Rowing with a barbell on a fall with an overhang or undergrip is one of the most effective exercises for the back muscles. It engages the latissimus dorsi, roundes, traps and auxiliary muscles. Which of them will be included in the work depends on holding the barbell with an overgrip or undergrip. Find out what the correct technique of rowing with a barbell is and what kind of grip to choose so that it is right for you.

Rowing with a barbell in a descentis a multi-joint exercise that engages not only the back muscles, but also the muscles of the legs, abdomen and arms. By doing them, we can burn a lot of calories, because the whole body is strongly involved during its duration.

By rowing a barbell, we can also build some really big muscles in the upper back. However, there are even more positives - thanks to the rowing position, i.e. tilting the torso, we strongly strengthen the entire back chain of our figure and support its stabilization, and the he alth of the spine is most important for every active person.

Whenever we deal with a barbell, it is important which grip we choose during a given exercise: we can row with a barbellovergripandundergrip . This is even more important in back training. Let's take a look at why.

Correct technique of rowing with a barbell in a descent

  • Starting position- stand hip-width apart, press your feet firmly to the floor. Tighten your buttocks and stabilize your pelvis. Keep your head straight - it is very important because every tilt of your head up or down will put your spine in a lot of strain during the tilt and will result in the loss of strength that you gain from correct posture. Pull your shoulder blades together (backwards and downwards) and rotate your shoulders (i.e. unscrew them outwards), this positioning of the arms will result in even greater involvement of the back muscles. It is important that you do not lose the correct body alignment when you go down a slope!
  • Descend to the fall of the torso- perform the bend by pushing the hips back and gently bending the knees at the same time. Your spine should be straight, but not perpendicular to the ground. Go down to about halfway between the upright posture,and the precipitation forming a right angle between the spine and the legs. Remember that your knees slightly extend outwards, which you set at the beginning of the position, when you screw your feet into the ground. The slightly bent knees relieve the lower spine while paddling. Now the most important thing is what grip you choose and what you will gain thanks to it (the characteristics of each grip can be found below).
  • Final Rowing Phase- Once you are positioned correctly and have chosen the right grip for you, remember about the correct phase of straightening up with the barbell during the exercise. By grabbing the barbell from the ground, we are actually deadlifting. Then we stop upwards, bend down and return to the correct torso fall position described at the beginning of the technique. We are doing the repetitions in this position. After the series, without slouching the spine, gently put the bar back on the ground.

Rowing with a barbell with an overhand or undergrip - which version should you choose?

  • Barbell rowing with overhand

Approach the bar and grab it with your palms from above (fingers pointing downwards), but place your thumb down. The width of the grip is very important:

  1. Narrowing- holding the barbell more or less at the level of the shoulders or less activates mainly the latissimus dorsi muscle to work. If you want to enlarge your back, it will be the most appropriate grip to significantly expand it.
  2. Nachrip wide- if you grasp the bar in this way, you will use the muscles of the back the most (not forgetting about the back muscles of the shoulders), i.e. the upper part of the back. However, it is best to center the grip and grab the bar shoulder-width apart, then all muscles will join the work evenly. When gripping, remember to thread your hand into the bar so that your elbows come closer to each other. This is shoulder rotation. Thanks to this you will activate your back muscles correctly (and stronger).

Muscles working while rowing the barbell with the overgrip:

  • latissimus dorsi,
  • trapezius,
  • parallelogram muscle,
  • major round muscle,
  • posterior deltoid muscle (posterior shoulder).

The triceps also work while paddling.

  • Barbell Rowing Undergrip

Approach the barbell and grasp it with the palms from below (fingers pointing upwards), but move your thumb to the top. The further exercise technique is the same as for paddling.

Muscles working when rowing with a barbell with a handle:

  • musclethe widest back,
  • trapezius,
  • oval major muscle.

Breathing during exercise is very important. Remember that you should bring the bar closer to you on the exhale and lower on the inhale. Thanks to this, you will ensure proper blood circulation and its proper flow to the muscle in the phase of the greatest stress.

The biceps are also working while paddling.

Performing repetitions in the fall - what to remember?

During the actual phase of the exercise, i.e.rowing , you should remember about 6 important aspects:

  1. Stabilize the shoulder blades, i.e. pull them back and down.
  2. Don't jerk the bar too hard. Movement must be smooth.
  3. Try to hold the movement for a second in the upper phase of the final short for a bigger blood pump to the muscle.
  4. Remember about proper fluidity - pull the bar a bit faster than you lower it.
  5. Try to move the barbell in the vertical plane, then you will engage your back the most.
  6. The barbell does not have to touch the belly at all.

End of movement, approximately elbows to back line. To make it easier for you to remember the order of the exercises, pay attention to these 7 points:

This will be useful to you

Barbell Rowing - Exercise Phases

  1. Correct posture.
  2. Descend to the bar and get the right grip.
  3. Extend vertically with the barbell.
  4. Torso lean with barbell.
  5. Perform the correct range of repetitions.
  6. Put the barbell down on the ground.
  7. Return to the starting position.

Barbell End Rowing - Step by Step Technique

Barbell end rowing is one of the variants of the classic version of this exercise.

  1. Stand so that the bar is between your legs and you are at one of its ends.
  2. Grasp the tip of the bar with a neutral grip (the same grip your hands rest naturally) so that the bar is between your fingers and thumbs.
  3. The other end of the barbell should be placed against the wall so that the barbell does not roll backwards.
  4. Bend over and grasp the barbell until a V is formed from your hands.
  5. While leaning down, do a series of repetitions, then put the bar back down and return to an upright posture.

The correct rowing technique is always the same no matter which variant you choose or which grip you prefer.

Muscles working while rowing with the tip of the bar:

  • latissimus dorsi,
  • oval major muscle.

Rowingwith a barbell in the fall - contraindications

Do not do this exercise if you have lower back problems or have a serious back disease.

If you have rotator cuff injury or suffer from chronic pain in the shoulder complex, also refrain from rowing with a barbell, as doing this exercise can only aggravate your discomfort.

Important

Rowing with a barbell in a drop - remember about this during the exercise

  • Do not wear a heavy load if you are a beginner!This way you can overload your spine painfully. Start with even 2 kg of weights to learn the correct technique first.
  • Always warm up before exercising! You surely already know this, but when exercising with the barbellyou must always remember about thewarm-up series. Put at least half the load on the barbell than you plan to lift and do a trial series. You can also row with the bar only or pick up light dumbbells. It is important to do at least one full series of planned exercises and then perform them very carefully and conscientiously. This will warm up the muscles and joints and prepare your body for more weight, which for much better results.
  • Avoid too heavy a burden . When you move aggressively and have to jerk with your whole body to raise the bar, it is a signal that the load you have chosen is too heavy. You can also tell by the fact that when you lift the barbell off the ground, your body leans forward too much and you lose your balance. The weight of the body should be on the whole feet.
  • Keep a strong corset, i.e. always remember aboutstrong tension in the abdominal muscles . Then your lumbar region will be well secured and your pelvis will be kept in the correct position.
  • If, despite the above comments, you feel discomfort or, worse, back pain, immediately stop exercising.It is not recommended for everyone and you cannot force it because it is hard. so complicated and laborious for your body that it doesn't have to be right for you. In such a situation, choose a machine training for yourself, change the barbell to lighter dumbbells or do Pilates training for back muscles or yoga - they also shape the back well, and he alth is the most important thing when exercising.

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