Build a COLOSSAL Back with One Simple Exercise (Bent Barbell Row Checklist) 

BaseStrengthAI is more reliable than a coach, cheaper than an Excel template!👇👇👇 www.BaseStrength.com/the-app Bromley Merch from Barbell Apparel only available HERE! 👇👇👇 barbellapparel.com/Bromley

For a while, I actually dumped bent over rows in favor of machines. They allowed a lot more volume, mind muscle connection, squeeze and feeling...but I think overall it was a mistake. Working the erectors with submaximal loads didn't impact deadlifts in the program at all, and in fact helped them. Also allowing for a slight use of momentum stimulated the lats and traps more. Finally, being forced to brace really helped a lot with that as well.

“Assume that you are not Dorian Yates” That’s some good advice right there 😂

Never seen Dave Tate nerd out as much as he did while talking to you. Seemed like y'all genuinely enjoyed the conversation. It was amazing to see y'all talk about how RU-vid channel inner workings are (trying to get one off the ground now).

Nice one Bromley! Your recent Table Talk with Dave Tate was unreal. Fastest 4+ hours ever.

We’re incredibly lucky to have a guy like Bromley provide all kinds of strength knowledge… for free. Appreciate the information!

I've always enjoyed bent over rows, but I neglected them for a very long time. Started integrating them a few weeks ago and already feeling stronger in my back and biceps. Such a brilliant exercise

I’m a big fan of dumbbell bent over rows, done in a way that feels opposite of a dumbbell press, overhand grip, upper back focused. Lots of range of motion and each side of body worked symmetrically / no way for one side of body to become more dominant. My back blew up doing these and one arm dumbbell bent over rows with neutral grip targeting more whole back 💪

I hit 225 on rows (strict with a tiny bit of play towards the end of my 5 x 5) but haven't been able to crack 500 on my deadlift yet. I just hit 455 last week, which is a 10 lbs jump from last month. I'm starting to feel like 500 is more attainable though!

Extremely high quality content, as usual. Bromley’s content is absolutely the most accurate, helpful, thorough, and thoughtful around. Support the guy if you can, folks.

The Bent Over row has always felt like one of the more gentle exercises on my back, after I came back from an injury it was one of the first I came back to. Which I imagine is because it is much more about stabilizing then working through a movement. Could just be that it agrees with me tho

Thanks for the great content Alexander. Pronated barbell rows will feel even better after watching this video!

Instantly clicked the second I saw the Barbell row, since it's one of my 2 favorite exercises along with the Squat, highly informative and I truly enjoyed the video.

Great video as usual, bro. Still picking away at your table talk episode, but I'm happy to see you on there and I hope it brings you more subscribers!

Doing Week three of the Nunez program on boost camp. So far, this is the first thing featured in RU-vid ads/sponsors that I have ever actually appreciated. So, thank you. Looking forward to getting through silly hypertrophy phase (Disciplining myself because I like sets of 5 so much) and starting one of your programs in about five weeks.

How you only have 104K subs is beyond me. Thanks for the content brother!

I couple my rows with my benches on both ME and DE days. Yes I row with bands and chains. Two things. Your ratio is spot on and back fatigue is not a problem.

0:29 THIS will be the ethos for upper back training!

This channel has saved my back in more ways than one!

Ay ay big boy Bromli with another amazing video, thank you bud. I hope all is well❤

It works your back like ALL of other rowing & pulling machines combined, I love it!

Thank you for always having different quality audio for adverts so i know exactly when im past it

Perfect timing, my upper back (mainly traps) has been a big weak-point of mine for long enough

Bro, on the ads. Those of us that have watched you for a long time are just happy to see you kicking butt man. Keep it going and we’ll keep watching because what you put out is valuable, therefore we value it.

Thank you for this very interesting video. You gave some cues of details that I did wrong. I like rows a lot so thanks for improving my technique ! I also started doing the "minimalist" program you described in a recent video and I like it a lot. I use it as my base program, be it with more sets, and when time permits I add in some exercises. I am really enjoying it, am super motivated and seeing nice results so thanks a lot for that one also :)

An excellent overview of this important movement.

I've been finding a lot of my love for rows in the plate loaded iso row that hammer strength has. I normally put the hundreds on the arms to start an end up doing sets of high reps. I love that machine and got I think most of my thickness and strength from that as of late 💯💯

Been waiting on this one. Been focusing heavily on upper back.

Wow he is very thorough. Love it.

Hey man just wanted to say that I really appreciate these videos and how you cover both bodybuilding and strength training(powerlifting). Please keep these videos coming.

