Pendlay Row Guide: Proper Form and Benefits
Master the Pendlay row with our step-by-step guide to building back strength, power, and muscle density using strict barbell technique.
How to Perform
- Place a loaded barbell on the floor and stand with your feet hip-width apart, positioning your mid-foot directly under the bar.
- Hinge at the hips and bend forward until your torso is parallel to the floor, keeping a slight bend in your knees.
- Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and flatten your back completely.
- Exhale and pull the bar explosively toward your lower chest or upper abdomen by driving your elbows toward the ceiling.
- Ensure your torso remains stationary and parallel to the floor throughout the entire pulling motion.
- Lower the bar under control back to the floor, allowing it to come to a complete dead stop for one second.
- Reset your posture and repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.
Common Mistakes
- Standing too upright during the pull
- Using momentum or bouncing the bar off the floor
- Rounding the lower back
- Shortening the range of motion by not touching the floor
Muscles Worked
Primary movers
- Lats
Stabilizers
- Rhomboids
- Trapezius
- Erector Spinae
- Rear Deltoids
Related Guides
- 1-Arm Half-Kneeling Lat Pulldown — Back
- Alternating High Cable Row — Back
- Alternative DB Gorilla rows — Back
Lats · Back