Master SFG Mark Reifkind insightfully warned, “Don’t live in your sports posture.” Which is where bodybuilding pull-ups and rows come in. As correctives.
I favor bilateral chest supported rows like Dan John’s “batwings” or Hammer machine rows. Why bilateral?—Because single-arm rows make it easy to get sneaky and avoid pinching the shoulder blades.
Single arm dumbbell rows can be an effective substitute to hollow position pull-ups as a general strength exercise for anyone or a “special strength I” exercise for wrestlers and MMA fighters. But we are in the corrective territory now, and if you are trying to open up, a single-arm row is not the right tool for the job. So bilateral it is.
The hollow position one-arm dumbbell row demonstrated by elite MMA fighter Joe Lauzon is an effective alternative to the hollow position pull-up. Photo by Kyle Holland, courtesy Steve Baccari.
The Problem With Bent-Over Barbell Rows
I like chest supported rows because they spare the lower back and the glutes. Bent-over barbell rows trash the erectors through a long static contraction. Your lower back can take only so much work; would you not rather give it its allowance in more productive ways like deadlifts or kettlebell swings and snatches? We want a strong back, not a tired one.
Of course, there are plenty of examples of elite powerlifters doing heavy bent-over barbell rows: Dr. Mauro DiPasquale for his bench press, Brad Gillingham for his deadlifts, and so on. But these are special exercises selected by world class athletes totally in tune with their bodies—not general ones, to be used by all athletes or even all powerlifters. Many powerlifting stars do just fine without rows, thank you very much.
The Dead Row
There is one bent-over barbell row variation that spares the lower back, while offering additional benefits: the “dead” row. (Note: don’t try it if you have long legs and a short torso.) Olympic weightlifting coach Glenn Pendlay explains the drill:
“…the best way to do them is to start with the bar on the floor every single rep. Your middle back will have slight bend to it. You pull the bar off the floor quickly with the arms, and by a powerful arch of your middle back. You finish by touching the bar to your upper stomach or middle stomach. At no time is there any movement of the hips or knees, no hip extension at all. All that bends is the middle back and the shoulders and elbows. This is hard to do and you have to have good muscular control to do it, or you’ll end up straightening up at the hips along with the arching of the back. But if you can master doing them this way you will get a big back… The bar returns to the floor after each rep. The bent row is actually best done as an explosive movement and the bar is moved fast.”
The Tug of War Row
The tug of war row by Russian strongman Valentin Dikul is another good choice of a row. It does fatigue the lower back and glutes, but not as much as the bent-over row.
Attach a V-handle to a low cable stack. Back off far enough from the stack to run the cable at an approximately 45-degree angle. Sit back and dip your knees slightly, as if you are playing tug of war, and row.
This cable row variation is a lot safer on your lower back because it does not encourage flexion and it teaches a useful athletic skill that martial artists call “rooting.”
Russian strongman Dikul showing the tug of war row.
Suspension Trainer Bodyweight Rows
Suspension trainer bodyweight rows are okay when one is weak and almost upright. When your body is parallel to the deck and you are cranking out reps, your cheeks have to stay clenched for the duration. Wearing out the glutes on a corrective just does not seem right. Save them for heavy deads, crisp swings, and upper body general strength exercises like bench presses and handstand push-ups.
Other Options
There are also row-free solutions to countering the hollow position: various barbell pulls from Olympic weightlifting, double kettlebell high pulls, double kettlebell snatches, bent presses, etc.
Until then, go get strong.
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