Replacing the exercise bent over row. Exercise for the lats. How to pump up your wings. What are the benefits of doing the exercise?

Which is the decoration of every athlete. Many beginners often neglect this exercise, since behind the external simplicity and ease lies a complex strength load, and its correct execution requires certain skills and abilities, including stability and.

Did you know? Bent-over barbell rows in combination standing and lying down, and deadlifts are among the five basic strength lifts, involving several muscle groups at once. As a result, the overall hormonal levels of the body naturally increase, which accelerates growth several times.

Most instructors and coaches classify this exercise as one of those aimed at achieving. A lot of sports literature says that belt pull also pumps, in addition to the main ones, a large number of additional muscles, which affect both the overall width of the back and the formation of the athlete’s muscle corset. The main secret of the effectiveness of this exercise lies in the complex effect on the body, which is why the exercise is actively used by both powerlifters and powerlifters.

In addition to the main effect tested by many athletes, this contributes to:

1. General increase in muscle size and strength.
2. Improving joint flexibility.
3. Formation.
4. Improving general strength indicators when performing accompanying basic exercises.

1. Latissimus, which is located in the space between the elbow and the body.
2. Diamond-shaped, which are located below the shoulder blades and mirror each other on both sides of the spine.
3. Large round, located at the top of the shoulder blades, just below. They are often noticeable in professional ones, as they protrude on the back in the form of an irregular circle.
4. Trapezoidal, located on the central part of the back between the thoracic and cervical spine.
5. Muscle that is involved in spinal extension.
6. (mainly as a side effect during power load on the body).

How to do the exercise?

Most even experienced athletes approach this issue with a sufficient degree of negligence, but it is in the correct answer to this question that the key to sports success lies. By following just a few rules based on the experience of millions of athletes, you can protect yourself almost 100% from serious illness. Below we will look in detail at how to properly do bent-over barbell rows and just a few simple secrets that will help make this exercise as effective as possible.

Execution technique

There are a huge number of videos and other sources on the Internet that make it possible to understand the basic principles of performing bent-over barbell rows. Below we will try to reduce the entire set of existing information on the technique of performing this exercise to several stages. You need to start with a warm-up. Any strength load without a high-quality one is dangerous for the health of an athlete, even a high-level one. A good warm-up before heavy exercise will not only help avoid injury, but also improve physical performance in the future.

To prepare your back for power loading, perform simple forward bends, touching the floor with your palms or fingers. This is followed by bending to the sides, with one hand on the belt and the other behind the head (the tilting side). Next, perform circular turns from side to side with your legs stationary, then perform circular movements with your shoulders and then with your hips. More experienced athletes are advised to carry out the exercise with light weight, while the muscles should be slightly tense.
After an active warm-up and warm-up, you can begin the exercise itself. The bent over row with a barbell and its technique of execution comes down to the following steps:

1. Approach the apparatus itself, place your feet shoulder-width apart. Grasp the barbell itself with a simple grip, with your grip slightly wider than your shoulder position, and your palms facing down. To avoid injury, your back should be kept straight and the angle of inclination should not exceed 15°.
2. Bend your knees slightly while locking your hips (this will reduce the stress on your knees), arch your lower back and push your chest forward, and grab the barbell as tightly as possible (this will help tighten your muscles and mentally prepare for the exercise). In this case, the wrists should be straight and the arms should not be bent; the gaze should be directed forward and focused on one point. The body position should be comfortable and not cause discomfort.
3. Take a deep breath and pull the barbell toward your lower thoracic spine (ideally your solar plexus), with your elbows pointing toward the ceiling. At the end of the movement, you need to bring your raised elbows as close to each other as possible. To make deadlifts easier, many trainers recommend performing barbell deadlifts from special stands for the apparatus.

Important!Do not try to pull the barbell with your hands; only your back should work. If after the next approach to the barbell you feel tired, then you are doing the exercise incorrectly, relax your arms and reduce the angle of your torso.

