How to Do a Bodyweight Row or Inverted Row

The Inverted Bodyweight Row is one of the BEST, simple, most constructive exercises you can do for your “pull” muscles. If you’re trying to get to your first pull-up (or plane if you are once doing pull-ups), it’s a must. That’s why we program them in when designing workouts for our Online Coaching Clients. Today, I’ll explain exactly why (almost like you were in our program).

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As part of our Strength 101 series, this guide will imbricate everything you need to know well-nigh this superstitious exercise:

• What is an inverted row or bodyweight row?
• How to do an inverted bodyweight row properly (with video).
• How to progress with inverted bodyweight rows (6 variations)
• When should I do inverted rows in my workout?
• How to do bodyweight rows at home with your kitchen table.

What is an Inverted Bodyweight Row?

You’ve probably heard of the regular barbell row. You pick up a barbell, wrench over at the waist (keeping your when straight), and pull the weight up towards your chest. This can be a unconfined exercise, but improper form could rationalization complications or you might not have wangle to a barbell and plates. Luckily, the bodyweight row (or inverted row) takes superintendency of all of that. By the way, I’ll be using “bodyweight row” and “inverted row” interchangeably in this article.

To-may-to, To-mah-to. When doing this movement, you only need a bar to lean when from and your soul weight. There’s moreover no uneaten stress on your back, like with a traditional barbell row. As an widow bonus, you get a decent core workout too.

Why the inverted bodyweight row is so great: 

I’m a huge fan of compound exercises (like the squat and deadlift, pull-ups and push-ups), and I’m moreover a huge fan of exercises that don’t require expensive machines or lots of uneaten wedding and whistles.

An inverted row works all of your pull muscles:

• All of your when muscles
• Your biceps
• Your forearms
• Your grip
• All the stabilizer muscles in between that make those muscles work together.

If you’ve been doing bench presses regularly, start doing an equal value of work with your pull muscles to stay in wastefulness and yonder from injury.

Oh, and if you want to sooner be worldly-wise to do pull-ups THIS is the exercise you need to add to your routine until you can do a full pull-up.

How To Do An Inverted Bodyweight Row

Let’s start with the people who have wangle to a gym (see a no-gym variation here): 

How to do an inverted row or bodyweight row:

1. Set the bar (or your rings) virtually waist height. The lower the bar, the increasingly difficult the movement becomes.
2. Position yourself under the bar lying squatter up. Lie on the floor underneath the bar (which should be set just whilom where you can reach from the ground).
3. Grab the bar with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width (palms facing AWAY from you).
4. Contract your abs and butt, and alimony your soul in a completely straight line. Your ears, shoulders, hips legs, and feet should all be in a straight line (like you’re doing a plank).
5. Pull yourself up to the bar until your chest touches the bar.
6. Lower yourself when lanugo with proper form.

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

To alimony proper form when doing an inverted bodyweight row:

• Don’t let your butt sag (squeeze your buttcheeks, flex your stomach, and alimony your soul rigid from throne to toe).
• Don’t flail your elbows. Grab the bar with your hands a little closer than you would if you were doing a seat press, and alimony your elbows at that wile from your body.
• Pull the bar towards the middle of your chest. Don’t pull the bar up towards your throat, or lanugo towards your vitals button. Right in the middle!
• Keep your abs tight. Alimony your abs tight throughout the whole routine. Your soul should be a straight line the whole time, and the only thing moving is your arms.
• Pull your shoulder blades down and when towards each other through the movement. Don’t shrug your shoulders. Imagine you’re trying to pinch a pencil between your shoulder blades to alimony it from falling!
• GO all the way. Don’t half-ass it. Lower yourself until your stovepipe are completely extended, and raise yourself until your chest touches the bar.

How to Progress with Inverted Bodyweight Rows (6 Variations)

Let’s provide a tabulation on how you can level up your inverted bodyweight rows.

1) Doorway Rows

2) Towel Rows

3) Inverted Row (High)

4) Inverted Row (Low)

5) Elevated Inverted Row 

6) Inverted Row (Weighted)

When Should I Do Inverted Bodyweight Rows?

If you are building your own workout plan, you can mix in bodyweight rows wherever you normally do your pull exercises (pull-ups, pull-downs, rows, etc.). When I go into a gym, my time is extremely limited, and I’m working towards developing strength.

Here’s a sample two-day split 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 work my full body, I can do a full routine in less than 40 minutes, and I’m towers strength.

• If you can’t do dips on Day 1, you can do push-ups.
• If you can’t do pull-ups on day 2, you can substitute assisted pull-ups.

On the rows, aim for 3 sets of 10. We imbricate this in our “sets and reps” article, but you can never go wrong with 3 sets of 10!

If you can’t do that, do 3 sets to however many reps you can do, and build your way up to 3 sets of 10.

Once you can do that, put your feet up on a chair, throw some weights in a backpack, put it on reverse (so the bag is hanging in front of you), and then do the rows.

You got this! Overwhelmed? I personally know how that feels. It can be scary embarking on a strength training practice for the first time. Are you doing your moves correctly? Should you be lifting increasingly weight or less? What do you eat to reach your goals?

We created the Nerd Fitness Coaching program to tackle these questions directly. Your own mentor will get to know you, build a program based on your wits and goals, and trammels your form on each movement (via video) We make strength training easy. Learn how we can help!

How to Do Inverted Bodyweight Rows at Home

Just considering you don’t have wangle to a gym doesn’t midpoint you can’t work out your back, you just need to get VERY creative.   Here’s how you can do Inverted Bodyweight Rows at Home:

PATH ONE: Use your kitchen table. Or your desk. Be very shielding with this one. Lie underneath your table so your throne and shoulder are sticking out whilom it. Grab the table whet with an overhand grip, and pull yourself up (just like it’s explained above). Warning, don’t pull the table over with you, and make sure you don’t unravel the thing! PATH TWO: Get a really thick wooden dowel or pipe, something strong unbearable to support your weight. Lie it wideness two of your kitchen chairs, and then lie lanugo underneath it. Make sure it’s sturdy, and the bar isn’t going to break/move on ya, and pull yourself up.

Don’t forget, you want to stay in balance.

If you don’t have a pull-up bar and gymnastic rings, find a way to do some bodyweight rows whether it’s between two chairs or under a table.

PPS: Be sure to trammels out the rest 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 the Deadlift with Proper form
• How to do a Squat with Proper Form
• How to do the Overhead Press

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