In a quest for upper back size and strength, and the muscular silhouette that comes with it, lifters are increasingly finding room for a novel rowing exercise of their back-building routines. The barbell high row, sometimes called the wide row, is a bent-over barbell row performed with a particular setup and arm path that hammers your entire upper half of your back, especially your mid-back and shoulders.
While bent-over rows and reverse flyes are traditional decisions to focus on these regions, the barbell high row offers distinct mechanical benefits that promote targeted loading and honest form.
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The barbell high row is an old-fashioned exercise having fun with widespread recognition. Whether you utilize it to round out an intense back workout or to round out the backsides of your shoulders, the barbell high row is a solid addition to any lifting routine.
Barbell High Row
Barbell High Row Video Guide
Dr. Merrick Lincoln, the article’s creator, provides an instruction video explaining the barbell high row. Watch the demonstration, then try the step-by-step evaluation with more form suggestions.
Methods to Do the Barbell High Row Step By Step
To get the advantages of the barbell high row, you’ll have to give attention to crisp, strict form. Execute pristine barbell high rows with these 4 steps.
Step 1 — Take a Wide Grip
Credit: Merrick Lincoln, DPT, CSCS / YouTube
The barbell high row uses a significantly wide overhand grip — specifically, a “snatch grip” just like the Olympic weightlifting exercise. Your hands should grab the bar substantially beyond your shoulders and roughly the space between the points of your elbows when your arms are outstretched at shoulder-height.
Form Tip: Relatively than getting the measuring tape, a straightforward technique to find out an appropriate grip width is to grab the bar within the “scarecrow position:” bend forward, flare your elbows to shoulder-height, and permit your forearms to hold together with your elbows at an roughly 90-degree angle. Grab the bar at this width.
Step 2 — Stand Up, Then Hinge Down
Credit: Merrick Lincoln, DPT, CSCS / YouTube
Grip the bar firmly and rise up straight, allowing your elbows to straighten with the barbell resting near your hips. Hinge forward at your hips, letting your hips flex as your buttock travels backward to maintain you balanced. The position of your spine should remain virtually unchanged — no rounding. Keep a slight bend in your knees throughout the movement.
Form Tip: Lower until you’re feeling a stretch in your hamstrings (behind your thighs) or when the plates are hovering just above the bottom, whichever comes first.
Step 3 — Pull High and Wide
Credit: Merrick Lincoln, DPT, CSCS / YouTube
Hold the bent position and pull the barbell toward your upper chest, or just under your collarbone, by concurrently driving your elbows out to your sides while drawing your shoulder blades together. Not all lifters will find a way to the touch the barbell to the upper chest, and that’s okay.
Form Tip: Take into consideration “stretching” the bar or making it longer as you pull. This cue reinforces proper arm path. Ensure your elbows remain flared to the perimeters and never alongside your ribs.
Step 4 — Lower With Control
Credit: Merrick Lincoln, DPT, CSCS / YouTube
Lower the barbell toward the ground by allowing your elbows to straighten and your shoulder blades to be pulled apart, moving forward around your ribcage. Maintain the hinged forward position and repeat the pull for added rowing repetitions
Form Tip: Don’t miss out on the stretch across your mid-back at the underside. Ensure your trunk angle or hip hinge depth means that you can get a full range of motion without the barbell plates touching the bottom. For those who’re flexible and the burden plates hit the ground before you’re feeling the stretch, reset your trunk angle by extending your hips or load the bar with smaller diameter plates.
Barbell High Row Mistakes to Avoid
The barbell high row involves stability and a level of coordination between your upper and lower body. Keep exercise quality high by avoiding these recurring errors.
Using Too Much Biceps
Training your biceps is good, but hitting the goal muscles of your shoulders and back is nicer. It has been suggested that rowing with greater than 90-degrees of elbow flexion increases contribution of the biceps brachii. (1)
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Furthermore, rowing with excessive elbow flexion reduces the resistance arm, or perpendicular distance between the barbell and the shoulder joint, which ultimately reduces demand on the shoulder musculature.
Avoid it: Avoid letting your biceps steal the row by using appropriate grip placement, setup, and technique. First, ensure your grip is overhand and spaced roughly the space between your elbows when your arms are at shoulder-height. Second, while you hinge forward to establish, make sure the bar is hanging underneath your upper chest. Finally, pull toward your upper chest, not your stomach.