Number of repetitions

The required number of repetitions and approaches when performing barbell rows is performed depending on the level of training of the athlete and the goal that is intended. To develop strength indicators, it is recommended to perform 1-5 repetitions per approach, the weight can be set to the maximum. With this approach, processes occur due to the growth of the muscle contractile apparatus. To achieve maximum muscle size, you need to perform 9-13 repetitions per set. In this case, muscle growth occurs due to an increase in the size of non-contractile muscle areas. Increasing the number of repetitions up to 20 times helps develop overall endurance.

Regarding the number of approaches, the situation looks much simpler. Beginner athletes are recommended to carry out 3-4 approaches; for the first time this is the optimal solution for the majority. As athletic performance increases, the number of sets must be increased. For experienced athletes, the optimal number of approaches will be 4-6 (continuous sports experience of more than 1 year).

There are a lot of videos on the Internet that explain the correct technique for performing waist deadlifts, but most of them provide incorrect information. It cannot be said that it does not have a place to exist, since technology cannot be radically changed. But instructors promote to the masses their way of achieving results, which is within the framework of a purely individual approach to completing the task. Each athlete is advised to adhere to the general rules and recommendations.

Basic mistakes of newbies

Among the main reasons for the low effectiveness of exhausting bent-over rows among beginners are the following:

1. Insufficient or excessive tilt of the body, while the athlete’s lower back is subjected to double load.
2. Pull the barbell, not the strength of your back.
3. An uneven back during the approach, while the back does not receive the proper load.
4. Bent hands and forearms.
5. Incorrect choice of bar weight.
6. Error when gripping the bar.

In order for yours to be effective, safe and bring only joy and benefit:

• Don't chase weight, it should be optimal. Lifting should occur through smooth movements, without jerking. The meaning of the load comes down not to the total number of weights lifted, but to the back muscles. Also, don’t be afraid of a heavy barbell. If after the approach the athlete does not feel tired in the muscle sectors he needs, then the exercise will not lead to the desired athletic growth.
• Watch the angle of the torso, it should ideally be about 15°. In some cases, up to 30° is allowed, but this is only when you need to use a certain sector of the back.
• Forget about arm strength, your back should pull the weight, and your biceps should not feel tired at all. The athlete should feel the work exclusively of the back muscles.
• Don't twist it, it should be level. Otherwise, you will not receive the proper load, the training will be in vain, but the chances of injury will increase several times.
• The hands and forearms should be straight; you should never forget about this.
• When using a barbell weight equal to or greater than the weight of the athlete himself, it is recommended to use special straps for deadlifting heavy weights.

Contraindications

The main reason for not doing weight training on the back is serious illness. In severe forms of various types of diseases, power loads are strictly prohibited, but in mild forms, light loads are possible and only after a thorough medical examination. Exhaustive loads are also undesirable for diseases, but small ones are still recommended.

Diseases of the musculoskeletal system are also dangerous. For various injuries of muscles and muscle tissue, tendons, strength exercises are contraindicated. Bent-over barbell rows are especially dangerous after fractures, illnesses and various types of injuries. After surgery, strength exercises are contraindicated for 2 years. Diseases of a neuralgic nature also prevent barbell lifting, although in mild forms doctors look positively at it in the gym.

After suffering from inflammatory diseases, strength training should be started with caution. After complete recovery, it is necessary to take a pause of several weeks, and it will be useful to take a course of a general strengthening nature.

What can replace the exercise?

The bent-over barbell row is one of the few exercises that can be difficult and ineffective to replace with another. But there are several options to improve and strengthen your back muscles in other ways. In this regard, rowing has shown itself to be excellent; this type perfectly helps to work out the main group of spinal muscles.

Regarding weight loads, barbell rows can be replaced with exercises with. Here the dumbbell row while seated and the dumbbell row using a support on the knee and on a training bench showed themselves. A simple pull-up on the bar can also be an excellent replacement for this exercise. When for some reason you don’t have a classic barbell in your gym, you can work your back using the T-bar row.

