Why bend the knees instead of keeping the legs straight?

Bending the knees shortens the lever, so your feet carry more of your body weight and your arms pull less. It is the usual starting point before the straight-leg TRX Inverted Row.

How do I make it easier or harder?

Strap length sets the angle: shorter straps start you more upright and make the pull easier, longer straps start you lower, with your shoulders closer to the floor, and make it harder. Once that is not enough, straighten your legs or lift one foot off the floor.

How is it different from the bar Bent-Knee Inverted Row?

The handles hang free instead of being fixed, so your hands can turn into a neutral grip and you have to keep both straps steady as you pull. The Bent-Knee Inverted Row on a bar is more stable and lets you set the height in fixed steps.

How many sets and reps should I do?

Three to four sets of 8 to 15 strict reps is a sensible target. Once 15 reps with a straight line from shoulders to knees feel easy, make the exercise harder rather than adding reps.

Will this help me do my first pull-up?

It builds pulling strength and shoulder blade control, but it is a horizontal pull, so it does not replace vertical work. Pair it with hangs and an Assisted Pull-Up to work toward a full pull-up.

TRX Bent-Knee Inverted Row

What Is the TRX Bent-Knee Inverted Row?

TRX Bent-Knee Inverted Row is a compound exercise that primarily targets the back and also engages the rear shoulders, biceps, glutes and core. It is a beginner-level movement in which you hang under a suspension trainer with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, then pull your chest up to the handles while holding a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.

The exercise trains horizontal pulling: drawing the shoulder blades back and the elbows past the torso, the pattern that balances pushing work such as push-ups and presses. Bending the knees shortens the lever, so your feet carry more of your body weight and your arms pull less of it than in the straight-leg TRX Inverted Row. That makes it the usual starting point for inverted rows on straps, in the same way the bar Bent-Knee Inverted Row is on a fixed bar.

The lats and the middle back muscles, the rhomboids and trapezius, do most of the work, while the rear shoulders and biceps help bend the arms and the glutes hold the hips up in a bridge. Because the handles hang free, your hands can settle into a neutral grip and the straps have to be kept steady throughout. When healthy adults did an inverted row on a TRX and on a stable surface in one study, the straps raised middle deltoid and oblique activity slightly, while middle back activity did not differ. Switching to an underhand grip, as in TRX Inverted Row (Underhand Grip), brings the biceps in more.

This version suits beginners, people building toward their first pull-up and anyone training without a bar or rack. If it is still too hard, shorten the straps so you start more upright, or begin with the standing TRX Row. Once you can hold the body line for several sets of controlled reps, straightening the legs into the TRX Inverted Row is the natural next step.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Latissimus Dorsi: Primary
Deltoid: High
Rhomboid Major: High
Upper Trapezius: High
Biceps Brachii: Medium
Lower Trapezius: Medium
Teres Major: Medium
Brachioradialis: Low
Gluteus Maximus: Low
Rectus Abdominis: Minimal

Instructions

Anchor the suspension trainer securely overhead and set both straps to the same length.
Sit on the floor under the anchor and hold a handle in each hand with a neutral grip, palms facing each other.
Lie back so the straps hang straight down above your chest and your arms are fully extended.
Bend your knees to about 90 degrees and plant your feet flat on the floor, about hip-width apart.
Brace your core, squeeze your glutes and lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees.
Pull your shoulder blades back and down, then drive your elbows back close to your ribs to pull your chest up to the handles.
Stop when the handles reach the sides of your chest and your torso is about level with the floor, and pause briefly.
Lower yourself with control until your arms are straight, keeping your hips in line with your shoulders and knees.
Repeat for the desired number of reps, keeping the straps taut throughout.

Common Mistakes

Letting the hips sag
Dropping the hips breaks the straight line from shoulders to knees and shifts strain into the lower back.
Thrusting the hips to finish
Driving the hips up at the top to reach the handles turns the row into a hip thrust and usually means the setup is too hard.
Shrugging the shoulders
Letting the shoulders ride up toward the ears hands the work to the upper traps instead of the lats and middle back.
Leading with the chin
Poking the chin toward the handles strains the neck without bringing the chest any higher.
Flaring the elbows
Letting the elbows swing out wide shifts the work toward the rear shoulders and breaks the line of the pull.
Dropping into the bottom
Falling into the straight-arm position jerks the shoulders and makes the straps saw back and forth.

Injuries

TRX Bent-Knee Inverted Row is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. With the feet on the floor and the knees bent, the arms pull only part of your body weight, and the free-moving handles let the wrists and elbows find a comfortable path. The usual complaints are lower-back discomfort when the hips sag out of the bridge, and strain at the front of the shoulder when the shoulders roll forward or shrug at the bottom or the body drops into the straight-arm position.

Check that the anchor is secure and both straps are the same length before every set, and keep the straps taut so they do not saw back and forth or rub against your arms. Set your shoulder blades back and down before each pull, brace your core and squeeze your glutes so the line from shoulders to knees holds, and lower under control. Anyone with an acute shoulder injury should get clearance from a clinician first.

To make it easier, shorten the straps so you start more upright, or step back to the standing TRX Row. To make it harder, lengthen the straps so you start lower, with your shoulders closer to the floor, add a pause at the top, lift one foot off the floor, or straighten the legs into the TRX Inverted Row. Stop the set if your hips drop and will not come back up, your shoulders shrug toward your ears, or you feel sharp pain in the shoulder, elbow, wrist or lower back, or numbness or tingling in the arm.

Overview

Primary Focus: Back
Equipment: Suspension trainer and body weight
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Beginner

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why bend the knees instead of keeping the legs straight?: Bending the knees shortens the lever, so your feet carry more of your body weight and your arms pull less. It is the usual starting point before the straight-leg TRX Inverted Row.
Q: How do I make it easier or harder?: Strap length sets the angle: shorter straps start you more upright and make the pull easier, longer straps start you lower, with your shoulders closer to the floor, and make it harder. Once that is not enough, straighten your legs or lift one foot off the floor.
Q: How is it different from the bar Bent-Knee Inverted Row?: The handles hang free instead of being fixed, so your hands can turn into a neutral grip and you have to keep both straps steady as you pull. The Bent-Knee Inverted Row on a bar is more stable and lets you set the height in fixed steps.
Q: How many sets and reps should I do?: Three to four sets of 8 to 15 strict reps is a sensible target. Once 15 reps with a straight line from shoulders to knees feel easy, make the exercise harder rather than adding reps.
Q: Will this help me do my first pull-up?: It builds pulling strength and shoulder blade control, but it is a horizontal pull, so it does not replace vertical work. Pair it with hangs and an Assisted Pull-Up to work toward a full pull-up.