How to Do a Bodyweight Row or Inverted Row

The Inverted Bodyweight Row is 1 of nan BEST, simple, astir effective exercises you tin do for your “pull” muscles.

If you’re trying to get to your first pull-up (or moreover if you are already doing pull-ups), it’s a must. 

That’s why we programme them successful erstwhile designing workouts for our Online Coaching Clients.

Today, I’ll explicate precisely why (almost for illustration you were successful our program).

As portion of our Strength 101 series, this guideline will screen everything you request to cognize astir this awesome exercise:

• What is an inverted statement aliases bodyweight row?
• How to do an inverted bodyweight statement decently (with video).
• How to advancement pinch inverted bodyweight rows (6 variations)
• When should I do inverted rows successful my workout?
• How to do bodyweight rows astatine location pinch your room table.

Let’s do this thing!

What is an Inverted Bodyweight Row?

You’ve astir apt heard of nan regular barbell row. You prime up a barbell, crook complete astatine nan waist (keeping your backmost straight), and propulsion nan weight up towards your chest.

It looks thing for illustration this:

This tin beryllium a awesome exercise, but improper shape could origin complications aliases you mightiness not person entree to a barbell and plates.

Luckily, nan bodyweight statement (or inverted row) takes attraction of each of that.

By nan way, I’ll beryllium utilizing “bodyweight row” and “inverted row” interchangeably successful this article.[1]

To-may-to, To-mah-to.[2]

When doing this movement, you only request a barroom to thin backmost from and your assemblage weight. There’s besides nary other accent connected your back, for illustration pinch a accepted barbell row.

As an added bonus, you get a decent core workout too.

I know, that’s worthy celebrating…

Think of it for illustration this: “bench press” is to “pushing” arsenic “inverted row” is to “pulling.”

Balance FTW!

Why nan inverted bodyweight row is truthful great: 

I’m a immense instrumentality of compound exercises (like nan squat and deadlift, pull-ups and push-ups), and I’m besides a immense instrumentality of exercises that don’t require costly machines aliases tons of other bells and whistles.

An inverted statement useful each of your propulsion muscles:

• All of your backmost muscles
• Your biceps
• Your forearms
• Your grip
• All nan stabilizer muscles successful betwixt that make those muscles activity together.

If you’ve been doing bench presses regularly, commencement doing an adjacent magnitude of activity pinch your propulsion muscles to enactment successful equilibrium and distant from injury.

Oh, and if you want to yet be capable to do pull-ups THIS is nan workout you request to adhd to your regular until you tin do a afloat pull-up.

When we created our pull-up escapade successful Nerd Fitness Journey, we started disconnected by school rows. If you want, you tin effort nan app correct now (for free):

How To Do An Inverted Bodyweight Row

Let’s commencement pinch nan group who person entree to a gym (see a no-gym variety here): 

How to do an inverted statement aliases bodyweight row:

1. Set nan barroom (or your rings) astir waist height. The little nan bar, nan much difficult nan activity becomes.
2. Position yourself nether nan barroom lying look up. Lie connected nan level underneath nan barroom (which should beryllium group conscionable supra wherever you tin scope from nan ground).
3. Grab nan barroom pinch an overhand grip, somewhat wider than shoulder-width (palms facing AWAY from you).
4. Contract your abs and butt, and support your assemblage successful a wholly consecutive line. Your ears, shoulders, hips legs, and feet should each beryllium successful a consecutive statement (like you’re doing a plank).
5. Pull yourself up to nan barroom until your thorax touches nan bar.
6. Lower yourself backmost down pinch due form.

If this activity is TOO difficult, nbd, we just request to backmost up a fewer steps.

Set nan barroom higher truthful that erstwhile you thin back, your assemblage isn’t down connected nan ground; possibly it’s only astatine a 45-degree angle.

We’ll locomotion you done a statement progression correct here.

Here’s Staci again demonstrating it astatine a higher angle:

By mounting nan barroom higher, it takes much of your body’s weight retired of nan equation.

As you get stronger (and/or lose weight), you’ll beryllium capable to driblet nan barroom until you’re parallel erstwhile pulling yourself up.

I grabbed a video of Senior Coach Staci from Team NF demonstrating a bodyweight statement pinch gymnastic rings, but nan instruction you’ll get successful nan video will really beryllium adjuvant too.

How to do a bodyweight statement (with video explanation):

To support due shape erstwhile doing an inverted bodyweight row:

• Don’t fto your butt sag (squeeze your buttcheeks, flex your stomach, and support your assemblage rigid from caput to toe).
• Don’t flail your elbows. Grab nan barroom pinch your hands a small person than you would if you were doing a chair press, and support your elbows astatine that perspective from your body.
• Pull nan barroom towards nan mediate of your chest. Don’t propulsion nan barroom up towards your throat, aliases down towards your belly button. Right successful nan middle!
• Keep your abs tight. Keep your abs tight passim nan full routine. Your assemblage should beryllium a consecutive statement nan full time, and nan only point moving is your arms.
• Pull your enarthrosis blades down and backmost towards each different done nan movement. Don’t motion your shoulders. Imagine you’re trying to pinch a pencil betwixt your enarthrosis blades to support it from falling!
• GO each nan way. Don’t half-ass it. Lower yourself until your arms are wholly extended, and raise yourself until your thorax touches nan bar.

