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How To Perform A Bent Over Row
The bent over row is one of the basic bread and butter exercises for upper and middle back development. For decades now bodybuilders, power lifters and athletes have been performing the barbell row as a way to increase the size and strength of the muscles in the middle to upper back. If you're wanting to pack on some bulk and shape to your upper body, then the bent row is an important exercise that you must fit into your upper back workouts.
Targeting the Lats, the bent over row combines the potent benefits of allowing you to train through a complete range of motion with a heavy weight and allowing you to target your lats with targeted precision and move closer to the classic v-shape that you really want! While many of the top free weight exercises allow you to train multiple body part at the same time, the bent row doesn't allow any other body parts to steal the load and decrease the amount of work that your lats do. This is one of the big benefits to working bent rows into your back workouts. You get maximum lat stimulation with a heavy weight.
Muscles Hammered During The Bent Row
Aside from the Latissimus Dorsi, there are a few other muscle groups that carry a thier share of the load. To complete this movement the Brachialis, Posterior Deltoid,Teres Major,Brachioradialis and Biceps Brachii all contribute, but the vast majority of the load is carried by the latissimus dorsi. When performed with proper form, the bent over row uses very few of the muscles listed above, but when performed with poor form, it's one of those exercises that can start to push a lot of the load from the target muscles to the secondary muscle groups. That's one of the reasons that it's so important to learn how to perform barbell rows the right way.
How To Perform The Bent Row
1. Grasp the bar with an overhand grip with your hands spaced slightly wider than shoulder width. You should be standing on your feet with them spaced shoulder width apart and bend your knees slightly. Lean forward at the waist at approximately a 45° angle. Make sure to keep your back straight during the full range of the movement. If you're body is aligned properly, then the bar should be positioned just above your knee prior to beginning the exercise.
2. Pull the bar up to your lower chest, making sure to keep your core muscles contracted (in order to stabilize your spine). When properly performed, you will basically be lifting your elbows up towards the sky while holding your upper body in a stationary position.
While performing the bent over row, you should feel the muscles in your upper back working. The lats are located along both sides of the spine along your back. In order to ensure that you are focusing on the lats properly, it helps to think about the muscles that you are using (or supposed to be using) and to attempt to pull your shoulder blades up and back at the top of the exercise, this will force your latissimus dorsi to contract if it isn't already engaged. Once you feel the muscles that are supposed to be performing the bulk of the work during bent over rows, then it becomes easier to make small adjustments to your form to ensure that the right muscles are being targeted.
3. Allow the bar to move back down to the starting position in a slow and controlled manner, but still focus on using your lats to complete the eccentric portion of the lift.
As with all free weights exercises varying the position of your grip will allow you to target different parts of your upper and middle back. If you perform barbell rows with an overhand grip, you will target the lower part of the trapezius and your rhomboids. While performing bent rows with an underhand grip will place most of the emphasis on the upper portion of the trapezius and the biceps brachii.
If you're looking to increase the size and strength of your middle and upper back, then bent over rows should be a major part of your lat workouts. Not only will you be able to target your lats with laser focus and take a step towards acquiring the v-taper upper body, but you'll be able to train with a heavy enough weight to gain muscle mass fast!.
Targeting the Lats, the bent over row combines the potent benefits of allowing you to train through a complete range of motion with a heavy weight and allowing you to target your lats with targeted precision and move closer to the classic v-shape that you really want! While many of the top free weight exercises allow you to train multiple body part at the same time, the bent row doesn't allow any other body parts to steal the load and decrease the amount of work that your lats do. This is one of the big benefits to working bent rows into your back workouts. You get maximum lat stimulation with a heavy weight.
Muscles Hammered During The Bent Row
Aside from the Latissimus Dorsi, there are a few other muscle groups that carry a thier share of the load. To complete this movement the Brachialis, Posterior Deltoid,Teres Major,Brachioradialis and Biceps Brachii all contribute, but the vast majority of the load is carried by the latissimus dorsi. When performed with proper form, the bent over row uses very few of the muscles listed above, but when performed with poor form, it's one of those exercises that can start to push a lot of the load from the target muscles to the secondary muscle groups. That's one of the reasons that it's so important to learn how to perform barbell rows the right way.
How To Perform The Bent Row
1. Grasp the bar with an overhand grip with your hands spaced slightly wider than shoulder width. You should be standing on your feet with them spaced shoulder width apart and bend your knees slightly. Lean forward at the waist at approximately a 45° angle. Make sure to keep your back straight during the full range of the movement. If you're body is aligned properly, then the bar should be positioned just above your knee prior to beginning the exercise.
2. Pull the bar up to your lower chest, making sure to keep your core muscles contracted (in order to stabilize your spine). When properly performed, you will basically be lifting your elbows up towards the sky while holding your upper body in a stationary position.
While performing the bent over row, you should feel the muscles in your upper back working. The lats are located along both sides of the spine along your back. In order to ensure that you are focusing on the lats properly, it helps to think about the muscles that you are using (or supposed to be using) and to attempt to pull your shoulder blades up and back at the top of the exercise, this will force your latissimus dorsi to contract if it isn't already engaged. Once you feel the muscles that are supposed to be performing the bulk of the work during bent over rows, then it becomes easier to make small adjustments to your form to ensure that the right muscles are being targeted.
3. Allow the bar to move back down to the starting position in a slow and controlled manner, but still focus on using your lats to complete the eccentric portion of the lift.
As with all free weights exercises varying the position of your grip will allow you to target different parts of your upper and middle back. If you perform barbell rows with an overhand grip, you will target the lower part of the trapezius and your rhomboids. While performing bent rows with an underhand grip will place most of the emphasis on the upper portion of the trapezius and the biceps brachii.
If you're looking to increase the size and strength of your middle and upper back, then bent over rows should be a major part of your lat workouts. Not only will you be able to target your lats with laser focus and take a step towards acquiring the v-taper upper body, but you'll be able to train with a heavy enough weight to gain muscle mass fast!.