Barbell Pendlay Row

1. Load a barbell on the floor and stand over it with a stance similar to your deadlift, bar over mid foot.
2. Hinge until your torso is parallel to the floor and grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder width.
3. Flatten your back, brace your core, and let your arms hang straight; this is the start of every rep.
4. Pull the bar explosively to your lower chest or upper abdomen, driving the elbows up and back.
5. Touch the torso briefly, keeping your body position frozen; only the arms and shoulder blades move.
6. Lower the bar back to the floor under reasonable control and let it settle completely.
7. Reset your back angle and brace before the next rep; no bouncing between reps.
8. Exhale after each pull, inhale and re-brace during the reset on the floor.

Common Mistakes

• Standing up between reps: raising the torso to 45 degrees turns the lift into a cheat row; the parallel back angle is the entire point of the Pendlay.
• Using stretch reflex off the floor: tap-and-go reps remove the dead stop that makes this row build starting strength.
• Pulling with the arms first: the shoulder blades should drive the movement, with the arms finishing; a bicep-first pull stalls at heavy weight.
• Loading past your back angle: if the torso rises to lift the bar, drop 10 to 20 percent and earn the weight with strict position.

Programming Tips

The Pendlay row is the strictest barbell row: every rep starts dead on the floor with a horizontal torso, which deletes the momentum and torso heave that creep into regular bent over rows. That start-and-stop nature makes it a strength lift first, so program it for 3 to 5 sets of 3 to 6 explosive reps early in a pull or full body session, when the lower back is fresh. It pairs especially well with deadlift training, since holding the hinged position and pulling hard off the floor is exactly the quality heavy pulls demand.

Because each rep resets, use 10 to 15 percent less weight than your touch-and-go bent over row and treat bar speed as the quality signal: when reps stop snapping off the floor, the set is done. For pure back hypertrophy at higher reps, a regular bent over row or chest supported row is a better tool; the Pendlay position is hard to hold long enough for sets of 12.

Common Questions

What makes this different from a normal bent over row?

Three things: the torso stays parallel to the floor, the bar rests completely on the floor between reps, and each pull is explosive. A standard row uses a higher torso angle and continuous tension without the reset.

Why can I row less weight this way?

The dead stop removes the stretch reflex and stored momentum, so the lats and upper back must produce all the force from zero. Weaker numbers are expected and are precisely why the lift builds pulling strength so well.

Is it normal for my torso to rise slightly during the pull?

A few degrees of rise on maximal efforts is acceptable, but if you finish the rep half upright, the weight is too heavy. The exercise only does its job while the torso stays close to parallel.