How to Progress pinch Inverted Bodyweight Rows (6 Variations)

Let’s supply a blueprint connected really you tin level up your inverted bodyweight rows.

#1) Doorway Rows

At first, conscionable commencement doing immoderate rows successful your doorway:

This will thief you commencement training your “pull” muscles.

#2) Towel Rows

Still utilizing your doorway, you tin usage a towel to thin backmost moreover further to summation nan situation here:

Coach Jim walks you done mounting up your towel statement successful this video, “No chin-up bar?? No problem!“

Check retired our Guide for Pull-up Alternatives for more.

#3) Inverted Row (High)

Next, effort doing an inverted row, but group nan barroom precocious truthful it’s easier to perform:

#4) Inverted Row (Low)

Once your inverted rows go easy, little nan barroom to summation nan challenge:

#5) Elevated Inverted Row 

If you spot your feet successful nan air, you’ll make this workout moreover tougher:

#6) Inverted Row (Weighted)

If you really want to up nan trouble of your inverted rows, effort doing it pinch a small spot of weight attached to you:

When Should I Do Inverted Bodyweight Rows?

If you are building your ain workout plan, you tin operation successful bodyweight rows wherever you usually do your propulsion exercises (pull-ups, pull-downs, rows, etc.).

When I spell into a gym, my clip is highly limited, and I’m moving towards processing strength.

Here’s a sample two-day divided for me:

• Day A: Squats, bench press, inverted rows, dips
• REST DAY: OFF
• Day B: Deadlifts, Overhead Press, Pull-Ups (or chin-ups), Planks (Floor Swipes).
• REST DAY: OFF

Both days activity my afloat body, I tin do a afloat regular successful little than 40 minutes, and I’m building strength.

• If you can’t do dips connected Day 1, you tin do push-ups.
• If you can’t do pull-ups connected time 2, you tin substitute assisted pull-ups.

On nan rows, purpose for 3 sets of 10. We screen this successful our “sets and reps” article, but you tin ne'er spell incorrect pinch 3 sets of 10!

If you can’t do that, do 3 sets to nevertheless galore reps you tin do, and build your measurement up to 3 sets of 10.

Once you tin do that, put your feet up connected a chair, propulsion immoderate weights successful a backpack, put it connected reverse (so nan container is hanging successful beforehand of you), and past do nan rows.

You sewage this!

Overwhelmed? I personally cognize really that feels. It tin beryllium scary embarking connected a spot training believe for nan first time.

Are you doing your moves correctly? Should you beryllium lifting much weight aliases less? What do you eat to scope your goals?

We created nan Nerd Fitness Coaching programme to tackle these questions directly. Your own coach will get to cognize you, build a programme based connected your acquisition and goals, and cheque your shape connected each activity (via video):

How to Do Inverted Bodyweight Rows astatine Home

Just because you don’t person entree to a gym doesn’t mean you can’t activity retired your back, you conscionable request to get VERY creative.  

Here’s really you tin do Inverted Bodyweight Rows astatine Home:

PATH ONE: Use your room table. Or your desk. Be very observant pinch this one.

Lie underneath your array truthful your caput and enarthrosis are sticking retired supra it.

Grab nan array separator pinch an overhand grip, and propulsion yourself up (just for illustration it’s explained above).

Warning, don’t propulsion nan array complete pinch you, and make judge you don’t break nan thing!

PATH TWO: Get a really heavy woody dowel aliases pipe, thing beardown capable to support your weight. Lie it crossed 2 of your room chairs, and past dishonesty down underneath it.

Make judge it’s sturdy, and nan barroom isn’t going to break/move connected ya, and propulsion yourself up.

Don’t forget, you want to enactment successful balance.

If you don’t person a pull-up bar and gymnastic rings, find a measurement to do immoderate bodyweight rows whether it’s betwixt 2 chairs aliases nether a table.

You’re smart, get creative!

This should let you to commencement mixing successful bodyweight rows into your Strength Training Routine!

Any much questions astir nan inverted bodyweight row?

Leave em below!

-Steve

PS: Our caller app Nerd Fitness Journey will locomotion you done doing elemental rows, each nan measurement up to a afloat pull-up! Instead of worrying astir what to do next, simply travel nan workouts built into nan app!

PPS: Be judge to cheque retired nan remainder of the Strength Training 101 series:

• Strength Training Guide: How to Get Strong
• Strength Training Beginner Workouts
• 6 Levels of Gym Workouts For Beginners
• How Much Weight Should I Be lifting?
• How to do nan Deadlift pinch Proper form
• How to do a Squat pinch Proper Form
• How to do nan Overhead Press

You tin besides get nan guideline free erstwhile you motion up successful nan container beneath and subordinate nan Rebellion!

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