T Bar Row Machine – Introduction
T-Bar Row Exercise Benefits, Muscles Worked + How To
Bodybuilders have a saying about building impressive back size: if you want to grow, you gotta row.
While pull-ups, chin-ups, and pulldowns are great for building a wider back, if you want to create a back that’s as thick as it is broad, you need rows too.
There are lots of row-type exercises to choose from, often collectively known as horizontal pulling exercises.
You can build back thickness with all types of rows:
- bent-over rows,
- single-arm dumbbell rows,
- seated cable rows,
- chest-supported rows,
- Kroc rows,
- Pendlay rows,
- Yates rows,
- Meadows rows, and
- inverted bodyweight rows.
Each of these exercises provides plenty of bang for your buck and will add slabs of muscle mass to your upper back.
Combine rowing exercises with vertical pulls to build the broad, muscular back of your dreams.
That said, of all the horizontal pulling exercises available, the T-bar row is among the most popular.
This old-school bodybuilding exercise has been around for decades, strongly suggesting it works.
This article reveals why and how to do this classic physique builder.
T-Bar Rows – Muscles Worked
T-bar rows are a multijoint or compound exercise.
As such, they affect several important muscles.
The main muscles trained by T-bar rows are:
Latissimus dorsi
Located on the sides of your torso, the lats give your upper back its width.
Well-developed lats look like muscular wings and are visible from the front as well as behind.
The functions of the lats are shoulder adduction and extension, and they also play a role in medial rotation.
Latissimus dorsi muscle
Trapezius
This large kite-shaped muscle covers much of your upper back.
It’s the muscle responsible for most of your upper back thickness.
There are three sets of trapezius fibers: upper, middle, and lower.
The middle fibers are the most active during T-bar rows.
Trapezius muscle fibers
Rhomboids
Located between your shoulder blades, the rhomboids work with your mid-traps to pull your shoulders back and together.
While they’re relatively small muscles, the rhomboids still contribute to your upper back thickness.
Rhomboid muscles minor and major
Deltoids
The deltoids are your most prominent shoulder muscles.
Known as the delts for short, there are three sets of fibers, commonly called heads: anterior (front), medial (side), and posterior (rear).
All three deltoid heads are involved in T-bar rows, but the posterior delts are the most active.
Deltoids: anterior (red), medial (green), and rear (blue)
Biceps brachii
More commonly known as the biceps, this muscle is located on the front of your upper arms and is responsible for the flexion of your elbows.
While T-bar rows are most definitely a back exercise, they will also strengthen and develop your biceps.
Biceps muscle
Forearms
Like all pulling exercises, T-bar rows involve a lot of forearm engagement.
After all, you’ll need to hang on tight as you pull the bar into your chest.
If your grip fails before your back, your forearms are weak and would benefit from some extra training.
Forearm muscles
Core
The core is the collective name for the muscles of your midsection.
This includes the:
- rectus abdominis,
- obliques,
- transverse abdominis, and
- erector spinae muscles.
Together, these muscles contract inward to increase intra-abdominal pressure, which helps support your lumbar spine during T-bar rows.
Core muscles
Lower body
While T-bar rows are most assuredly an upper-body exercise, they also involve your legs.
It’s not uncommon for the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes to shake during T-bar rows, as these muscles must work hard to keep you in a bent-over position.
However, this is an indirect training effect, and T-bar rows probably won’t do much for your lower body size or strength.
How to Do T-Bar Rows
When it comes to doing T-bar rows, your technique really matters.
How you do this exercise could be the difference between a safe and effective workout and one that results in severe injury.
So, follow this step-by-step guide to make sure you get the most from T-bar rows while minimizing any risks.
- Stand astride the bar with your feet roughly shoulder-width apart.
- Bend your knees and squat down to grab the handle you want to use (wide, medium, narrow, overhand, or neutral grip).
- Pull your shoulders down and back, and brace your core.
- Using your legs, and without rounding your lower back, drive your feet into the platform and stand up.
- This is basically a deadlift.
- Bend your knees slightly and then hinge forward from your hips until your body is inclined to the required angle – usually 30 to 45 degrees.
- Bend your elbows and row the handle up and into your abdomen. Squeeze your shoulders back and down.
