Reverse Grip Barbell Row

In SetGrip: Barbell Row (Reverse Grip)

Secondary muscles
Biceps, Forearms
Body part
Back
Laterality
Bilateral (both sides together)
Category
Strength

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Supinating your grip on the bent-over row tucks your elbows against your ribs and drags the bar toward your lower abdomen, recruiting more lat and biceps than the overhand Barbell Row's mid-trap emphasis. The underhand wrist position is less forgiving under heavy load, so many lifters run it lighter or switch to the EZ-bar version.

How to do the Reverse Grip Barbell Row

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
  2. Hold a barbell with an overhand grip, palms facing down, and hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  3. Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and chest up, until your torso is almost parallel to the floor.
  4. Pull the barbell towards your lower chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position.
  6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tip: Pause for a full count with the handle at your torso before letting it go back.

Muscles worked

Primary

Upper Back · Back

The rhomboids and mid traps squeeze the shoulder blades together at the end of each rep, which is where you should feel the strongest contraction.

Secondary

  • Biceps — The biceps bend the elbow on every row but should never be the muscle that fails first.
  • Forearms — Grip and forearm endurance often limit heavy rows, so use straps or a thicker grip if the hands give out before the back.

Common mistakes

  • Yanking with the arms — the rep should start with the shoulder blades pulling back, then the elbows follow; if the biceps give out first, you are curling the weight.
  • Torso heaving up — on bent-over rows the back angle should not change between reps; if it does, drop the weight.
  • Shrugging the shoulders up — pull the elbows back and down and keep the shoulders away from the ears, especially on face pulls.
  • Skipping the stretch — let the arms straighten fully and the shoulder blades slide forward at the start of each rep, then pull from there.

Where it fits in a workout

Rows are a main movement in any pull or back session and go before pulldowns and arm work. They pair well with a chest press or a push-up as a push and pull superset.

How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.

Variations and alternatives

Similar exercises

Without barbell

Easier and harder

When to talk to someone

  • Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
  • Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
  • Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.

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More exercises

Sources

  1. ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
  2. ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
  3. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
  4. CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)

Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.

Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.