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Pendlay Row

Difficulty: ⭐⭐ Intermediatepull

Home Setup

Use a loaded duffel bag, heavy backpack, or water jugs in a sturdy bag as your resistance, performing the rowing motion from a hinged position

Heavy duffel bagLoaded backpackWater jugs in bagSturdy broomstick with weighted bags

💡 Pro tip: Place the bag on books or blocks to simulate the barbell height and ensure you can achieve a full dead-stop position between reps

Gym Setup

Barbell with appropriate weight plates, ideally using standard 45lb plates for proper height off the floor

Safety: Keep your back flat and core braced throughout; avoid rounding your lower back when setting up or pulling, and ensure the bar path is straight to your lower chest

💪 Muscles Worked

Latissimus DorsiMiddle TrapeziusRhomboidsRear DeltoidsBiceps

⭐ Why This Exercise?

The Pendlay Row builds explosive pulling strength and significant back thickness by requiring a dead-stop position between reps, eliminating momentum and forcing maximum muscle recruitment. This variation is excellent for developing upper back mass and improving posture while teaching proper hip hinge mechanics that transfer to other compound lifts.

Make It Easier

Regressions for building up strength

1. Bent-Over Barbell Row

barbell + weight plates

Maintains constant tension without the dead-stop, reducing technical demands and allowing focus on the pulling motion

2. Chest-Supported Dumbbell Row

incline bench + dumbbells

Removes lower back stability requirements and allows unilateral training with less technical complexity

3. Inverted Row

barbell in rack + TRX straps + smith machine

Bodyweight variation that teaches horizontal pulling pattern without loading the spine

Make It Harder

Progressions for advanced athletes

1. Deficit Pendlay Row

barbell + weight plates + platform or plates to stand on

Standing on plates increases range of motion and demands greater flexibility and back engagement

2. Paused Pendlay Row

barbell + weight plates

Adding a pause at the top of each rep increases time under tension and eliminates any momentum

3. Pendlay Row with Fat Gripz

barbell + weight plates + fat gripz or thick bar

Increases grip demands and forearm activation while maintaining the explosive pulling pattern

↕️ Similar Movements

Bent-Over Barbell Row
Continuous tension variation without dead-stop, allowing heavier loads and constant muscle engagement
T-Bar Row
Similar horizontal pull with more stable bar path and reduced lower back demands
Seal Row
Completely removes lower back from equation while maintaining horizontal pulling pattern
Yates Row
Underhand grip variation with more upright torso, emphasizing lower lats and biceps
Meadows Row
Unilateral landmine variation allowing greater stretch and contraction with rotational component

Form Checklist

✓Set up with barbell over mid-foot, hinge at hips until torso is nearly parallel to floor with flat back
✓Explode the bar to your lower chest/upper abdomen, leading with your elbows and squeezing shoulder blades together
✓Return bar completely to floor with control, reset your position, and eliminate all momentum before the next rep
✓Keep your neck neutral and core braced throughout; the bar should travel in a straight vertical line
✓Drive through your heels to maintain stable lower body position without using leg drive to assist the pull

Common Mistakes

  • •Using momentum or bouncing the bar off the floor instead of achieving a complete dead-stop between reps
  • •Rounding the lower back during setup or pulling, which increases injury risk and reduces back engagement
  • •Pulling the bar too high toward the neck or too low toward the hips instead of to the lower chest area
  • •Standing too upright or allowing the torso to rise during the pull, turning it into a standard bent-over row
  • •Using excessive weight that prevents proper form and explosive pulling motion

📈 When to Progress

Progress when you can complete 3-4 sets of 6-8 reps with explosive power while maintaining a dead-stop position and perfect form, with the bar touching the floor completely between each rep without any lower back rounding or momentum