Important! Each version of exercises to replace abdominal cravings affects exclusively a specific muscle sector, so it will not be possible to produce a complex effect on the spinal muscles with one exercise.

In pursuit of ideal sports form, it is important to remember the main rule - the loads to which we subject our own body will only bring benefits if they are commensurate with our capabilities. When practicing, do not forget about the existence of professional trainers who will help coordinate in the right direction. This will help not only to do it correctly, but also to preserve the priceless.

Bent-over barbell rows are an exercise designed to strengthen the muscles of the upper back. It, like any other horizontal rows, mainly increases the thickness of the back, due to which the visual volume and massiveness of your torso is determined. In addition to increasing muscle mass, bent-over barbell rows help increase strength in heavy multi-joint exercises. Many experienced powerlifters consider the bent-over barbell row to be the main and main auxiliary exercise for a powerful deadlift and pay special attention to its development.

What are the benefits of doing the exercise?



Building a truly muscular torso is impossible without performing heavy, basic horizontal rows with free weights. Therefore, the benefits of standing barbell rows for increasing muscle mass are obvious. The motion vector is similar to . We advise you to experimentally choose one of these exercises in which you feel maximum tension in the latissimus dorsi muscles. This will be the basis of your back training program.

By varying the grip (forward or reverse, wider than shoulder level or narrower) and the angle of the body, you can work all the back muscles with just this one exercise. Add a couple of vertical rows to your training complex, and or with a barbell - and this will be more than enough for a full-fledged heavy workout.

Contraindications to performing deadlifts



Since sport is designed to strengthen and not undermine health, take into account the few contraindications that exist for performing bent-over barbell rows:

Correct and safe for the health of our musculoskeletal system, performing bent-over barbell rows requires strong spinal extensors and core muscles, which beginners can rarely boast of. First of all, it is better for them to perform lighter isolated exercises in order to strengthen all muscle groups of the body, develop a certain strength foundation, and learn to feel the contraction and stretching of a particular muscle. Only after this can you begin to perform bent-over barbell rows with a small working weight.

If you have back problems

The position of the body when performing this exercise is anatomically not entirely natural for our body, since it creates a strong axial load on the lumbar spine and increases intra-abdominal pressure. For this reason, athletes with diseases of the spine or musculoskeletal system should approach performing bent-over barbell rows with special caution.

Presence of an umbilical hernia

Also, performing this type of deadlift is contraindicated for athletes with an umbilical hernia. In this case, it is better to replace this exercise with a similar one, but with less axial load. It will be a little more difficult to achieve the desired result, but you will not aggravate existing injuries and maintain athletic longevity.

What muscles work?

Let's take a closer look at which muscle groups work when performing bent-over barbell rows. The main muscles to which the dynamic load is directed when performing the exercise are:

• latissimus dorsi muscles;
• trapezoidal;
• rhomboid muscles of the back.

Additional load is carried by the biceps, forearms, abdominal muscles, spinal extensors and posterior deltoid muscles.



Exercise options

Depending on which segment of the lats you want to focus on, bent over rows can be performed in different ways. Among the most effective and common are the following:

• straight grip barbell row;
• reverse grip barbell row;
• explosive bent-over barbell row;
• barbell row in the Smith machine;
• barbell row lying on your stomach on a bench;
• pulling the barbell to the chest.

Rows with forward and reverse grip

Bent-over barbell rows with a straight grip load the entire array of latissimus muscles and are the main tool for building a wide and sculpted back.

Bent-over barbell rows with a reverse grip place more load on the lower segment of the latissimus dorsi muscles, due to which the back muscles become more prominent and proportional. It is this variation of the bent-over row that creates that very V-shaped silhouette that the vast majority of gym goers are chasing.



