Reverse Grip Bent-Over Rows

What it is

This compound pulling exercise is excellent for building strength in your entire back. It primarily targets your middle back muscles while significantly engaging your biceps, lats, and shoulders. You perform this movement with a barbell, pulling the weight towards your torso from a bent-over position.

Technique tips

• Keep your back straight and nearly parallel to the floor throughout the movement.
• Maintain a slight bend in your knees to protect your lower back.
• Pull the barbell towards your lower chest or upper abdomen with your elbows close.
• Squeeze your middle back muscles at the top of each repetition.
• Control the weight on the way down, resisting the pull to maximize muscle engagement.
• Breathe out as you pull the weight up, and inhale as you lower it.

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.