Poor “Scapulohumeral Rhythm”
As you pull your arms back, or horizontally abduct your shoulder joint, your shoulder blades ought to return together, or retract. The coupling of shoulder joint motions with appropriate shoulder blade motions is known as scapulohumeral rhythm. In case your blades aren’t working together with your shoulder joints, well, you’ve got no rhythm.
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Avoid it: Draw your shoulder blades back as you perform the upward movement phase of the row. A useful cue is to create progressively extra space between the front of your shoulder and the ground as you row. (2) Then, allow this space to shrink as you perform the downward movement phase.
Momentum from Your Hips or Trunk
While the upward movement phase of the repetition ought to be performed with powerful intent, form mustn’t be compromised. If the angle between your trunk and the ground dramatically changes during each repetition, together with your torso dipping up and down, you’re cheating and sure sacrificing tension on the goal muscles.
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Avoid it: For those who cannot fix this error by stiffening your midsection and consciously keeping a good core, it could be time to scale back the burden and put in some more practice sets.
Methods to Progress the Barbell High Row
Once the barbell high row begins to feel relatively easy, you wish progression to make sure ongoing gains. Based in your goals and preferences, consider the next strategies.
Add Repetition Volume
Unlike the bench press, nobody will ever ask how much weight you’ll be able to barbell high row, because nobody really cares. So, reasonably than adding weight when your sets of barbell high rows begin to feel “easy,” simply add one other repetition or two per set.
Provided your sets haven’t develop into miniature endurance events limited by other energy systems, regularly progressing into higher repetition ranges may be effective for constructing muscle. (3)
For those who’re a physique-focused lifter who enjoys moderate-to-high volume sets, and your sets are still under 25 or 30 repetitions, proceed so as to add repetitions until your sets develop into difficult again.
Increase the Weight
Adding more repetitions may stimulate ongoing muscle growth, nevertheless it will not be the perfect option for constructing strength in your back and shoulders. Strength, defined as the flexibility to exert force in a measurable and meaningful way, is logically best developed using progressively heavier loads.
For those who are a strength-focused athlete who’s consistently hitting six or more repetitions per set with some within the tank, it could be time so as to add some change plates to the bar. On your working sets, start by adding increments of two to five% of the whole weight.
Consider an Eccentric Tempo
Popular wisdom within the gym suggests using a comparatively slow tempo through the downward movement (eccentric phase) can improve your gains. Nevertheless, this topic is more controversial than it seems. Research on intentionally slow eccentric training is mixed relating to hypertrophy and appears decidedly unwise for strength goals. (4)
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Nevertheless, if you happen to end up unable or unwilling to progress barbell high rows via the standard methods discussed above (e.g., injury, lack of additional weights, or good old-fashioned stubbornness), applying an eccentric tempo could also be price consideration.
If using an intentionally slow tempo through the eccentric requires you to diminish the burden or reduce the repetitions performed, it likely doesn’t represent a progression. (4) To be clear, using an eccentric tempo is only a progression if you happen to impose it upon the repetitions and cargo your body is accustomed to. For those who decide to experiment with eccentric tempo work, a lowering phase that lasts for a full three-to-four count is an inexpensive goal.
Finally, intentionally slowing the upward movement (concentric phase) of a lift has little to no physiological profit. (5) So that you will still need to strike the balance between intent for bar speed and control through the concentric.
Advantages of the Barbell High Row
Why are increasingly lifters selecting the barbell high row to construct their shoulders and backs? Because this rediscovered exercise has benefits that other common options cannot match.
Robust Shoulder Complex Training
The shoulder complex includes the shoulder joint proper (i.e., glenohumeral joint), the shoulder girdle (i.e., shoulder blade and collar bone), together with all associated muscles. While other varieties of rows may hit your latissimus dorsi harder, arguably no common row variation trains the back of the shoulder complex as robustly because the barbell high row.
Although we are likely to classify all rowing exercises as “horizontal pulling,” the individuality of the high row is all about differences in angles and arm paths. Most row variations bias your shoulder extensors because of relatively narrow and low arm paths. These muscles are also trained in neutral-grip lat pulldowns, neutral-grip pull-ups, chin-ups, and other similar exercises.
Nevertheless, the barbell high row trains your shoulder horizontal abductors because of the high and wide arm path. These muscles include the rear deltoid, a part of the center deltoid, and even several muscles of the rotator cuff.