Explosive Bent Over Row – The motion vector is about the same as a regular Bent Over Row, but after each repetition we must place the barbell back on the floor and pause for one to two seconds. You can work with any grip convenient for you. This exercise perfectly develops the explosive power of all the muscles of your torso and increases your grip strength. It should be performed with moderate weight, without using an athletic belt or straps.



Smith machine row

Bent-over barbell rows on a Smith machine allow you to better focus on peak contraction of your back muscles. Due to a short pause and “squeezing” the working muscles in the upper position, the back visually becomes more lumpy and developed.



The barbell row lying on a bench is a more isolated exercise for the back muscles, representing a kind of T-bar row with emphasis on the stomach. Can be performed on both a horizontal and an inclined bench. In this exercise, there is virtually no axial load on the spine, so it can be performed by athletes who have medical contraindications to performing bent-over barbell or dumbbell rows.



The bent-over row of the barbell shifts most of the load to the rear deltoid muscles and the back of the trapezius, while the latissimus dorsi muscles act as a kind of assistant in the movement. It is recommended to perform this exercise with a light working weight and try to concentrate as much as possible on contracting the muscles we need. Remember that the middle and rear delts like maximum isolation work, light weights and high repetitions.



Exercise technique

100% of your progress in sports depends on how thoroughly you follow the correct technique for performing this exercise. The fact is that pulling a barbell towards you while standing in a bent-over position is not a difficult task, but if you really want to build a powerful and strong back, pay special attention to how to do a bent-over barbell row and how to do this exercise with maximum productivity.

Let's go through the technique of performing bent-over barbell rows step by step.

Initial position



Remove the bar from the racks or lift it from the floor. It is recommended to use wrist straps. This will help put less strain on the arm muscles and better concentrate on contracting the lats. Choose your grip based on your goals. An overhand grip at shoulder-width or slightly wider targets the entire lat area, while a reverse grip that is narrower than shoulder-width works the lower lats more isolated. The lifting belt should only be used on really heavy working sets.

Selecting the torso angle



Keeping your back straight, lean back slightly to engage your spinal extensors. The stability of your position depends on the tone of the spinal extensors. Gently lean forward to the desired angle. The greater the angle of inclination, the greater the amplitude of movement, but the more difficult it is to monitor the correct position of the body. The golden mean is about 45 degrees. This way you will work in amplitude sufficient to work your back muscles, and it will be much easier to maintain balance.

Lifting the bar



Start lifting the barbell. It should be carried out slightly in an arc: at the bottom point the bar hangs approximately under the chest, at the top point we try to press it to the lower abdomen. The positive phase of the movement should be accompanied by exhalation. Perform the movement smoothly. Full mental concentration on stretching and contracting the working muscles is required. Try to work by bringing your shoulder blades together, not by bending your elbows. If you can't control the movement or feel like most of the work is being done by your biceps, reduce the weight and work, pausing at the point of peak tension. In the process of lifting the barbell, a little cheating is acceptable, but only on the condition that you keep your back perfectly straight and slightly change the angle of the body.

Lowering the bar



After a short delay at the top, lower the barbell to the starting position. As you lower, remember to take a breath and try to stretch your muscles. An important point: when you lower the barbell down, your thoracic spine should not bend down under its weight - this is fraught with injury, and no athletic belt will help you keep your body motionless. To avoid this, work with more moderate weights and additionally strengthen the spinal extensors by regularly performing hyperextensions and deadlifts.

To increase blood flow to the latissimus dorsi muscles and achieve greater pumping, try working in a static-dynamic style: do not lower the barbell all the way down, thereby maintaining constant tension in the muscles.

All of these technical principles apply to any of the above variations of this exercise. Only the load vectors and which muscle groups receive more stress change.

The list below contains several useful recommendations that will help you learn to feel your muscles much better, work with heavy weights, and protect yourself from injury by performing the bent-over barbell row exercise.

