Barbell Inverted Row
What Is the Barbell Inverted Row?
Barbell Inverted Row is a compound exercise that primarily targets the back, especially the latissimus dorsi, and also engages the rhomboids, trapezius, rear deltoids, biceps and forearms, while the core and glutes hold the body in a straight line. It is an intermediate-level movement: you hang under a bar fixed at about hip height, heels on the floor, and pull your chest up to it.
The inverted row builds horizontal pulling strength with your own body weight, which makes it a useful counterweight to pressing work such as push-ups and the bench press. The angle of your body can be adjusted to make the exercise easier or harder - the closer your body is to horizontal, the more challenging the movement becomes. The same position is used as the modified pull-up in the FitnessGram youth fitness test, where the bar sits just above arm's reach and only the heels touch the floor.
The version shown uses a Smith machine, whose bar locks onto its hooks at any height, and an overhand grip slightly wider than the shoulders. Pulling with the elbows at about 45 degrees from the body keeps the lats and mid-back working together; letting the elbows drift wider shifts more of the work to the upper back and rear deltoids, while an underhand grip brings the biceps in more. The same exercise can be set up with a barbell resting on the J-hooks or safety arms of a squat rack.
It suits anyone who wants a back exercise that is easy to scale, and it is a common step for people building toward pull-ups. Because it is a horizontal pull, it builds the back and arm strength a Pull-Up relies on without replacing practice of the vertical pull itself, which an Assisted Pull-Up covers. If the straight-leg version is too hard, raise the bar or start with the Bent-Knee Inverted Row, and a fully supported row such as the Cable Seated Row teaches the pull before you have to hold your body straight.
Muscles Worked
- Latissimus Dorsi
- Primary
- Biceps Brachii
- High
- Brachialis
- High
- Deltoid
- High
- Lower Trapezius
- High
- Rhomboid Major
- High
- Brachioradialis
- Medium
- Erector Spinae
- Medium
- Upper Trapezius
- Medium
- Teres Major
- Low
Instructions
- Set up the bar: Set the Smith machine bar at about hip height, lock it on its hooks and set the safety stops just below it.
- Get into position: Lie on your back under the bar so it sits over your lower chest, with your legs straight.
- Grip the bar: Reach up and take an overhand grip (palms facing away from you), hands slightly wider than shoulder-width.
- Brace your body: Lift your hips so only your heels touch the floor, arms straight, and squeeze your glutes and core to hold a straight line from head to heels.
- Set your shoulders: Draw your shoulder blades back and down before you bend your elbows.
- Pull up: Pull your chest to the bar, driving your elbows back at about 45 degrees from your body, until your lower chest touches or nearly touches the bar.
- Pause: Hold briefly at the top, keeping your head in line with your body and your shoulders away from your ears.
- Lower down: Lower yourself under control until your arms are straight, keeping your body rigid and your heels planted.
- Repeat and finish: Complete your reps, then lower your hips to the floor before letting go of the bar.
Common Mistakes
Sagging Hips
Letting the hips drop shortens the lever and loads the lower back, so squeeze the glutes and keep a straight line from shoulders to heels.
Flaring the Elbows Wide
Pulling with the elbows out at 90 degrees stresses the front of the shoulder and takes work off the lats, so keep them at about 45 degrees from the body.
Shrugging the Shoulders
Lifting the shoulders toward the ears lets the upper traps take over, so draw the shoulder blades back and down before you pull.
Reaching With the Chin
Jutting the chin toward the bar to finish the rep strains the neck and hides a short pull, so keep the head in line with the body and bring the chest to the bar.
Incomplete Range of Motion
Stopping short at the top or not straightening the arms at the bottom cuts the work the back does, so pull until the chest nearly touches the bar and lower until the arms are straight.
Rushing the Movement
Bouncing out of the bottom and dropping quickly turns the row into a swing, so pull smoothly and take about two seconds to lower.
Injuries
Barbell Inverted Row is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. You lift only part of your body weight, the bar does not move, and the load is easy to match to the lifter by changing the bar height. A small study of seven healthy young men found the inverted row placed a lower load on the lower spine than a standing bent-over row, while producing the highest latissimus dorsi and upper-back activation of the three rows tested.
The shoulders are the most common strain point. Shrugging toward the ears, rolling the shoulders forward at the top, or driving the elbows far behind the body loads the front of the shoulder, so set the shoulder blades back and down and stop when the chest reaches the bar. The elbows and forearms can get irritated by a death grip and high weekly volume, especially with existing tennis or golfer's elbow. The lower back takes over when the hips sag or the back arches, so squeeze the glutes and keep a straight line from shoulders to heels.
On a Smith machine, keep the bar locked on its hooks and avoid rotating it during the set, because turning the bar can release it from the hooks. Set the safety stops just below the bar as a backup before you get underneath.
If the straight-leg version is too hard, raise the bar or bend your knees as in the Bent-Knee Inverted Row. Progress by lowering the bar, elevating your feet or wearing a weight vest, one change at a time. Stop the set if you feel sharp pain in the shoulder, elbow or lower back, or numbness or tingling down the arm.
- Primary Focus
- Back
- Equipment
- Smith machine and body weight
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Alternative Exercises
Other Names for the Barbell Inverted Row
The Barbell Inverted Row is also known as:
- Australian Pull-Up
- Body Row
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: How can I make the barbell inverted row easier?
Raise the bar higher or bend your knees to reduce the intensity. The bent-knee version is the Bent-Knee Inverted Row.
- Q: How can I make the barbell inverted row harder?
Lower the bar so your body is closer to horizontal, then elevate your feet on a bench or box. Once that is easy, add load with a weight vest or pause for a second with your chest at the bar.
- Q: Is the barbell inverted row a good alternative to pull-ups?
It works best alongside pull-ups rather than instead of them. It trains a horizontal pull with part of your body weight, so it builds the back and arm strength a Pull-Up relies on, but the vertical pull still needs its own practice, for example with an Assisted Pull-Up.
- Q: Should I use an overhand or underhand grip?
Both train the same back muscles. The overhand grip shown here is the standard version, and an underhand grip brings the biceps in more, so it is a reasonable swap if the overhand grip bothers your wrists or elbows.
- Q: Can I do inverted rows without a Smith machine?
Yes. Set a barbell on the J-hooks or safety arms of a squat rack at the same height and row exactly the same way; suspension straps or rings also work but let the hands move, which makes the exercise less stable.