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Exercise library · Back

Pendlay row

Horizontal pull for the back with a barbell.

How to do it

1 of 3

Keep your torso nearly horizontal

  1. Starting position

    Stand hip-width with the bar on the floor, grip just wider than your shoulders, and keep your torso nearly horizontal.

  2. The movement

    Pull the bar from the floor toward your lower chest and return it to the floor before the next pull.

Most common mistake

Don't raise your torso as you pull, stay in the same low position and start with the bar on the floor each time.

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Muscle group
Back
Equipment
Barbell
Where
Gym
Logged as
Weight × reps

Muscles worked

The Pendlay row trains the same muscles as the barbell row, but with your torso almost horizontal and every rep pulled from the floor. Your lats, mid traps and rhomboids do most of the work, helped by your rear shoulders, biceps and forearms. With no bounce to help, the start of each pull is explosive. Your lower back, glutes and hamstrings hold the low position, which asks more of them than a more upright row. A wider grip gives your upper back and rear shoulders more to do.

Common mistakes

  • The bar sits too far forward. Out over your toes, it pulls you forward and your back struggles to stay straight. Set it over the middle of your foot and check again if it drifts.
  • The bar never reaches your body. With too much weight, the pull stops short of your chest and you train half the movement. Pull until the bar touches your lower chest or upper stomach, or strip some weight off.
  • Losing your position between reps. The bar resting on the floor is no cue to relax. Keep your abs braced and your back straight while it sits there, so every pull starts from the same place.

Variations and alternatives

  • The barbell row keeps the bar off the floor all set, when you want more time under load.
  • The seal row lets the bench carry your torso, for days when deadlifts have already tired your lower back.
  • The dumbbell row when you want to work one arm at a time and compare your sides.

Sets and reps

The Pendlay row suits strength and power best: 3 to 6 reps over 3 to 5 sets, with two to three minutes' rest. To build muscle, 6 to 10 reps works, though long sets are often limited by your lower back tiring before your back muscles. The guide to sets and reps walks through the ranges.

Leave one or two reps in reserve, as the last rep is often where your torso starts to rise. Add reps first, then 2.5 kg once every set looks the same. That is progressive overload, even with every rep starting from the floor. If your lower back is painful, not just tired, stop and have a doctor or physiotherapist look at it.

Swap for

Taken, or missing the equipment? The same movement with something else.

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