1. Control the position of your elbows while lifting the barbell. At the point of peak load they should be located above the level of the housing. This way, the latissimus dorsi muscles will receive the maximum amount of stimulation to grow.
2. Maintain natural lordosis in the lumbar spine throughout the entire approach. Try to statically strain the extensors of the spine - when pulling the barbell to the belt, they serve as a kind of “airbag” that protects you from unwanted injuries.
3. When performing bent-over barbell rows, always keep your knees slightly bent. This will take the stress off your hamstrings and hamstrings.
4. Do not change the position of your neck or the direction of your gaze during the approach. If you start looking not in front of you, but at your feet, your lumbar spine will immediately become rounded.
5. Do not twist your wrists when lifting the barbell. This reduces the range of motion and shifts the lion's share of the load to the muscles of the forearms.
6. To alternate the load on different parts of the back muscles, change the angle of the torso and the grip width of the barbell.

Bent-over barbell row: what to replace?

Some athletes are contraindicated from performing bent-over barbell rows for one physiological reason or another. However, this does not at all put an end to their goal of increasing the size of the back muscles, since there are many other exercises with similar biomechanics.

Check out the exercises listed below. Try a few of them during your next back workout to see which ones give you a better feel for how the load is placed on the working muscles. All of these exercises are horizontal rows. They are performed in block or lever machines, and in them it is enough to simply feel the contraction of the latissimus dorsi muscles.

The T-bar row with emphasis on the stomach is almost similar to the classic bent-over barbell row. It is performed on a specialized simulator. The athlete lies stomach down on a surface inclined at an angle of 30-45 degrees, grabs the handles of the apparatus and performs an upward traction movement, directing the shoulder blades towards each other and trying to raise the elbows above the level of the body. Can be performed with either a wide or narrow grip. Typically, T-bar row machines have a lever design and simulate working with free weights, which makes the movement even more effective. What is better to choose for an athlete who does not have injuries or problems with the spine - T-bar rows or bent-over barbell rows? It makes sense to do both of these exercises. They complement each other perfectly and place a heavy and complex load on the entire array of back muscles.

Horizontal rows in a lever machine are a rather technically complex exercise for working the latissimus dorsi muscles. You can work with one hand or two hands at the same time, using different handles. The only problem is that not every gym is equipped with a truly well-designed horizontal rowing machine; most of them are absolutely not suitable for working out the back - the rear deltoids, biceps or trapezius muscles are loaded more.

Horizontal row on the lower block is an isolated exercise for working various parts of the muscles of the upper back. Its main advantage is that, due to the block design of the simulator, the load does not leave the muscles throughout the entire approach, and they remain tense even at the point of maximum stretching. This exercise can be done using a variety of handles, from a narrow parallel grip to a wide straight grip. By varying the handles, you can work the latissimus dorsi muscles over their entire surface without doing a lot of work. It is advisable to work in the most strict technique, without helping yourself with your body.

Rowing

Rowing is a more functional exercise than all of the above, but also well suited for our purpose. The fact is that when working on a machine that simulates rowing, we perform a movement similar to a horizontal row from the lower block with a narrow parallel grip. Try to concentrate more on the latissimus dorsi muscles while pulling the handle towards you, and you will pump blood into your muscles perfectly, simultaneously developing your endurance and coordination.

Narrow parallel grip pull-ups

Pull-ups with a narrow parallel grip are perhaps the only vertical row that works more on the thickness than the width of the back. It is most convenient to perform it using a narrow handle from a block exercise machine, hanging it over the crossbar. This exercise should be performed with the maximum possible amplitude. Try to reach the handle with the bottom of your chest - the load will be placed exclusively on the bottom of the lats. You can perform a similar movement on the upper block using a narrow handle, but technically it will be much more difficult.

Pullover from the top block is a combined exercise that combines elements of loading on the width and thickness of the back. It develops the thickness of the back well, since in the upper half of the amplitude we fully stretch the latissimus dorsi muscles, and in the lower half we contract and “push” them as much as possible. This style of work significantly increases blood flow into the muscle, which has a beneficial effect on its volume and strength. It is recommended to use a rope handle.