Best fitness content out there, raw educational and no bs.

Probably the best breakdown of this movement I have seen on YT. I love the board it gives the lesson another dimension just like in a classroom. Could you do a compare and contrast with this movement versus the T- Bar Row in the same manner? A lot of confusion exists between the two and you are just the guy to properly break it down. Excellent video glad I found your channel!

Youve quickly become one of my go-to heavy hitters on youtube💯

Thanks for the quality content

I alternate bar path and range between seal rows and bent over barbell rows. Pull with more upper back/romboids with stricter form with seal rows. More load, slanted angle with looser form with bent over rows. So far so good for me.

Great Video man!

Great Video Alax Thanks

Thanks!

Started doing them with 30kg bilaterally and its amazing from strength and hypertrophy perspectives

When someone chimes in as a fitfluencer saying barbell bent over rows aren't a worthwhile exercise because it doesn't target muscles for Hypertrophy as machines do, I tune out to everything they say following that.

Barbell Rows have done wonders for my physique, confidence, and other gym lifts.

Great video. I started doing bent-over rows before deadlifts a few months ago and love it. I think you suggested it in Superior Deadlift. It doesn't interfere with the DL workout. In fact, I keep my back more solid and engage lats more after starting this. It also doesn't take extra time because it seamlessly fits into DL warmups. I used to try them after DLs, but I didn't have the energy and either skipped them or did a half-ass job.

Thanks Doc very helpful!

I have recently been experimenting with bent over barbell rows the way they were done in the 60s and 70s (huge deficit, controlled movement but with flexion and extension of the spine etc.) and I absolutely love them, I have never done an exercise that has lit up my entire back like that. Properly periodized with heavier variations I can't imagine a lot of things that will get your back bigger than that (if you do your heavy main movements as well of course)

Thank you💪

Such a great video

Amazing Video

A big back is simply the coolest thing you can earn in the gym. There's only one way to earn it, and that's years of hard work on a lot of big, heavy movements. Plus, it's the best way to look like you lift in clothes, even in a sweater.

Nothing more badass than a massive upper back!! Loved this one, the perfect kind of motivation

Information on point, whiteboard work 👌🏿

today i tried attaching a cabel row handle to the belt squat lever and it works really well. like a t-bar row but with the articulation of a cable (in this case a chain). i find that on most if not all cabel row stations the foot rests are too far below the line of pull for me, so if anybody feels the same way, try it out.

I just finished the second week of the second block in the Kong Program. Downloading Boostcamp is by far the best thing I've done, since I started lifting. I can't wait to see what's next. "Assume you're not Dorian Yates." is the best advice I've gotten yet. I tried his Blood and Guts approach, and I had to learn the hard way, that I'm not nearly as genetically gifted as Dorian. The only gain I achieved was in my ability to suffer. 😅

One of the first things I ever did with my first runs of 5/3/1 about like, Jesus, 10 years ago?, was add a day for barbell rows and give it it’s own progression. I recall being stuck with my deadlift and changing focus to emphasize row strength for a solid year. When I went back to the deads after I was breaking personal bests month after month. I am not strong by any standards but the barbell row has always helped me. Don’t get me wrong nothing is more of bitch and pain to do then sets of 10 of rows but I know it works. Solid video man. Legit content.

Love a bent row. usually do the flexion rows when I used a chest supported machine.

Jokes are on point. Good sense of humour, and great educational content again. Thanks Bromley.

Thanks for the shove and all that you do and intellectually communicate to us!!! OooRah👊🇺🇸👊

Me: Doing Pendlay Rows Teens at my gym: "thats not a deadlift, Mister.

This is my favorite back exercise

My back is by far my most overdeveloped bodypart, but it's mostly lats/width, and I am only watching because I'm such a fan of bent bb rows

Dorian also tore his left biceps doing his famous Yates row. Bent rows and cable pullovers have done more for my back than pullups used to. I get shoulder tightness in the teres region if I push vertical pulling too much. I prefer cable lat pullover/lat prayers with a strap to fill out extra lat volume that I don't get with rowing alone. I'll throw in some single arm cable rows with slight trunk rotation to work on scapular movement, can really focus on technique with one arm (also get a gnarly lat contraction not usually felt by slightly bending into the working arm at the end of the concentric).

I love barbell rows 💯

I know these work, I just need to quit being lazy and DO THEM. Thanks for the reminder 💪

A minute and 22 seconds in and I’m subscribed

Ah, the return of the whiteboard...nice. Also, 3 months of upper back training raised my total by 10%, including these rows.

