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Back · Barbell
Pendlay Row
How to do the Pendlay Row with good form: step-by-step technique, the muscles it works (upper back), coaching cues and the mistakes to avoid.
Muscles worked
- Primary
- Upper back
- Secondary
- Lower back, Hamstrings, Biceps
How to do it
- Stand with your mid-foot under the barbell. Hinge at the hips until your torso is perfectly parallel to the floor.
- Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width with a pronated grip. Your knees should be slightly bent.
- Brace your core forcefully and take a deep breath to lock your lower back into a neutral position.
- Explosively pull the barbell to your lower chest by driving your elbows up, keeping your torso rigidly parallel to the floor.
- The bar should physically touch your chest or upper stomach without your torso rising.
- Return the barbell rapidly but safely back to a dead stop on the floor. Reset completely before the next rep.
Coaching cues
- Torso parallel to the floor
- Explosive pull, dead stop
- No chest rise
Common mistakes
- Lifting the torso as the bar comes up, changing the back angle
- Not letting the weight rest on the floor between reps
- Rounding the lower spine in the starting position
Equipment and setup
Barbell, weight plates
Barbell loaded on the floor, standard-sized plates.
Also known as: Strict Barbell Row, Pendlay Barbell Row
Track your Pendlay Row in ROAN
ROAN fills in last session’s weight and reps, estimates your 1RM and keeps your best sets.
