FREE SHIPPING AT $150
YOU'VE EARNED FREE SHIPPING!
FREE SHIPPING AT $150
YOU'VE EARNED FREE SHIPPING!
February 15, 2022 8 min read
Whether you’re progressing toward calisthenic moves like the front lever row or just need a great back exercise, the supine row is a solid choice. That's because supine rows are the bodyweight alternative to barbell rows that can accommodate each persons strength and ability simply by adjusting the height of the bar.
In this guide you'll find out what makes them different from barbell rows, learn how to execute a flawless supine row with or without a barbell, and get some suggestions for programming them into your workout routine.
The supine row is also called an inverted row, inverted bodyweight row, or, more rarely, an Australian pull-up.
Follow these steps to knock out a perfect rep:
Although mostly used to target back muscles, supine rows also build muscle in the arms and feature a little core activation as well.
Supine rows work the following muscles:
The lats, traps, and rhomboids are back muscles that power most pulling exercises.
Meanwhile, the deltoid helps pull your arm backward, the forearm muscles grip the bar, and the infraspinatus exerts pressure to keep the upper arm bone snug in the shoulder joint. The biceps come into play as the distance between the forearm and upper arm closes, which is called elbow flexion.
Biceps work harder during inverted rows than they do in similar exercises like pull-ups.
Your low and middle traps and rhomboids get the most focus in supine rows. The lats are hard at work as well but they work harder in overhead pulling exercises like chin-ups than they do in horizontal pulls like this one. All of these muscles get some attention during inverted rows, which is a bit surprising given the simplicity of the exercise.
If you're looking for a plant-based protein powder that will help you pack on lean muscle quickly, Get VEG-PRO now to take your gains to the next level.
This is a pretty straightforward exercise but that doesn’t mean mistakes aren’t possible. As with almost every other exercise, form errors are largely going to be the result of insufficient strength or your body trying to cheat its way through your reps.
Here are some of the mistakes we see most often with supine rows:
Besides the killer upper back workout they provide, why should every lifter include inverted rows in their routine?
For one thing, they’re great for better posture.
Any exercise that requires a straight torso and recruits the glutes and core to maintain a position will help strengthen the muscles that give us good posture, which may reduce back pain levels and promote better breathing.
Many lifters also find it much easier to stay in the proper form during a supine row compared to its nearest relative, the barbell row. Barbell rows feature a hip hinge in a standing position, which leaves almost the entire body unsecured. Good news for your stabilizing muscles, and the barbell row will work out more of your body than supine rows, but since they’re more difficult to do properly, many people see less development from barbell rows compared to supine rows.
Another reason to love supine rows is that they fit into a routine so well with overhead pulls like chin-ups and pull-ups.
Beginners and lifters trying to work their way up to that evasive first pull-up will run through tons of supine rows to build up the necessary strength. Seasoned lifters program supine rows on the same day as pull-ups to hit muscles on both sides of their upper bodies. Superset them, use them in a bodyweight routine, use them to cool down - there are tons of ways you can get this exercise into your routine.
Your grip strength will improve with enough supine rows, especially if you use the underhand grip.
Target your forearm muscles to build grip strength with a much lower risk of failure than you find in bigger grip-strength exercises like pull-ups and deadlifts. The shoulder blades will get better at squaring back since they get some practice at it in the supine row. They might not be the main focus or even a secondary one, but you still get some scapular retraction practice during this exercise.
A big question people have, especially beginners and those who don’t have experience with these two exercises, is what the difference is between supine and barbell rows.
They both work the same muscles, involve the same movement, and share the same name.
Many lifters prefer to use inverted rows to the barbell variation because it’s easier to maintain proper form as long as you keep your heels on the floor, shoulder blades pulled back, and glutes and core engaged.
The inverted row is a great choice because it will concentrate the stress on your upper back and take the legs and hamstrings out of it and it doesn't require weights and a barbell. The barbell row will cause activation in more muscles, especially in the lower body, but grip strength can limit the amount of weight you can handle in a bent-over barbell row.
If you’re interested in putting the supine row into your workout routine, what’s the best way to do it? Let’s talk about how you can program this exercise.
Throwing supine rows into the mix with your other exercises is easy because it’s a great back exercise and also a great transition exercise. So whether you have a dedicated back day in your 5-day split or prefer to work with a mixed arm/back/shoulder day, the supine row will fit in fine.
Let’s say you’re working with a 3-day split divided like this:
The supine row surely has to go on day two, you might be thinking. That’s certainly correct, but it can be programmed on day 1 with your push-ups, presses, curls, and flyes as well. Mixing the two will keep your muscles guessing and allow you to have an active rest period.
Or, if you prefer the 5-day split, you might have the following plan:
It’s a winning design. And once again, you can use the supine row in multiple places. In this case, you can bookend your weekly routine with supine rows on days one and five since it works the biceps a little and the back a lot.
Most people consider the inverted row a variation in and of itself, but that hasn’t stopped people from finding ways to switch it up.
Once you’ve mastered the inverted row the way we laid it out at the start of this guide, grab a bench or chair to put your feet on and make things even more challenging. First, place the elevated surface near the horizontal bar you’ll use for your rows. The elevated surface you’re using needs to be low enough for you to get your feet on from the ground.
Next, sit under the bar, grab it with an overhand grip, and put your feet on your elevated surface of choice. Power into the starting position with your glutes and abs and then proceed through your reps the same way we described in our supine row step-by-step earlier.
All you have to do for this variation is lift one heel off the ground and hold it there. Although this isn’t a lower body exercise, creating instability by doing the single-leg variation will put your stabilizing muscles to work more.
As the name implies, this isometric variation requires you to hold the top position of the inverted row rather than descending right back into the starting position. If you want to build muscle endurance, try this one out.
Rather than holding in that top-most position, you can also take time lowering yourself to drag out the eccentric phase of the exercise. Since that’s one of the hardest parts of the exercises for your muscles, they’ll get a greater workout, particularly the biceps.
In this variation, you can use a door like you see in the video above or you can throw a towel around the bar you were using to do regular inverted rows. Holding onto a towel rather than a bar during the exercise will help you build grip strength as well as back and arm strength.
It’s pretty incredible how much you can get out of this flipped-over push-up. Use the form tips, variations, and programming suggestions in this exercise guide to make the inverted row as effective as possible. Once it’s in your routine, you’ll be surprised you ever got along without it.