TRX Feet-Elevated Inverted Row
What Is the TRX Feet-Elevated Inverted Row?
TRX Feet-Elevated Inverted Row is a compound exercise that primarily targets the back and also engages the biceps, rear delts and the muscles that hold the trunk rigid. It is an intermediate-level movement in which you hang beneath suspension straps with your heels resting on a flat bench and row your chest up to the handles with an overhand grip while your body stays in one straight line.
Resting the heels on a bench brings the body close to parallel with the floor, so your arms lift more of your body weight than in the TRX Inverted Row, where the heels stay on the floor, and far more than in the standing TRX Row. It is the strap version of the Feet Elevated Ring Row, and a common next step for people who have outgrown the floor-level versions and have no barbell or cable stack to add load with.
The lats do most of the work of drawing the elbows back, while the rhomboids and trapezius squeeze the shoulder blades together and the rear delts and biceps help finish the pull. The overhand grip shown here, with the hands about shoulder-width apart and the elbows traveling back at roughly 45 degrees from the body, spreads the work between the lats and the upper back and gives the brachialis and brachioradialis a bigger share of the elbow bending than an underhand grip would. Because the handles hang free, each arm also has to keep its strap steady, and the glutes and abs work throughout to stop the hips from sagging between the bench and the straps.
It suits anyone who can already do about 15 clean reps of the TRX Inverted Row with the body near flat. If it is too hard, build up there first, or with the TRX Bent-Knee Inverted Row. It builds the back and arm strength that supports Pull-Up training and balances out pressing work such as push-ups.
Muscles Worked
- Latissimus Dorsi
- Primary
- Biceps Brachii
- High
- Deltoid
- High
- Rhomboid Major
- High
- Teres Major
- High
- Brachialis
- Medium
- Brachioradialis
- Medium
- Lower Trapezius
- Medium
- Upper Trapezius
- Medium
Instructions
- Lengthen the straps so the handles hang low enough that, lying under them with your arms straight, your back will be just clear of the floor.
- Place a flat bench on a stable floor so your heels will rest on it when your chest is directly under the anchor point.
- Sit on the floor between the straps and take one handle in each hand with an overhand grip, palms facing your feet and hands about shoulder-width apart.
- Rest your heels on the bench with your legs straight.
- Squeeze your glutes and brace your abs to lift your hips until your body forms one straight line from head to heels, hanging from straight arms with the straps close to vertical.
- Draw your shoulder blades back and down, then pull the handles toward the sides of your lower chest, driving your elbows back at about 45 degrees from your body.
- Finish with your hands beside your chest and your shoulder blades squeezed together, keeping your hips level with your shoulders and heels.
- Lower yourself under control until your arms are fully straight again, keeping the straps taut.
- Repeat for the planned reps, then lower your hips to the floor before taking your feet off the bench.
Common Mistakes
Sagging hips
Letting the hips drop below the line from shoulders to heels shortens the pull and puts strain on the lower back.
Pulling with the arms only
Bending the elbows without first drawing the shoulder blades back turns the row into a curl and leaves the back underworked.
Rounded or shrugged shoulders
Finishing with the shoulders rolled forward or hiked toward the ears takes work off the mid back and crowds the front of the shoulder.
Heels slipping on the bench
Letting the heels slide or bounce on the bench changes the body angle mid-set and can drop you off it, so press them down and keep the legs still.
Cutting the range short
Stopping well before the hands reach the chest, or never straightening the arms at the bottom, trains only part of the movement.
Dropping into the bottom
Falling back to straight arms instead of lowering under control lets the straps go slack and jolts the elbows and shoulders.
Injuries
TRX Feet-Elevated Inverted Row is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The load is your own body weight and the handles let your wrists find a comfortable angle, but the near-flat position puts more of that weight on your arms than any floor-level version, and the setup carries its own hazards: an anchor or strap that slips, or a bench that slides, drops you onto your back. Check the anchor with a hard pull, inspect the straps for fraying, set the bench on a non-slip floor and make sure both handles hang at the same height.
Strain tends to show up at the front of the shoulder when the shoulders roll forward or shrug toward the ears at the top of the rep, at the elbows and forearms when the arms do the pulling or reps are jerked up, and in the lower back when the hips sag. Leading each rep by drawing the shoulder blades back and down, stopping when the hands reach the sides of the chest, keeping the glutes and abs tight and lowering yourself under control keeps the load where it belongs.
If you cannot keep your body straight for at least 8 reps, take your feet off the bench and return to the TRX Inverted Row, or bend your knees as in the TRX Bent-Knee Inverted Row. To progress, pause for 2 to 3 seconds at the top, slow the lowering phase, rest your heels on a taller box or wear a weighted vest. Stop if you feel sharp or pinching pain in the shoulder, pain at the elbow or in the lower back, or numbness or tingling down the arm, and lower your hips to the floor before taking your feet off the bench.
- Primary Focus
- Back
- Equipment
- Suspension trainer, bench, and body weight
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Alternative Exercises
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: How much harder is it than the TRX Inverted Row?
A little, rather than a whole new level. In a study of 12 trained male athletes, moving the feet from the floor into a second set of suspension straps raised the share of body weight the arms held during moving reps of a TRX inverted row from about 73% to 76%. If your heels-on-floor version is already close to flat, expect the bench to add a modest step in load.
- Q: How high should the bench be?
A standard flat bench works for most people, with the straps set so your back hangs just clear of the floor when your arms are straight. A taller box makes the row harder and a lower step makes it easier, so change the height in small steps and keep your body straight on every rep.
- Q: Is it different from the Feet Elevated Ring Row?
Very little. The pull, the body position and the progressions are the same, and the main difference is that TRX handles hang from a single anchor point while rings usually hang from two separate straps, so use whichever you have. The Feet Elevated Ring Row page covers the ring setup.
- Q: Will it help me do pull-ups?
It builds the lats, upper back, biceps and grip that pull-ups rely on, so it is a useful support exercise, but it trains a horizontal pull rather than a vertical one. Pair it with vertical-pull practice such as the TRX Pull-Up for the most direct carryover to the Pull-Up.
- Q: How many sets and reps should I do?
Most people program it like any other row, with 3 or 4 sets of 8 to 15 controlled reps. Choose a setup where the last two or three reps are hard while your body stays straight, and add a pause at the top, a slower lowering phase or a taller box once you can do 15 clean reps.
- Q: Should I use an overhand or underhand grip?
Both work the back well. The overhand grip shown here lets the elbows travel a little wider, while turning the palms up, as in the TRX Inverted Row (Underhand Grip), keeps them closer to your sides and lets the biceps contribute more, so many people get a few extra reps that way. On straps you can switch from overhand to underhand mid-set without letting go.