Pendlay Row
The Pendlay row is a barbell row from the floor, torso parallel to the ground, where every rep starts from a dead stop and is pulled explosively to the lower chest to train the mid back and lats.
BACK · PULL
How it is executed
- Stand over a barbell with feet shoulder-width apart.
- Hinge at the hips until your torso is parallel to the floor and grip the bar with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder width.
- From a dead stop on the floor, explosively row the bar to your lower chest, squeezing your back at the top.
- Lower the bar back to the floor and let it settle before the next rep.
- Each rep starts from the floor with no momentum.
Common mistakes
- Lifting the torso as the bar comes up. If the chest rises on every rep, the extra range comes from the hips, not the back. Keep the torso parallel to the floor and use the pause at the bottom to reset.
- Bouncing the bar off the floor. The plates give back the first inches for free and the explosive pull loses its point. Let the bar settle completely, take a breath, and start every rep from a dead stop.
- Rounding the lower back to reach the bar. With the torso this horizontal, the spine gives way if the hips do not go back. Push the hips back with a neutral spine; with full-size plates the bar sits at the right height.
- Using more weight than the back can pull. When the bar cannot reach the chest without a hip jerk, the explosiveness is coming from the legs. Drop the load until the bar travels straight up and touches the lower chest without momentum.
Frequently asked questions
- Which muscles does the Pendlay row work?
- The main muscles are the mid back: rhomboids, middle traps and rear delts, which pull the shoulder blades together and drive the elbows back, along with the latissimus dorsi, which pulls the arm toward the torso. The biceps and forearms assist by bending the elbow and holding the bar. Because the torso stays parallel to the floor with no support, the spinal erectors, glutes and hamstrings work isometrically for the whole set.
- What is the difference between the Pendlay row and the barbell row?
- In the classic barbell row the bar hangs from the hands the whole set and the torso sits at about 45 degrees, with continuous tension between reps. In the Pendlay row the bar returns to the floor on every rep, the torso stays parallel to the ground and the pull is explosive. That allows more load and a clean reset every rep, with less lower back fatigue. For volume and hypertrophy, the classic row; for strength and power, the Pendlay.
- How many sets and reps of Pendlay rows should you do?
- A common starting point is 4 sets of 5 to 8 reps, finishing with 1 to 3 reps in reserve. It is a strength exercise with an explosive pull, so it works best early in the session, while the back is fresh, and with short sets that keep the torso parallel. If the bar stops reaching the chest on the last reps or the hips start helping, end the set.
- What grip should you use and where should the bar go on the Pendlay row?
- The standard grip is overhand, slightly wider than shoulder width, so the elbows travel out and the bar reaches the lower chest, which is where the mid back works hardest. With a narrower grip and the elbows close to the body the bar touches lower and the lats take over, as in a classic row. The feet sit hip-width apart with the bar over the middle of the foot, so it travels straight up.
Sources and editorial approach
The explanation, variations and FAQs are Kaizer’s editorial synthesis. ACSM’s 2026 guidance provides general context on progression and resistance training in healthy adults; it does not independently validate the technique of each variation.
No individual professional review is recorded for this page.
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