Crossfit training complexes

Listed below are several functional trunks, by doing which you will give a complex load to most of the muscles of your body. Be careful: such a load is not intended for beginner athletes, since the stabilizer muscles do too much work, beginners simply risk injury. Beginners should vary the load depending on their level of physical fitness; it is best to start CrossFit classes by performing easier complexes.

Greetings, dear readers of the sportivs sports blog. Alexander Bely is with you. Today our attention will focus on a rather interesting topic - horizontal block pull-down to the belt. In this article we will find out which muscles work, what the main advantages and recommendations are.

The main purpose of pulling the block to the belt is to give the back visual width. Certain variations of deadlifts will allow you to increase the thickness of your back.

So, let's look at the load on the latissimus muscles depending on the change in technique and find out which area of ​​the back is most involved:

• If you do the standard deadlift, you need to pull the block towards your lower abdomen, which will help you develop your lower back.
• By doing rows for the pectoral muscles, you include the upper back in the work.

If you perform this exercise correctly, you can noticeably increase your back, but you should take into account the correct technique, let's talk about it.

Correct technique

1. The exercise is performed while sitting; before starting the approach, position the seat so that the pulley cable operates exclusively parallel to the floor.
2. Your feet should be fixed on the support, which is located in the front of the exercise block, thanks to this you will receive maximum stability during the approach.
3. The handles can be either fixed or separate; when performing each repetition, make sure that your palms are opposite each other when grasping the handles.
4. Can be performed with two grips. For best results, I recommend alternating between narrow and wide grips.
5. Having assumed the starting position, you should grab the handle and begin to perform.
6. This exercise starts with a negative phase; you should smoothly, slowly pull down to the lower abdomen and exhale. Many experienced athletes take a deep breath before repeating, citing better muscle contraction.
7. After the handle touches the abdomen in the lower part, stay in this position for a couple of seconds, this will contribute to maximum development of muscle fibers.
8. When you complete the repetition, exhale and slowly return the handle to the starting position.
9. You should perform 8-15 repetitions, depending on the results you want to achieve.

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For better pumping of muscle fibers, I do not recommend that you deviate your back from the vertical position by more than 10-20 degrees. If you listen to my advice, you will be able to prevent the occurrence of various injuries that are possible with a strong deviation. Excessive deviation can cause injury to the lower spine.

In order to remove the load from the back of the shoulder and fully concentrate on the latissimus muscles, you can do the exercise with a parallel attachment.

Before performing the approach, be sure to check the machine for serviceability, otherwise you risk getting an unpleasant injury.

Also, use all types of grips (narrow, wide, straight, reverse). This will help you work your back in the best way from all sides. Do not take too much weight; the optimal number will be 8-15 repetitions, which will help to work your back well. To increase mass, 6-8 repetitions will be enough.

When you pull the handle towards you, your back should be slightly tilted, I recommend squeezing your shoulder blades together, this will increase the intensity.

When performing, you should press your elbows to your body, this will help to best load the latissimus muscles and lower chest.

Another important nuance is to stretch with each repetition. With this technique, you stretch forward behind the weight, which allows you to squeeze out the maximum.
We have looked at all the advantages and basic tips of the lower block pull-down, now let me tell you what you can replace this exercise with.

What can be replaced

A replacement for the main exercise can be the lack of equipment or the necessary simulator, various injuries that do not allow you to work on a certain apparatus, the desire to diversify the training cycle, or the need to work the muscle from different angles.

It is then that the question arises and the need to select alternative and equally effective exercises:

• The first, which is a worthy alternative, can be safely called. This is a basic exercise that targets different areas of the back. Bent-over barbell rows are one of the most complex basic elements that help build voluminous and massive muscles. Before you start deadlifting, be sure to warm up thoroughly.

• The second variation is the T-bar row with a narrow grip. It works the latissimus muscles perfectly; it is basic, since in addition to the spinal muscles, biceps, triceps, etc. are also involved.

