One-Arm Long Bar Row

What it is

This powerful compound pulling exercise primarily targets your middle back, with significant engagement from your biceps and latissimus dorsi. You perform it with one end of a barbell secured in a landmine attachment or corner, allowing a natural arcing motion. It helps build a strong, thick back and improves overall pulling strength. Master your form to maximize muscle activation and prevent injury.

Technique tips

• Maintain a stable, bent-knee stance with your hips back and chest up.
• Initiate the pull by retracting your shoulder blade, not just flexing your arm.
• Keep your core braced throughout the movement to protect your spine.
• Avoid using momentum; pull the weight with controlled power.
• Briefly pause at the top of the pull to maximize back muscle contraction.
• Control the eccentric phase, slowly lowering the weight to the starting position.

How to track your progress

Log the weight and reps of each set. Straddly turns every set into an estimated one-rep max, so a heavier single and a strong set of eight both count as progress, and it flags a personal record the moment you beat your best.