Pendlay Row Guide: Proper Form and Back Benefits
Master the Pendlay row with our step-by-step guide. Learn how to build explosive upper back strength and improve your deadlift with strict barbell form.
How to Perform
- Approach a loaded barbell on the floor and position your feet roughly hip-width apart with the mid-foot directly under the bar.
- Hinge at the hips and bend your knees slightly until your torso is parallel to the floor, maintaining a neutral spine.
- Grip the barbell with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width and engage your core to lock your spine in place.
- Explosively pull the barbell toward your lower chest by driving your elbows up and back while keeping your torso stationary.
- Briefly touch the bar to your chest before controlling the weight back down to a dead stop on the floor.
- Allow the weight to settle completely on the ground to reset your tension before beginning the next repetition.
Common Mistakes
- Using momentum by jerking the torso upward during the lift
- Allowing the lower back to round instead of maintaining a flat profile
- Bouncing the plates off the floor rather than resetting from a dead stop
- Pulling the bar too high toward the collarbone instead of the mid-torso
Muscles Worked
Primary movers
- Upper Back
Stabilizers
- Lats
- Rhomboids
- Rear Delts
- Erector Spinae
Related Guides
- 1-Arm Half-Kneeling Lat Pulldown — Back
- Alternating High Cable Row — Back
- Alternative DB Gorilla rows — Back
Upper Back · Back