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High rows may higher goal your mid-back, namely the center trapezius, in comparison with row variations with lower arm paths (6) This finding is sensible, since the high and wide resistance applied through your arms maximizes resistance to the scapula retractor muscles.
For those who are already hitting pulldowns or bent-over rows, the barbell high row may be an excellent addition to round out your training for the back of the shoulder complex. It may also function an alternative choice to reverse flyes, as discussed below.
Hard to Cheat
In comparison with reverse flyes, a dumbbell exercise to your rear deltoids and mid-back, the barbell high row promotes strict form. It’s just a little too easy to generate momentum at the underside a part of a reverse flye, and that momentum helps to hold the dumbbells to the highest position without significant muscular activation.
The barbell high row, then again, leaves little room for generating arm swing because tension never really comes off the working muscles. What’s true for each exercises, nonetheless, is that you will need to still remain vigilant to avoid momentum out of your hips. This may be completed by fastidiously maintaining the identical trunk angle, or distance between your trunk and the ground, throughout the exercise.
Low Back Health
For those who could collect a dollar each time you see an exercise presupposed to “bulletproof” the low back, you could possibly quickly buy a barbell and construct strength and endurance with hip hinge or forward-bent exercises.
Barbell exercises that load the hip hinge include deadlifts, good mornings, bent-over rows, and high rows. They’re all effective for training the spinal erector muscles. For that reason, amongst others, these exercises could also be useful for combating low back problems. For instance, the Pendlay row has been used as a component of an efficient resistance training protocol for people with low back pain. (7)
The barbell high row is an efficient exercise for constructing low back strength and endurance. Will the exercise “bulletproof” your low back? Not within the literal sense, nevertheless it could also be price a shot for potentially stopping back problems or treating appropriate varieties of low back pain.
Disclaimer: All brands of low back pain are different. For those who are affected by low back pain or injury, it’s best to get checked out by a sports medicine physician or physical therapist.
Muscles Worked by Barbell High Row
While traditional bent-over rows and reverse grip bent-over rows are great for constructing lats because of their narrower grip and lower bar path, the barbell high row biases different muscles of your back. It’s also an exceptional shoulder-builder.
Middle Trapezius and Rhomboids
Your mid-back muscles include the rhomboids major, rhomboids minor, and the center a part of the trapezius. Rhomboids retract your scapulae, or pull the shoulder blades together, and assist with downward rotation and elevation.
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The muscle fibers of the center a part of the trapezius, sometimes called “middle traps,” are oriented horizontally, so that they exclusively perform scapula retraction. Since retraction is the predominant resisted movement of the shoulder blades through the barbell high row, it hits middle trapezius and rhomboids.
Rear and Middle Deltoids
Your deltoids are the round muscles that sit atop and envelop your shoulder joints. Well-built deltoids have a “capped” or rounded appearance, which requires training the front, middle, and rear portions of the muscle. The barbell high row hammers the rear deltoids and likewise hits a number of the middle fibers.
Rotator Cuff
The rotator cuff consists of 4 deep muscles and tendons that surround the ball and socket joint of the shoulder. They’re typically considered stabilizing muscles, working to counteract or modify forces imposed on the joint by much larger superficial muscles. During rows, the subscapularis, or anterior rotator cuff, has been shown to be most energetic. (8)
As well as, anatomical evaluation of the posterior rotator cuff (infraspinatus and teres minor) suggests these muscles can also be trained together with the posterior deltoid through the barbell high row. Each muscles pass behind the shoulder joint and are mechanically suited to act as horizontal abductors.
Methods to Program the Barbell High Row
The barbell high row may be programmed in a full-body workout or in a wide range of workout splits. As a multi-joint pulling exercise, the barbell high row may be used to construct functional strength or as an efficient technique to pack on mid-back and shoulder muscle.
As a Moderate Weight Back-Builder
Lifters with hypertrophy or muscle-building goals should give attention to moderate weight sets of barbell high rows. As a rule of thumb, you’ll use 30-50% less weight for the barbell high row than you do for normal bent-over barbell rows.
For those reaching for calculators or scrolling for calculator apps, loosen up. There is no such thing as a have to overthink the burden and repetition range. So long as your sets are high effort, or carried out near muscular failure, they shall be effective at virtually any weight. (3)(9) To placed on muscle, perform three or 4 sets of eight or more repetitions, taking each working set to inside two or three repetitions of failure. Rest two or three minutes between sets.
