How to Do a Barbell Row
A barbell row, or bent-over row, is a free-weight back exercise. Hinge at the hips until your torso is between parallel and 45 degrees above the floor, keep your back flat and pull the bar to your stomach. It trains the lats, mid traps, rhomboids and rear delts. Most lifters do 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps.
- 1Start. Overhand grip just outside your legs, knees soft, hips pushed back. The bar hangs at arm's length below your shoulders with your back flat.
- 2Top. Drive your elbows back and pull the bar to your stomach without letting your torso rise, then lower it until your arms are straight.
Watch 3 video demonstrations
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How to do a barbell row
- Deadlift the bar from the floor or take it from a rack at knee height. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and grip the bar overhand, hands just outside your legs.
- Unlock your knees and push your hips back until your torso is between parallel and 45 degrees above the floor. Keep your back flat and let the bar hang below your shoulders.
- Brace your abs, then drive your elbows back and pull the bar to your stomach.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together for a moment. Your torso stays where it started.
- Lower the bar until your arms are straight. Hold the same torso angle for every rep of the set.
How far should you bend over?
Your torso angle decides which muscles the bar loads. The bar always hangs straight down. With your torso parallel to the floor, your lats pull against all of it, and your lower back holds the longest lever. Stand up and both shrink, while more of the weight pulls your shoulders down toward your hips, which the upper traps resist. A Pendlay row sits at the left edge of the chart and a standard bent-over row near the middle. The Yates row is more upright; guides place it anywhere from 45 to 70 degrees. The curves are modelled for a bar pulled to your stomach, as a share of the load with your torso parallel.
Bend over as far as you can hold still for the whole set with a flat back, somewhere between parallel and 45 degrees. The lats and the lower back load together, so a flatter row costs more lower back. The standing bent-over row put more load on the lower back than an inverted row or a one-arm cable row (Fenwick 2009). If your torso rises as the set goes on, the weight is too heavy.
How much weight should you barbell row?
On Gravitus, the median man lifts 140 lb (62.5 kg) for 10 reps on the barbell row, and the median woman 65 lb (30 kg).
- Most lift
- 110 to 170 lb
- Top 10% lift
- 200 lb or more
- Starting out
- under 110 lb
- Most lift
- 50 to 85 lb
- Top 10% lift
- 105 lb or more
- Starting out
- under 50 lb
- Most lift
- 50 to 77.5 kg
- Top 10% lift
- 90 kg or more
- Starting out
- under 50 kg
- Most lift
- 22.5 to 37.5 kg
- Top 10% lift
- 47.5 kg or more
- Starting out
- under 22.5 kg
Barbell row vs bench press: how the weights compare
The median man rows 87% of his bench press. We compared the best estimated max of 17,000+ men and 2,800+ women who log both lifts in Gravitus (Sep 2026). The median woman rows 104% of her bench, and a quarter of men row as much as they bench or more.
The gap grows as the bench gets stronger. Lifters benching under 135 lb (60 kg) rowed 103% of it; those benching 275 lb (125 kg) or more rowed 82%. A 225 lb (100 kg) bench predicts a row max of about 190 lb (85 kg).
Barbell row muscles worked
Overhand or underhand grip?
Use the overhand grip as your default and the underhand grip when you want your elbows closer to your sides. We found no study that compared the two grips on the bent-over row for muscle growth. In Gravitus logs, the median underhand row max is within 5% of the overhand one for men and women, so expect to use about the same weight.
Barbell row claims that do not hold up
Barbell row guides disagree on the basics. Four common claims are wrong or untested:
- A 45 degree torso is almost parallel. It is halfway between parallel and standing. Guides that say "45 degrees" and guides that say "flat back, parallel to the floor" describe two different rows, with different loads on the lats and the lower back.
- Standing too upright turns the row into an upright row. An upright row lifts the bar to your chin. Standing up on a bent-over row turns it into a shrug: more of the weight pulls your shoulders down and less of it pulls against your lats.
