All of that is great, of course, but it omits an exercise thats critical for your growth, and for the overall health and balance of your torso. That exercise is the barbell row, and its a move you absolutely need to have in your training repertoire.
The barbell row is a fundamental exercise that will pack serious meat onto your back - and it does more than that, too. It also helps bulletproof your shoulders, building the back muscle needed to prevent your shoulders from rolling forward when you stand up, a common issue for lifters who bench press often. And it helps reinforce good principles of scapular retraction, which occurs when you squeeze your shoulder blades and is both critical for shoulder health and for your ability to execute pullups both safely and properly.
The key to getting the most out of the barbell row: Doing it right.
Whats So Special About the Barbell Row?
The row is a staple in physique-building. Youve likely some row variations before, perhaps doing dumbbell rows or cable rows. But its the barbell row that just might take your training to the next level.
Why? Start with the fact that you can simply go heavier on the barbell row than you can on most other rows, since youre using both arms (instead of one) to lift the barbell. The move also challenges more muscle groups than most rows. A typical row attacks your lats and rhomboids, and some shoulder stabilizer muscles. A barbell row offers a constant downward pull on your entire back, elevating muscular stress. Additionally, you must hold your torso in position to do a barbell row, and isometric challenge that attacks spinal stabilizing muscles and lower leg muscles to fatigue. Yes, this is a back move. Its a full-body move too.
Thats a lot of bang for your training buck, although youll want to be careful about how and when you barbell row. Do it at the start of your workout; whenever youre focusing on muscularly taxing compound exercises like this, you want to hit them early. Make this move your main focus when you train it, and aim to do it at least twice a week.
The Muscles You Work When You Barbell Row
The beauty of the barbell row is how many muscles are recruited to accomplish the move. The hallmark of any pulling motion is the involvement of the lats (latissimus dorsi), the large, fan-shaped muscles on your back that are the main extenders of your upper arms. These are the two thick slabs of muscle that stretch from below the shoulder blades all the way down to your lower back (and the thoracolumbar fascia).
Based on how you are pulling with your elbows in relation to your torso, you can adjust the emphasis of a lot of other complementary muscles. Your biceps and forearm muscles also assist in the pulling motion, as do your brachialis muscles, the muscles that lie underneath your biceps and help flex your elbows.
A series of smaller stabilizing muscles are also involved in a barbell row, including the teres major, rear deltoids, and your rotator cuff tendons. Any exercise that utilizes these muscles safely is good; you want them strong to protect your shoulders from injury.
Lastly, a series of muscles in your lower back, the erector spinae and quadratus lumborum, get a major workout. These muscles have to work overtime to make sure your spin stays in alignment. This is a highly integrated exercise with plenty of takeaway.