- Extend your arms and repeat.
Tips:
- Use lifting straps or chalk to reinforce your grip if necessary.
- Keep your weight on your heels to avoid being pulled forward and off balance.
- Experiment with all the available grips to see which you prefer.
- You can also do T-bar rows with a landmine device and a suitable handle.
- Some gyms have chest-supported T-bar rows, which take the stress off your lower back.
T-Bar Row Machine Benefits
Do T-bar rows deserve a place in your back workouts?
Consider these benefits and then decide!
Less lower back stress than barbell bent-over rows
Many trainers and fitness experts say that regular bent-over rows are dangerous, and they may have a point.
Unsupported forward flexion puts tremendous stress on your lower back, which is a common cause of injury.
T-bar rows put you into a biomechanically safer position, so there is less lower back stress.
They’re not 100 percent safe, but T-bar rows are arguably easier on your lumbar spine than regular barbell bent-over rows.
A versatile exercise
Most T-bar rows offer several hand positions, including:
- Narrow-neutral
- Narrow-underhand
- Shoulder width-neutral
- Shoulder-width overhand
- Wide-overhand
With five different grip options, you can choose the hand position that best matches your preferences and goals.
Not sure which to use?
Try them all and see which you prefer.
Suitable for all levels
While most videos and images of T-bar rows show massive bodybuilders hoisting huge weights, it’s up to you how many plates you load onto the bar, and you don’t have to use any weight if you don’t want to.
As such, this exercise is suitable for all strength levels, from novice lifter to Olympia champion.
A total back exercise
T-bar rows work every muscle on the back of your body, including the upper and lower back, glutes, and hamstrings.
While chest-supported and single-arm rows are great upper-back exercises, they don’t involve the rest of your body.
In terms of bang for your training buck, T-bar rows make excellent use of your training time and energy.
T-Bar Row Drawbacks
While T-bar rows are mostly safe and effective, there are a couple of drawbacks to consider, too:
Lower back stress
T-bar rows are more lower back-friendly than regular bent-over rows, but they still put a reasonable amount of stress on your lower back.
If you have a history of lower back pain or tend to round your lumbar spine when you lean forward, T-bar rows may not be the best back exercise for you.
Equipment
It should be no surprise that you need a T-bar row machine to do T-bar rows.
While gyms usually have them, they may be impractical for home exercisers.
The good news is that there are several ways to replicate T-bar rows at home.
Cheating
While you should always avoid using your legs and lower back to hoist the weight up, it’s very easy to cheat during T-bar rows to lift more weight or pump out a few extra reps.
You’ll get more from T-bar rows and lower your risk of injury if you keep your upper body stationary and focus on just moving your arms.
Tricky to learn and master
Despite its popularity, the T-bar row may not be suitable for all exercisers.
Leaning over in unsupported forward flexion requires good hamstring flexibility, strong glutes and hamstrings, and a well-developed core.
You’ll also need to be able to sense and control the position of your lower back.
As such, T-bar rows are quite tricky to do correctly and may not be suitable for beginners.
T-Bar Row Alternatives
No T-bar row machine?
No problem!
There are several exercises you can do that are just as effective as T-bar rows.
Barbell T-bar row
You can replicate T-bar rows with a standard Olympic barbell.
This is an excellent option for home workouts.
The grip is a little funky, but you’ll soon get the hang of it, and it’s a small price to pay for the convenience of doing T-bar rows at home.
How to do it:
- Place one end of your barbell in a corner or against the bottom of a squat rack.
- You can protect your barbell by putting a tennis ball with a split cut into it over the endcap.
- Stand astride the bar and hold it with your hands close together and facing inward.
- Stand up and lean over with your shoulders pulled back, core braced, knees slightly bent, and arms straight.
- Bend your arms and pull the bar into your body.
- Extend your arms and repeat.
How to t bar row with a barbell
Barbell Pendlay rows
Named after weightlifting and powerlifting coach Glen Pendlay, this rowing variation starts and ends with the weight resting on the floor.
As such, it’s also known as the dead-stop row.
Pendlay rows are easier on your lower back and grip than conventional bent-over rows, which is why we consider them an excellent alternative to T-bar rows.
How to do it:
- Place your barbell on the floor so it’s roughly mid-shin height.
