Bent over row form

[JMike]

Hey guys, any tips on bent over row. I've just started to add it to my routine and I'm really concerned about my lower back.

[tekmoney]

back straight is the most important thing. I do bent over rows with my legs shoulder width apart, but today i think them on the bench with my legs right next to each other. Either way the back has to be straight and not arched over hanging onto the weight

[Lady C]

like this http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...ntOverRow.html

[standAPART]

I find alot of people perform teh barbell bent over row in almost semi-upright position. This causes alot of sheer force and undue stress on the lower lumbar spine and really makes teh exercises easier. This is also due to lack of strength in the lower back and hamstrings.
The proper way is to keep the back flat and your butt sticking out and retract the shoulder blades. You must then pull from the floor.

[abarlament]

I do them the way standAPART describes (I think). They're called Pendlay Rows from what I gather. Basically, staying low enough that you pull every rep from the floor, arch the middle back during the pull, and don't move anywhere except your arms and middle back.

[JMike]

Yeah I think that my lower back isn't really strong enough for the weight I should be doing for the row. I'll stick at lower weights and keep up the good mornings I guess.

Thanks
Mike

[cursor]

Originally Posted by abarlement

arch the middle back during the pull

It's always a good idea to make it most clear just exactly what this means. Arching your back in the WRONG direction could prove desastrous.

Any "arch in the middle back" should be formed with a slight dip at the lower back (with shoulders/torso pulled slightly higher), while maintaining a solid/flexed core. Allowing your lower back to curve upward could cause serious injury.

[cursor]

MostMuscle has a description (and pics) of how he performs the barbell row on his site. check it out: Rolling 4x4 Back Development.

[maverick]

We should have a glossary on this site. "Arching" is almost always good, "rounding" is what leads to injury. I definitely agree with the arching, though. Telling people to keep their back straight can be confusing, and may lead towards a tendency to "round".

The dictionary definition of arch as it applys to the body means to bend backward.

abar nailed it.

Pendlay Rows

[cursor]

OK ... what does it mean to arch "backward"? My first impression is that it suggests that the lower back should curve upward ... arched (like McD's golden arches). This would be the wrong form to adopt, of course. Two of the definitions offered in IronMan's dictionary reference say:

• A structure, such as a freestanding monument, shaped like an inverted U.
• A curve with the ends down and the middle up: the arch of a raised eyebrow

These examples do NOT represent the form that one should assume when performing heavy barbell rows.

[abarlament]

I don't see where this gets confusing. You're standing there and someone says arch your back, I don't think many people are going to think "Oh, he means bend over..." No, they're gonna stick their butt out and throw their shoulders back. Unless I've only met weirdos in my life.

[Todd]

execution of Bent-over rows.

[Todd]

Originally Posted by abarlament

I don't see where this gets confusing. You're standing there and someone says arch your back, I don't think many people are going to think "Oh, he means bend over..." No, they're gonna stick their butt out and throw their shoulders back. Unless I've only met weirdos in my life.

You're right, it isn't confusing. You have to arch your back when doing pull-ups, deadlifts, standing rows, low cable rows, and just about every other back exercise, so why all the confusion about arching for bent-rows? And, furthermore, if one is confused, then just try doing chin-ups/pull-ups with a rounded back. The arch in that direction isn't going to let you do the exercise correctly....it will just feel wrong...and common sense should kick in to decifer what is the correct way to "arch" your back when doing any back exercise.

[cursor]

Call me an idiot, but it wasn't clear to me when I started. I expect that other beginners might need clarification too.