If you want to work your back muscles in more detail, you can do one-arm rows. During the exercise, concentrate completely, this will help achieve maximum results.

The T-bar row is a fairly old and incredibly effective compound exercise that provides a great workout for a wide range of back muscles.

T-bar row with a neutral grip. bodybuilding.com channel

Props for performing such a deadlift can be found in absolutely any gym, and its effectiveness is confirmed by the fact that the T-bar deadlift never left the training program of the famous Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Working muscles during t-bar rows

The T-bar row provides the opportunity to work on:

1. Posterior bundles of deltoid muscles;
2. Diamond-shaped;
3. Infraspinatus;
4. Trapezoidal;
5. Long extensors;
6. The teres major muscles of the back;
7. The lats, which bear the main load.

In addition to the biceps and forearms, which take an active part in performing this exercise, the thighs, pectoral muscles and abs are also involved in the work. The T-bar row not only allows you to develop your back muscles, but also. The high effectiveness of the exercise is not least achieved thanks to a comfortable grip, which significantly reduces the risk of injury and increases the load on various parts of the back.

Execution technique

In the absence of a special simulator, you can completely get by with a regular barbell, one end of which rests on the floor (it is best to use additional equipment to give maximum immobility), and weights in the form of pancakes are placed on the other.

Bent-over row (standing)

Bent-over T-bar row. Timko Ilya. Photo source website tvoytrener.com

If the exercise is performed with an ordinary barbell, you must first equip yourself with a V-shaped handle. You can borrow it from a block simulator on which horizontal rows are performed.

You need to stand in such a way that the bar is located between your legs, your feet are securely fixed, and your legs are bent at the knees. It is important to straighten your shoulders and “pull” your chest out while maintaining a arch in the lumbar region. To maintain the correct position of your back, you should constantly keep your head slightly elevated.

1. Having taken the starting position, you need to grab the handles at shoulder width.
2. After removing the barbell from the machine or lifting it off the floor, you need to inhale, and then, as you exhale, pull it towards the chest area. Elbows should be in close proximity to the body.
3. When the top point is reached, you need to stay there for literally one second. Then the barbell smoothly lowers as you inhale to the starting position.

It is definitely not worthwhile to straighten your elbows at the lowest point, since a significant part of the load in such a case will transfer from the back muscles to the biceps muscles of the arms and forearm. Lowering is carried out slowly, raising the bar occurs much faster. Since the T-bar row is a basic exercise, it is recommended to do it at the very beginning of the workout after a 10-15 minute warm-up and warming up of the joints.

Reclining row with pressed chest

The T-bar row with support allows you to develop a powerful back with deep relief.

This exercise has a fairly high risk of injury, so it is recommended to gradually increase the load and pay maximum attention to the technique. The advantage of this option is the ability to focus on the middle part of the back and correct asymmetrical muscles.

1. Having equipped the simulator with the required number of plates, you need to take the starting position: the stomach and chest are tightly pressed to the platform for support, your gaze is directed to the floor.
2. Grasping the handles with an overhand grip at shoulder-width level, you will need to tear the projectile off the racks.
3. The weight is pulled up as you exhale, while the emphasis smoothly shifts from the chest, which lifts slightly from the platform, to the abdominal area.
4. It is necessary to pull the projectile up to the top point, where the shoulder blades are almost completely brought together.
5. You need to lower the weight slowly, without allowing the latissimus dorsi muscles to completely relax at the bottom point.

It is strongly recommended not to use weights that are too heavy, which prevent your chest from lifting off the back of the machine. Also, do not hold the projectile down due to the efforts of the biceps muscles of the arms and place your elbows to the sides. The back should remain tense throughout the entire exercise.

Deadlift with a close (neutral) grip

The technique of performing a T-bar row with a neutral grip differs little from other variations of this exercise. If the simulator does not have special handles for a narrow grip, then you should use an ordinary bar, on one end of which the required number of weights is put on.

