Inverted Row

1. Set a barbell in a rack, or use a Smith machine bar, at about waist height.
2. Lie underneath and grab the bar with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder width.
3. Walk your feet forward until your body is straight from head to heels, weight resting on your heels.
4. Squeeze your glutes and brace your core to lock in a rigid plank.
5. Pull your chest to the bar by driving your elbows down and back and squeezing your shoulder blades together.
6. Touch or nearly touch the bar with your lower chest.
7. Lower yourself under control until your arms are fully extended.
8. Repeat while keeping the plank intact; raise the bar to make it easier, lower it or elevate your feet to make it harder.

Common Mistakes

• Hips sagging toward the floor: losing the plank turns the row into an arm pull and strains the lower back. Squeeze the glutes and keep a straight line from shoulders to heels on every rep.
• Half reps at the top: stopping well short of the bar leaves the shoulder blades unsqueezed and the upper back undertrained. Pull until your chest reaches or nearly reaches the bar.
• Shrugging the shoulders toward the ears: pulling with elevated shoulders shifts work to the upper traps and crowds the neck. Pull the shoulder blades down and back as you row.
• Leading with the chin: poking the head toward the bar fakes range of motion. Keep the neck neutral and let the chest, not the face, close the distance.