Exercise Spotlight – Pendlay Row

The Pendlay Row is a major upper body pulling compound exercise. It’s easily performed with a barbell and works the muscles of the upper back like the lats and rhomboids as well as the biceps and forearms. This differs from a bent over row as the bar is reset each time. Set it up on the floor or from a low rack depending on your proportions so that you can keep a nice tight back position with your chest just above the parallel line of the floor. It’s good for getting in extra upper back volume to help with your chin-ups and the reset allows you to work on generating speed off the floor to help fire those muscles a bit quicker.

Exercise Suitability:
Beginners: ❌
Advanced: ✔️
 
 
What are the key technique points?

• Find a stance that allows you to keep your knees back out of the way of the bar. Keep them soft and tilt over in a hip hinge pattern until you are close to parallel to the floor.
• Brace hard, initiating the movement by pulling your shoulder blades back then pulling your elbows up to the ceiling keeping them close to your side.
• Keep squeezing and pulling the bar in at the top of the movement as it makes contact with your body.
• Lower the bar under control to the floor or rack, reset and repeat.

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