Thanks to a neutral grip, you can shift the main load to the middle part of the trapezius and lower back.

There are the following rules, following which you can achieve the best results and avoid negative consequences:

1. You should not place your feet wider than your shoulder line, as such a step significantly increases the risk of injury and complicates the exercise.
2. The body should not be excessively tilted forward, but keeping it level is also not recommended.
3. It is best to use an open grip, which will make it possible to achieve an isolated load on the back.
4. The optimal position during the exercise is when the bar touches the lower abdomen.
5. For proper distribution of the center of gravity, the feet should be slightly turned to the sides.
6. Due to large diameter plates, the amplitude of the deadlift is significantly limited. For this reason, it is worth using similar weights with a smaller diameter.
7. Elbows placed to the sides take the load off the latissimus dorsi muscles and increase the risk of injury.

When performing deadlifts on a machine, a lot depends on the width of the grip you use. A narrow grip allows you to significantly increase the amplitude, but it shifts part of the load to the biceps. A wide grip, accordingly, reduces the amplitude. The best option for comprehensive back training is alternating grips. A typical mistake for beginners is jerking, which can lead to sprains or more serious injuries. Therefore, it is necessary to adhere to a certain pace with the barbell slowly lowering down and quickly rising up.

How to replace the exercise

One of the most popular alternatives to the T-bar row is the bent-over barbell row. This exercise is one of the core basic ones, and allows you to perfectly work the rear deltoids, as well as the latissimus muscles.

Bent-over rows are not recommended for beginner athletes, since if the technique is incorrect, it can lead to injuries to the joints of the elbows and wrists. Beginners can include this exercise in their training program, but only light weights must be used to perform it.

Another replacement for the T-bar row is the cable pull-down, which targets the upper and mid-back, as well as the chest and biceps.

Contraindications and disadvantages of the exercise

This exercise places stress on many different joints, stabilizers, and muscles. Therefore, before you start, you need to warm up well. To do this, it is best to do a warm-up and a couple of approaches with minimal weight or an empty bar.

For athletes with lumbar spine injuries, it is best to abandon the T-bar row, replacing it with a more gentle load. As a last resort, you can include in your program a variation of the exercise with emphasis and pressed chest.

In order to minimize the risk of injury, you should gradually increase the working weight and pay maximum attention to the execution technique.

Be sure to read about it

Bent-over barbell row This is one of the main basic exercises for training the back muscles, which is included in almost any back workout for mass and strength. However, for one reason or another, not everyone can or wants to do this exercise. In this case, the question arises: what to replace the bent-over barbell row with? Let's figure it out.

It can be roughly divided into two subgroups: exercises for thickness and exercises for back width. Bent-over barbell rows are specifically designed to build back thickness. A quality back workout should consist of at least two back exercises, one of which is for developing the thickness of the back muscles, and the other for width. Therefore, before answering the question of how to replace the bent-over barbell row, you need to understand which back exercises in bodybuilding are used to create thickness and which ones to increase the width of the back.

Exercises for back width:

• Wide grip pull-ups to the chest or behind the head.
• Pull the upper block to the chest or behind the head.

Exercises for back thickness:

• Bent-over barbell row.
• Bent-over dumbbell row to the waist.
• Traction of the lower block to the belt while sitting.
• T-bar row with or without support.
• Hammer rows.
• Pull-ups on the horizontal bar with a narrow/medium grip.

How to replace bent-over barbell rows?

As mentioned above, bent over rows are a multi-joint exercise that builds the thickness of the back muscles. Therefore, you can replace the bent-over barbell row with any similar exercise for back thickness. All these exercises are interchangeable, and also perfectly combine and complement each other. In addition, you can not only replace exercises with similar ones, but also experiment with grips. For example, the same bent-over row can be performed with both a straight and reverse grip, and when performing pull-downs in blocks, you can use different handles for the machine.

So we figured out how to replace the bent-over barbell row. I hope you have found the optimal solution for yourself and have resolved this issue forever.