As a Strength Staple
Load barbell high rows with relatively heavy weight, and also you’ve got a potent exercise for constructing upper back and shoulder strength. As the burden increases, stay disciplined together with your form. Extending your hips to initiate the row shifts emphasis out of your upper body to your lower body.
To construct pulling strength, perform three or 4 sets of 4 to 6 repetitions using a difficult weight. Rest two to 4 minutes between sets.
As A part of a Superset
Using supersets refers to 2 different exercises performed back-to-back and not using a rest interval in between. It’s a time-efficient training method, if you happen to’re tough enough to handle it. Within the strictest sense, the 2 exercises comprising a superset should goal antagonistic or opposite muscle groups.
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For the reason that barbell high row is a horizontal pulling exercise primarily targeting the back and rear deltoids, its superset counterpart ought to be a horizontal pushing exercise that hits the chest and front of the shoulders. Appropriate “pushing” exercise options for this push-pull superset include the time-honored bench press, the dumbbell hex press, or the dumbbell bench press.
Supersets save time, and research indicates lifters experience similar hypertrophy gains in comparison with straight sets. (10) While supersets are known to end in greater perceived exertion and discomfort, most lifters prefer them over traditional straight sets. (11) For an efficient workout, perform a pressing exercise immediately followed by the barbell high row with no rest in between.
Barbell High Row Variations
On the lookout for other effective exercises to construct your mid-back and shoulders? The row variations below use barbells, dumbbells, resistance bands, and machines to boost your workout.
Meadows Row
One other increasingly popular style of exercise uses a barbell as a lever. They’re called landmine exercises. (2) The Meadows row is a single-arm high row landmine exercise. It was popularized by the late coach John Meadows, MS, CSCS.
Apart from the flexibility to perform the movement unilaterally, a feature making the Meadows row unique is the resistance curve of the exercise. The barbell lever makes the row “heavier” at the underside position. (2) Bear in mind, you’re stronger at the underside of the rowing motion than you’re at the highest. (2)
Also, the goal muscles of the mid back and shoulders are stretched at the underside position while they’re exposed to greater loads. These features could make the Meadows row incredibly effective for constructing pulling capability and stimulating stretch-mediated hypertrophy.
Resistance Band High Row
Resistance band exercises are great for warm-ups, accessory exercises, pump-work, and travel. The resistance band high row allows for quick setup and performance of the high row movement in an upright position.
To perform resistance band high rows, simply anchor a resistance band securely at the extent of your upper chest and take an overhand grip on the band — barely wider than shoulder-width if using a loop-style resistance band. Together with your arms at shoulder height, back up into tension. Pull the handles high and wide, leading together with your elbows, to bring the band to your upper chest before returning to the starting position. Be certain not to show the movement right into a face pull by pulling the band to eye-level.
Three-Point Dumbbell Wide Row
The dumbbell wide row is the single-arm version of the barbell high row. (1) Using a three-point stance on a bench provides the support chances are you’ll have to zero-in heading in the right direction muscles.
Arrange by placing the non-working side knee and palm on the bench, together with your working-side foot on the ground, and the dumbbell within the working-side hand. Drive your elbow out the side as you pull toward the upper chest. Return to the starting position while allowing your shoulder blade to “wrap forward” around your ribcage.
Machine Wide Row
Support and guidance offered by a well-built machine can assist to make sure your rear deltoids and mid-back receive the intended training stimulus from wide rows. The machine may also minimize demands in your low back, which may be useful when managing fatigue throughout a grueling workout.
Discover a row machine with wide-set horizontal handles. Adjust the seat to permit a high arm path toward your upper chest. Take overhand grips on the handles and draw the machine’s movement arms back. Just like the barbell version, drive your elbows out to your sides and retract your shoulder blades as you pull. Reverse the movement to return to the beginning position.
FAQs
What’s the difference between the barbell high row and the bent-over barbell row?
While each exercises are performed from the hip hinge position with overhand grips, the barbell high row uses a significantly wider grip. As a result of the broader grip, the natural bar path for the high row is “higher” because the bar is pulled toward the upper chest, while the bent-over row is pulled toward the lower chest or upper stomach.
What’s the difference between the barbell high row and the Pendlay row?
The barbell high row uses a grip significantly wider than the shoulders and begins with the barbell suspended within the air while maintaining a hip hinge position. The Pendlay row uses an overhand grip that’s barely wider than the shoulders and every repetition begins from a dead-stop on the ground.