- The underhand grip builds the lower lats. No study has tested it. The only grip comparison on a barbell row we found is a conference abstract on an incline-bench row: lat activity did not change between grips, and a wide overhand grip drew more middle trap activity (Di Fonza 2026).
- Your row catches up with your bench as you get stronger. In our logs it goes the other way. Lifters benching under 135 lb (60 kg) row 103% of their bench; those benching 275 lb (125 kg) or more row 82%.
Barbell row vs one-arm dumbbell row vs seated cable row
| Attribute | Barbell row | One-arm DB row | Seated cable row |
|---|---|---|---|
| Support | None, you hold the hinge | Hand on a bench | Seat and foot plate |
| Lower back | Highest of three rows in one study | Low with a bench | Low |
| Weight jumps | 5 lb (2.5 kg) plates | 5 lb (2.5 kg) per dumbbell | One pin at a time |
| Best for | Heavy rows, both sides at once | One side at a time | Small jumps, drop sets |
Make the barbell row your heavy row if your lower back recovers from it. Free-weight bent-over rows drew 34% more lower back activity than a machine row (Saeterbakken 2015), and the standing bent-over row had the largest lower back load of three rows tested (Fenwick 2009). We found no study that compared these rows for muscle growth. If squats and deadlifts already tire your lower back, use the one-arm or seated row instead.
Sets, reps and progression
Row once or twice a week, after your main lift of the day. Stop each set 1 to 3 reps short of failure, or sooner if your torso starts to rise. Sets taken close to failure build muscle across a wide range of reps (Schoenfeld 2021), so pick a range you can keep strict.
Add reps before weight. When every set reaches 12 with your torso still, add 5 to 10 lb (2.5 to 5 kg) and drop back to 6 or 8.
Common barbell row mistakes
-
Torso rising through the setEach rep gets easier and your lats do less. Pick an angle you can hold for every rep and go lighter.
-
Heaving the bar with your hipsYour hips swing the bar up and your lower back takes the jolt. Keep your hips still and pull with your elbows.
-
Rounding your lower backThe bar pulls your spine into flexion under load. Brace before each rep and stop the set when you cannot hold a flat back.
-
Shrugging at the topYour shoulders ride up toward your ears and the upper traps finish the rep. Drive your elbows back, not up.
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Cutting the bottom shortLet your arms straighten and your shoulder blades spread before each rep.
Barbell row variations
Questions people ask
What do barbell rows work?
The lats, mid and lower traps, rhomboids and rear delts, with the biceps helping. Your spinal erectors, glutes and hamstrings hold the bent-over position for the whole set.
Should barbell rows be overhand or underhand?
Overhand for most sets. It works the whole upper back and is the standard row. Use underhand when you want your elbows tucked and more biceps help. We found no study that compared the grips for growth, and in our logs lifters row about the same weight with both.
Should barbell row be the same as bench?
Not for most men. The median man who logs both in Gravitus rows 87% of his bench, and the gap grows with strength: 82% for lifters benching 275 lb (125 kg) or more. The median woman rows 104% of her bench.
Are barbell rows bad for your back?
No, but they load it more than other rows. The standing bent-over row had the largest lower back load of three rows tested (Fenwick 2009). Keep your back flat and your torso still, and switch to a supported row when your lower back is tired or sore.
Should barbell rows touch the ground?
Only on a Pendlay row, where the bar starts from the floor each rep. On a standard row the bar stays in your hands at arm's length between reps, so your back never rests.
What torso angle should I use for barbell rows?
Between parallel and 45 degrees above the floor, as far over as you can hold still for the whole set. A flatter torso loads your lats more and your lower back more. A more upright torso lets you lift more but turns the row toward a shrug.
How much should I barbell row?
For 10 reps, the median on Gravitus is 140 lb (62.5 kg) for men and 65 lb (30 kg) for women. The strongest quarter lifts 170 lb (77.5 kg) and 85 lb (37.5 kg) or more.
Log every set and see your percentile on every lift, barbell row included.
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