Purpose of Underhand Barbell Rows

The underhand barbell row is one of three primary row variations performed with a barbell – the other two being the traditional barbell row, and the t-bar row. The purpose of this exercise is to target the lat, as the underhand grip prevents a flaring of the elbow, forcing the elbow to remain closer to the side of the body – which is the plane the lat is most responsible for.

Equipment Needed for Underhand Barbell Rows

The only piece of equipment required to perform underhand barbell rows is… you guessed it – a barbell!

Difficulty of Underhand Barbell Rows

On a scale of 1 to 5, the underhand barbell row would rank around a 4, as you don’t just need to focus on producing force to perform the movement, but also to stabilize your body enough to actually do the movement effectively.

How to Perform Underhand Barbell Rows

Grab onto a barbell with a shoulder-width underhand grip, bending forward at the waist until the torso is parallel with the floor, with a slight bend in the knee.

Allow your shoulders to protract at the bottom of the movement, but don’t do so at the expense of having the back round – the purpose of allowing the shoulders to protract is to allow the muscles of the back to be stretched to the best of their capacity, because the muscle that is stretched the most is recruited the most.

Pull the barbell to the midsection, aiming for the belly button as a reference point, without swaying up to generate momentum. Unless you’re a beginner learning the mechanics of the movement, there is no need to pause at the top with the bar against the midsection, simply lower the bar back down to the starting position before proceeding to do the next rep.

If you are a beginner, you can hold the barbell tight against the body at the top to better learn the feeling of the movement,  but understand that this can quickly fatigue smaller, weaker muscles, like the biceps and forearms, and thus negatively affect subsequent performance.

Key points of underhand barbell rows exercise

Key Points When Performing Underhand Barbell Rows

  • Use a shoulder-width underhand grip, bend forward at the hips, with a slight bend in the knee
  • Allow the shoulders to fully protract at the bottom without rounding throughout the entire back
  • Pull the bar towards the belly button, pausing only at the top to better learn how to feel what the finished position is supposed to feel like
  • Maintain a slight bend in the knees as this provides added stability

How Many Reps When Performing Barbell Rows

Because of the increased demand on the muscles of the lower back, and core, a weight that is heavy enough to force the lats to be recruited, but light enough to not have to generate momentum is ideal for underhand barbell rows – generally this means using a weight that permits 8-12 reps.

Since the underhand grip increases the demand on the biceps, doing too many reps can result in them fatiguing before the lats, thus defeating the purpose of choosing this exercise in the first place.

Also worth noting is that the longer the set goes on for, the more likely the lower back is to fatigue, which could negatively affect performance of whichever exercises follow this one.

Common Mistakes When Performing Underhand Barbell Rows

Common mistakes when performing underhand barbell rows exercise

Some of the more common mistakes when performing underhand barbell rows are:

  • Going to heavy, and generating momentum – if the weight is too heavy, it’s common to try to utilize the hips to generate momentum to help lift the weight, but all this does is reduce the demand on the muscles you intended to target when you chose this exercise in the first place.
  • Pinning the shoulders “down and back.” This is one of the most common cues trainers give clients when instructing rowing variations, and it is a surefire way to limit the muscles you want to work. The muscle that is stretched most is generally recruited most, and keeping the shoulders pinned back prevents any of the muscles you want to target most from being stretched at all, thus reducing their ability to do their job.
  • Standing almost upright – when the weight is too heavy, not only will people try to generate momentum with their hips, but they will also stand more upright to limit the range of motion – less range equals less muscular effort required to perform a repetition, which once again defeats the purpose of selecting this exercise in the first place.

Modifications to Underhand Barbell rows

Unlike traditional barbell rows, in which you can widen your grip to better emphasize different areas of the back, the underhand barbell row doesn’t really lend itself to variation all the well.

Widening your grip in this case places undo stress onto the wrists, elbows, and shoulders, so if you wish to use a wider grip it is advised to also use a less stressful overhand grip.

When to Perform Underhand Barbell Rows

As with overhand barbell rows, underhand barbell rows are better suited for early on in a workout, except for those who are really advanced.

If you’re not advanced, performing this exercise in a fatigued state may limit your ability to do this exercise effectively, and safely. Too much stability is required from the lower back, and core, to be able to execute this exercise to the best of its capacity when in a fatigued state.

Alternatives to Underhand Barbell Rows

A good alternative to the underhand barbell row is the underhand cable row. Because you’re sitting upright, as opposed to being bent over, it is a lot easier to focus on the movement and ensuring the right muscles are doing the work.

Underhand Barbell Rows vs. Overhand Cable Rows

An exercise similar to the underhand barbell rows is the overhand barbell rows. Although they both target the back and both involve a barbell, underhand barbell rows target the lower lats whereas overhand barbell rows target the upper back.

Underhand barbell rows also target the biceps more than overhand barbell rows do.