Intel was ELITE. 😂 absolute love it

Most videos try to advise people against barbell rows, it's good to see that there are some people who promote it. I always liked this excercise, for me it is as fundamental as bench press or barbell squat.

I pretty much ignored any “optimal” back angle advice and spammed pendlay rows and the like until I got to 315 x 6 beltless with reasonable body English. All of a sudden it’s “how do you not hurt your low back” and “how is your back so big” literally do the barbell rows you’re so terrified of. Heavy and for reps. Your back is so big and strong you barely need to worry about feeling it or technique, it _will_ respond

the drawings were pretty awesome

Wenning shot @9:10 was gold.

Rows are my heaven.

Bent over Row has always been a staple in my work out I've been in the gym five years consistently I've worked up to a 235 row for sets of six at the moment. If you're perfectly healthy and not rowing you simply too lazy and lack the mental strength to master the movement it is very difficult and can be taxing on the lower back but like anything else with practice and consistency it gets easier like other workouts, I remember when 135 felt like 1,000,000 pounds now it's my warm-up I can almost roll it with one hand.

My elbows and wrist hurt just thinking about doing them supinated 😢 I do them pronated from a slight deficit to the top of my stomach pendlay style with minimal cheating. Works best for me.

Opinion on the use of belts for this exercise to help regulate lower back fatigue?

What are your thoughts on the T-Bar row? I found it was more effective at building my upper back, gave me better upper body pulling strength in Jiu Jitsu, and caused less pain in my lower back. I do them with the Angle 90s grips.

Watching all of these big name fitness people go to war over the bent over row is like watching your parents fighting

Have ads, get money. Keep making awesome vids.

Row and grow!

I don’t ever see it but I always want a better back 💪

"Spin your girl" yeaaaah my girl 😢

The PUP Cam rules. Thank you.

You had me at colossal

Strong guys have always done bent over BB Rows; Grimek, Park, Draper, Sergio, Schwarzenegger, Yates, Coleman, more guys than I can even remember.

I’ve gotten a huge amount out of pendlay rows and am pretty proud of the weight I can use with that starting from off the ground. I usually prioritize that as the row I do. Just curious if you would argue to put more emphasis on upright row. I saw John Haack mentioning pendlay as one of his go to’s for supplemental for deadlift and since then I’ve really enjoyed utilizing it but I’m not sure if there’s another angle I should be looking at. Thanks!

Comprehension check for myself: in Chapter 9, discussing the range of motion, is it correct to take away that what you're suggesting is the range of motion & positioning of a Pendlay row, but without letting the plates return to the ground at the bottom?

1:17 lmao I love this guy

You reviewed his PL Texas Style book a few years ago, but I recently got into Kelso Shrugs after reading his book. Interested if you have any input on those! Paul seems like he would have enjoyed this video

Matt Wenning called 😂

I came, I saw, I stayed to til the end and I will conquer all 🤝

Natural gallant does the slant with the arc path and shortened range of motion and his back is huge. Makes no sense lol but I’m always drawn in bc the proof is in the pudding

I just added in Kroc rows once a week. Thoughts?

Can you demonstrate the recommended form? Thanks

I wish you said something about elbow angle, cause I you can flare them out or pull with more straight direction behind the back. It usually feels different. What's the best way of doing it ?

Love the row but always found it hard to reliably measure progress. Am I lifting more or am I just cheating more, sorta thing. Still a fun movement

What would be the best rep range for this variation of bent over row?

Out of all the back movement I love, the Bent over Barbell Row has to be number one and Pullups a close second. Just doing those two exercises will change the way you look from the back as well as make you brutally strong. Forget all those fancy angled single-arm pulldowns(you don't need them unless you're advanced), rows are where it's at.

The past couple of years, I have seen a lot of hate towards the Barbell Back Row, but throughout all of that, I have stayed loyal to the Row. #RowsForTheHoes

I’m going through a phase now where I’m focusing most of my strength specific work on compound movements I long neglected. Bent Rows, RDLs, pull ups, dips, and seated dumbbell OHP are my primary movements this cycle and I’m loving the progress in my upper back strength doing rows and pull ups.

What is your opinion of focusing on the vertical pull with weighted wide-grip pullups and treating barbell row as a "leftover". I deadlift 465# x 5 but I am 35 y/o and I try to minimize my lumbar engagement where I can (9 years US Army Rangers) as my lumbar gets activated with barbell back squats and aforementioned deadlifts. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!

What about landmine and meadows rows as an alternative variation to standard barbell rows?

more pup cam !!