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.