- Stand behind your bar so your toes are beneath it, feet about hip-width apart.
- Bend your knees slightly, hinge forward from your hips, and lean over to grasp the bar with an overhand, slightly wider-than-shoulder-width grip.
- Straighten your arms, back your core, lift your chest, and pull your shoulders back and down.
- Without using your legs or jerking, bend your arms and row the bar off the floor and into your midsection.
- Extend your arms, lower the bar back to the floor, allow it to settle for 1-3 seconds, and then repeat.
- Reset your core and grip between reps.
Barbell Pendlay row technique
Inverted rows
No T-bar row machine?
That’s okay; you can hit your upper back using just your body weight for resistance.
This is not just a good T-bar row alternative; it’s also an excellent pull-up/chin-up preparatory exercise.
How to do it:
- Place a barbell in a squat rack set to about waist height.
- Sit on the floor below the bar with your legs extended in front of you.
- Hold the bar with an overhand slightly wider than shoulder-width grip.
- Lift your hips so your body and arms are straight.
- Pull your shoulders back and down and brace your core.
- Bend your elbows and pull your chest up to lightly touch the bar.
- Extend your arms and repeat.
- Make this exercise easier by raising the height of the bar or harder by raising your feet.
Inverted row tutorial
Single-arm dumbbell rows
Even T-bar rows put some stress on your lower back.
While not necessarily a bad thing, some exercisers may prefer a more lower back-friendly exercise.
Single-arm dumbbell rows allow you to support your lower back almost entirely, leaving you free to focus on pushing your lats to their limit, albeit one side at a time.
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in one hand.
- Bend your knees slightly and lean forward to place your other hand on a knee-high bench.
- Your upper back should be roughly parallel to the floor.
- Pull your shoulder down and back, brace your abs, and let the dumbbell hang straight down with your palm turned inward.
- Bend your elbow and pull the weight up and into your ribs.
- Extend your arm and repeat.
- Do the same number of reps on both sides.
Chest-supported dumbbell row
While they’re a great exercise, not all gyms have a chest-supported T-bar row machine.
That’s a shame because as lower back-friendly exercises go, the chest-supported T-bar row is hard to beat.
The good news is that you can replicate this exercise with an adjustable bench and a couple of dumbbells.
How to do it:
- Set the backrest on an adjustable bench to around 30 degrees.
- Lie face down on the bench and hold a dumbbell in each hand.
- Pull your shoulders back and down and let the dumbbells hang straight down.
- Bend your elbows and pull the weights up to your lower ribs.
- Keep your wrists straight.
- Extend your arms and repeat.
- Depending on the length of your arms and the height of your bench, it may be necessary to raise your bench on blocks so you can do this exercise with a full range of motion.
Yates row
The Yates row is named after six-time Mr. Olympia winner Dorian Yates.
Yates was famed for his massive back, and this was his favorite back-building exercise.
Unlike conventional bent-over rows, this exercise involves a more upright torso, which takes stress off the lower back while allowing you to lift more weight.
How to do it:
- Hold a barbell with a shoulder-width underhand grip.
- Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, knees slightly bent.
- Brace your core and pull your shoulders down and back.
- Hinge forward at the hips until your upper body is inclined to about 30 to 45 degrees.
- Let your arms hang straight down from your shoulders.
- Leading with your elbows, bend your arms and row the bar up to your abdomen.
- Keep your upper arms close to your sides.
- Extend your arms and repeat.
T-Bar Row Machine Guide – Wrapping Up
T-bar rows are an iconic horizontal pulling exercise.
Bodybuilders have used them for many decades to build their upper backs.
Exercises usually fall out of favor if they don’t work, so the fact that T-bar rows are still popular after so long suggests they’re effective.
However, T-bar rows are also a little risky, as they put a lot of pressure on your lower back.
While they’re not as dangerous as conventional bent-over barbell rows, they may be too demanding for lifters with pre-existing back issues and for beginners.
Thankfully, there are plenty of exercises you can do instead of T-bar rows, many of which are much more lower back-friendly.
While pull-ups and pulldowns will help you build a broader back, for thickness, rows are hard to beat.
Combine equal amounts of vertical and horizontal pulling exercises to build the back of your dreams.
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