Reverse grip barbell row is an effective basic exercise with free weights for working out and developing the back muscles with an emphasis on its middle part, ensures the growth of the back in thickness.
In addition to the latissimus dorsi, the rhomboid muscles are additionally included, as well as the middle and bottom of the trapezium, biceps.
Use
Performing a bent over row with a reverse grip makes the movement cleaner and therefore more effective for the task of gaining mass and sculpting the back. This is due to the fact that the reverse grip helps to raise the elbows in a strictly vertical plane, while the classic bent-over pull provokes the spread of the elbows to the sides, thereby transferring part of the load to the muscles of the hands.
However, the working weight in the reverse grip version of the pull is usually less.
Therefore, it is used more in bodybuilding. Recommended for athletes of intermediate level and above.
Execution technique
- Get in front of the bar. Feet shoulder-width apart and slightly bent at the knees. Grab the barbell with a reverse grip slightly wider than shoulder width (palms facing forward).
- Without bending your arms, straighten your torso and lift the barbell.
- Starting position: slightly arching in the lower back, tilt the torso forward - at 45 degrees to the horizontal. The legs are slightly bent at the knees, the head is directed straight forward.
- Tighten your lumbar muscles and maintain this position of the body until the end of the set. The bar “hangs” on straight arms in front of the shins.
- Inhale and hold your breath as you pull the barbell towards your stomach. Keep your elbows in line with your shoulders so that at the top point they are near the body. Elbows go strictly back-up and do not diverge to the sides. Try to raise them as high as possible.
- Pull the weight exclusively with the effort of the back muscles.
- Do not relax your psoas until the end of the set and always keep your back slightly arched at the waist.
- Pulling the bar to your stomach, exhale and slowly lower the barbell down. Do the next repetition.
Tips
During the thrust, the torso, legs and head should always remain motionless. The angle between the back and the horizontal is 45 degrees.
Start the barbell row with your lower lats, not your biceps. The bending of the arms at the elbows should be due to the fact that the elbows are directed upward behind the back, and not at all due to the fact that you are straining the biceps.
Raise your elbows as high as possible. Remember, the upper back (upper lats, trapezius, and rhomboids) only comes into full play when the elbows are level with the back and the shoulders are pulled back.
In the starting position, the arms are fully extended and the bar “hangs” on them, as if on ropes. By bending your arms at the beginning of the exercise, you involuntarily tighten your biceps and thereby weaken the load on the back muscles.
Don't use too heavy weight. This will ruin your technique (you will be tearing the bar with your whole body, lifting your torso, and not pulling with your back muscles as intended) and will not allow you to raise your elbows above the level of your back.
The reverse grip promotes the rise of the elbows in a strictly vertical plane, while the direct grip (grip from above) provokes the spread of the elbows to the sides. It follows that with a reverse grip it is much easier for you to maintain the correct form of movement than with a direct grip.
The head can be tilted, but only slightly (look slightly below the horizontal). By tilting your head strongly and directing your gaze to the floor, you inevitably round your back, which is extremely dangerous.
Findings
A good basic exercise that you can include from time to time in your training.
A place in the training of the barbell row in the inclination with a reverse grip among the main basic exercises. If you are performing a deadlift, then immediately after it.
Useful links
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsDcEEjt6N0
