Starting Strength, 3rd Edition - Mark Rippetoe [176]
Now that this is out of the way, let’s get one more thing out of the way. Most people associate rows with machines that place you in a position to do them; cable rows or the machine version of the T-bar rows are the most common. But the most valuable rowing exercise is the one that makes you assume the position and maintain it throughout the set. This way, you get the benefits of both moving the bar through the rowing motion and doing the stability work needed to hold your back in the right position to do the rowing motion. As with all beneficial barbell training, the more work you have to do during the exercise, the better the exercise. So let’s learn how to do a proper barbell row.
Barbell rows start on the floor and end on the floor, each and every rep. The bar does not hang from the arms between reps. Each rep is separated by a breath and a reset of the lower back. Starting from the floor enables the hamstrings and glutes to help get the bar moving, so that the lats and scapula retractors can finish a heavier weight than they could from a dead hang in the arms. Done this way, the exercise works not only the lats, upper back, and arms – the muscles typically associated with rowing – but the low back and hip extensors as well.
When you are rowing from the floor, the most critical factor in technique is the position of the lower back. The lumbar spine must be held in extension, just like it is in a deadlift and for exactly the same reason. A major difference between rows and deadlifts is the fact that in rows, the back angle changes as the bar comes off the floor; the knees are already extended and are not really involved much, so the hip extensors contribute to the initial pull from the floor by raising the chest using the locked back, transmitting this force to the bar. The finish occurs as the elbows bend and slam the bar into the lower rib cage area. The bar will leave the floor from a position directly below the scapulas, just as in a deadlift; but in a barbell row, unlike a deadlift, the back angle will never become vertical, and will not rise much higher than the shoulders at about 15–20 degrees above horizontal.
Approach the bar with a deadlift stance, maybe not quite as close; light weights can be pulled in a curved bar path to the belly as you warm up, but as the weight gets heavier, standard pulling mechanics will prevail and the bar will operate vertically over the mid-foot, as it does in all heavy pulling exercises. As weight is added, the bar will adjust itself to the correct position over the foot, whether you want it to or not. The grip width can vary quite a bit, but a grip that’s about the same as the bench-press width is perhaps the best place to start. With heavier weights, you can use a hook grip or straps. Your eyes should be fixed on the floor a few feet in front of you. Don’t look straight down, but don’t try to look straight forward, either, because doing so will extend your neck too much.
Take a big breath, raise the bar from the floor with straight elbows to get it moving, and continue bringing it up by bending your elbows and slamming the bar into the upper part of your belly. This movement leads with the elbows, and you should think about slamming your elbows into the ceiling. The most important part of the technique of the barbell row is the back position: the spine must be locked into extension, with the chest up and the lower back arched, the whole time the bar is moving. After the bar contacts your belly, lower the bar back to the floor, exhale and take a new breath, and reset your back before each rep. Don’t attempt to hold the bar against your belly at the top or lower the bar too slowly; the barbell row is like the deadlift in that the work is intended to be mainly concentric. Since heavier weights will essentially be dropped, you’ll want to use bumper plates for rowing, or use rubber mats under your standard iron plates.
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