Building hypertrophy and strength in the upper and lower back and arms.Some potential benefits of Barbell Bent Over Rows include: Never sacrifice your form for more weight. DO NOT ROUND YOUR BACK.Īnother common mistake is I have seen lifters go too heavy and therefore need to “hitch or yank” into a lock in position. With that in mind, always remember to keep a nice neutral spine. The setup here is very similar to the Deadlift. The supinated grip will engage more of the biceps and can be a great time under tension movement for hypertrophy. However, there is some benefit to the supinated grip for general lifters and bodybuilders. Especially athletes that are cleaning and snatching as the pronated grip will carry over to cleans and pulls. I typically recommend the pronated grip here for athletes. It develops strength in the posterior chain and can be overloaded over time easily. I would highly recommend this movement to any lifter or athlete. Having identical setups and grips will be great for the lifts to carry over to the compound movements. The initial setup and stance for Bent Over Barbell Rows should be specific to the lifters deadlifting and Olympic lifting goals. Slowly return the barbell back to the starting position (weights about 1-2 inches off the ground).

Squeeze the shoulder blades and lock in the rep. Take a deep breath, brace the abdomen, and pull the bar in until it makes contact right about the belly button.Always keep a flat back, and a neutral spine, and keep your eyes focused slightly down about 1 foot in front of you.

I will talk later about the supinated grip (palms up) in this movement. Use a pronated grip (Knuckles facing the floor).

Hinge at the waist and bend the knee until you can grab the barbell.

Your shins should be almost touching the barbell.

Approach the barbell and take a shoulder-width stance.

In order to see the full benefits, it’s important to also incorporate other exercises that target different muscle groups and engage in regular cardiovascular activity. It’s important to note that lat pulldowns are just one part of a well-rounded exercise routine.

Enhanced athletic performance: Strong lats can improve your performance in activities that require pulling movements, such as rowing, swimming, and climbing.

Increased upper body strength: Lat pulldowns can help improve strength in the upper body, including the back, shoulders, and arms.

Improved posture: Strong lats can help support good posture, which can reduce the risk of back pain and improve overall health.

Some benefits of incorporating Lat Pulldowns into your exercise routine include: By far the most common mistake I see lifters make is using way too much weight and rocking and swinging all over the place to try to get the weight to move.ĭon’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with pushing yourself with heavier weight, but make sure you’re able to maintain proper technique.ĭon’t have a lat pulldown machine and looking for alternatives? Here are 10 of my favorite Lat Pulldown alternatives. If you’re using a different attachment, this is going to vary. *This is assuming you’re using a standard long Lat Pulldown Bar.

Repeat for the designated number of reps.

After a quick pause at the bottom of the rep, slowly bring the bar back up to the starting position.

Now, pull the bar down to your chest, squeezing the lats hard at the bottom.

Grab the bar* just outside shoulder width grip with an overhand grip.

Regardless of the setup, try to position your torso predominantly upright with a very slight lean back.

Depending on the machine or attachment that you’re using the setup may be a bit different.

Lat Pulldown Machine or Lat Pulldown Rack Attachment.

I’ll also compare these two exercises, examining their benefits, differences, and which one might be a better fit for your workouts depending on what your goals are. In this article, I will explain how both exercises are performed. The real question is, is one of these pulling movements better than the other? And, which should you be using in your programming? Both exercises are effective for targeting the muscles of the back, but the movements are different and they use different equipment. When it comes to building a strong, muscular back, two exercises that often come to mind are Lat Pulldowns and Bent Over Barbell Rows.

One arm lat pulldown