Once more, the difference in grip width results in numerous natural bar paths. While the barbell high row bar path leads toward the upper chest, the Pendlay row is directed toward the lower chest. (7)
“Should I squeeze my shoulder blades together before I row?”
Some coaches encourage lifters to retract or set their shoulder blades prior to initiating the row. While this could possibly be useful as a really early teaching drill, training using this method is misguided.
During functional movements like a row, the shoulder joints and shoulder blades should work together to perform the duty. While retraction is the suitable movement of the scapulae, performing it prior to the row limits the strain the mid-back is exposed to through the row. The dynamic retraction work is already complete before movement of the upper arm bone amplifies the resistance arm.
We all know muscles are stronger isometrically than concentrically, so simply holding the retracted position through the most difficult portions of the row will fail to stimulate as much mid-back growth as performing rows the right way — retract as you row.
Barbell high rows for low back health? Why not deadlift as a substitute?
That’s an option. Each exercises train your spinal erector muscles. Deadlifts were a part of the low back pain protocol study discussed above, and extra evidence suggests deadlifts could also be useful for people affected by low back pain. (7)(12)(13)
Nevertheless, there are a number of reasons the barbell high row may be favored over deadlifts. The barbell high row uses substantially less weight than deadlifts, which can end in less compressive loading through the spine. However the bar path of the high row is farther from the lumbar spine than it’s within the deadlift, meaning the barbell has a bigger resistance moment arm. The longer resistance arm applies proportionately larger torque or demand on the low back, which is ultimately counteracted by the spinal erectors.
Finally, through the row, the lifter stays hinged forward on the hips throughout your entire set, which can result in the event of greater muscular endurance within the low back. Each are great exercises. Again, if you happen to are affected by back issues, seek the advice of a sports medicine physician or physical therapist for individualized advice.
Construct a Top-Level Physique with the Barbell High Row
The barbell high row is an efficient exercise for adding muscular thickness behind the shoulders and between the shoulder blades. Over time, this recent muscle will fill out the highest half of your physique. Higher yet, to assist keep you within the gym long enough to appreciate those gains, the barbell high row also promotes shoulder and low back stability.
References
- Hedrick, A., & Herl, M. (2021). Strategy of the unilateral dumbbell wide row. Strength & Conditioning Journal, 43(4), 121-123.
- Lincoln, M. A., et al. (2023). Exercise Technique: The Landmine Row. Strength & Conditioning Journal, 45(3), 371-378.
- Schoenfeld, B., et al. (2021). Resistance training recommendations to maximise muscle hypertrophy in an athletic population: Position stand of the IUSCA. International Journal of Strength and Conditioning, 1(1), 1-30.
- Suchomel, T. J., et al. (2019). Implementing eccentric resistance training—part 1: a transient review of existing methods. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, 4(2), 38.
- Hermes, M. J., & Fry, A. C. (2023). Intentionally Slow Concentric Velocity Resistance Exercise and Strength Adaptations: A Meta-Evaluation. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 37(8), e470-e484.
- Lim, J. Y., et al. (2015). A comparison of trapezius muscle activities of various shoulder abduction angles and rotation conditions during prone horizontal abduction. Journal of Physical Therapy Science, 27(1), 97-100.
- Tjøsvoll, S. O., et al. (2020). Periodized resistance training for persistent non-specific low back pain: a mixed methods feasibility study. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, 12, 1-12.
- Wattanaprakornkul, D., et al. (2011). Direction-specific recruitment of rotator cuff muscles during bench press and row. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 21(6), 1041-1049.
- Weakley, J., et al. (2023). Physiological Responses and Adaptations to Lower Load Resistance Training: Implications for Health and Performance. Sports Medicine-Open, 9(1), 1-10.
- Fink, J., et al. (2021). Physiological Responses to Agonist–Antagonist Superset Resistance Training. Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise, 3, 355-363.
- Andersen, V., et al. (2022). A comparison of affective responses between time efficient and traditional resistance training. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 912368.
- Aasa, B., et al. (2015). Individualized low-load motor control exercises and education versus a high-load lifting exercise and education to enhance activity, pain intensity, and physical performance in patients with low back pain: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 45(2), 77-85.
- Welch, N., et al. (2015). The results of a free-weight-based resistance training intervention on pain, squat biomechanics and MRI-defined lumbar fat infiltration and functional cross-sectional area in those with chronic low back. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 1(1), e000050.
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