Lats exercise
Reverse-Grip Barbell RowHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Lats, Upper back
- Also works
- Biceps
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
How do you do the Reverse-Grip Barbell Row?
- Hold the bar with palms facing forward, hands shoulder-width apart.
- Soften your knees and push your hips back until your chest leans forward.
- Brace and let the bar hang close to your thighs.
- Pull the bar to your lower stomach, elbows tight to your sides.
- Lower it slowly until your arms are straight.
Cues
- Elbows tight, drive them back.
- Bar to your belly button.
- Keep your back flat and still.
Common mistakes
- Standing up as you pull: keep your trunk angle fixed.
- Flaring your elbows: keep them brushing your sides.
- Bending your wrists back: keep them straight and grip firmly.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
Feet hip- to shoulder-width apart, toes forward. Underhand grip (palms facing forward / up), hands about shoulder width apart, thumbs wrapped, wrists straight. Knees soft (about 20°). Push the hips back until the trunk is about 40° from vertical, a little more upright than the overhand row. Back flat from pelvis to head, stomach braced, gaze at the floor about 2 m ahead.
The movement
Only the arms and shoulder blades move. The bar rises in a near-vertical line close to the thighs, drifting back a few centimetres towards the hips as it reaches the stomach. Elbows travel straight back along the ribs. Hips, knees, trunk and head stay still.
End position
Bar touching the lower abdomen, just below the navel to just above it. Elbows tucked close to the sides and driven back behind the trunk: elbow flexion about 110°, upper arm about 40° behind the trunk line. Shoulder blades squeezed together and down. Trunk angle unchanged. Pause 0.5 s.
Tempo
Pull 1 s / squeeze 0.5 s / lower 2 s, then 0.3 s at arm's length.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grip width | 1.0 × shoulder width | 0.9–1.2 × | |
| 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) | 10° | 0–20° | |
| Bar contact at the end | lower abdomen | navel to 5 cm below |
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 Reverse-Grip Barbell 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.
