-vertical line from the floor to the bottom of the sternum (about 45 cm of travel), then lowered under control straight back to the floor, where it comes to a full stop. Only the arms and shoulder blades move; the trunk does not rise and the hips do not drive forward.
End position
Bar touching the bottom of the sternum / upper abdomen. Elbows behind the trunk, about 45° out from the sides (front view), elbow flexion about 125°. Shoulder blades squeezed together. Trunk angle, hips and knees unchanged.
Tempo
Explosive pull 0.6 s / touch 0.2 s / lower 1 s / dead stop on the floor 0.8 s (plates still, grip kept).
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grip width | 1.25 × shoulder width | 1.1–1.5 × | |
| Trunk angle from vertical | 85° | 80–90° | |
| Trunk angle change during the rep | 0° | under 5° | |
| Elbow flexion at the start | 0° | 0–5° | |
| Elbow out from the side at the end (front view) | 45° | 30–55° | |
| Bar contact at the end | bottom of the sternum | lower chest to upper abdomen | |
| Bar on the floor between reps | full stop | at least 0.5 s, no bounce |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Pendlay Row is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
