Bent Over Barbell Rows - grossly underrated?

[cherrydrpepper]

Q1

I'm watching Shawn Ray's video "Final Countdown" and he says "..most taxing on the body.. when you get into drop sets its even worse. This ranks right up there with deadlifts" about bent over rows.

I can never find anyone in the gym who likes this exercise. I have worked out with amateur power lifters and bodybuilders. I do this exercise sometimes and I really feel it, but I can't figure out why it doesn't get more love.

Q2

I see pros using shit form on cable rows all the time. If someone has been training continuously for over a year and has no injuries, is it sometimes ok to go up to a weight that requires english to do?

[jjfman]

Mate i loveeee bent over barbell rows! i alternate t-bar row and barbell row in my back workout every 6 weeks or so and works great i have achieved a good amount of back thickness from barbell rows so far.

[tballz]

I incorporate bent over rows almost every time in my back work out. I usually start with them....love them. Mostly do them underhand...Dorian Yates style.

[Panzerfaust]

I use them all the time and yes they are taxing

[xlxBigSexyxlx]

bent over barbell rows are one of the best exercises period.
I do them every back workout.

[YoungGunsNY]

bent over barbell rows are one of the best exercises period.
I do them every back workout.

ditto

[BigBuck6]

Mate i loveeee bent over barbell rows! i alternate t-bar row and barbell row in my back workout every 6 weeks or so and works great i have achieved a good amount of back thickness from barbell rows so far.

Two great exercises to rotate.

[baseline_9]

love them, do them almost each back wrk out, love doing drop sets with them aswell

[bmit]

used to do them till herniated disk issues. Switched to T-Bar rows with the padded support.

[sean_holland]

Never been underrated to me. They are the staple of a good back workout.

[Skyler]

They hit the muscle well, but I do not do them because I feel they put unnecessary pressure and strain on my lower back, and gives my lower core a bloated feeling.
But I do alot of rowing movements, because that type of movement is awesome for thickness.
I do alot of variations of hammerstrength rows, to the weight stays in the "sweet spot" and my torso is supported.
I don't want to baby my stablizer muscles completely though, so for free weight rowing movements I do T-bar rows. The angle keeps the pressure off my lower back and hits the back great.
If i do bumbbell rows, I always keep a hand in front and on the rack to save my lower back as well, but gives me the free range of motion of a dumbbell.
As far as sloppy form, i definately use it.
I start out with strict form, but my goal for every workout is complete muscle failure.
If my muscles start reaching a point where they can no longer break the weight from the starting point, but still have enough steam to move it once its out of the hole, then i will sloppy up my form a bit to get the weight out of the hole. I don't want to cheat my muscles, or baby them in a certain "range of motion" just because they have become too tired to continue textbook perfect form.
I push them to COMPLETE failure, no matter how I have to achieve that.
Pro's do this too. Thats why you see so many guys that will cheat the weight in their final sets or reps get big, or switch it, and notice that all the pro's just so happen to cheat the weight in the final sets or reps,
but opposite them
The guys who do textbook perfect form all the time without exception get results, but nothing to write home about.

Just my opinions, hope i didn't offend anyone.

[GS4]

I have done those 2 alternated in my back workouts in the last few months and have noticed my back is getting thick, I keep it with moderate weight and steady form.

[the big 1]

I do bent over rows with dumbells instead, both sides at the same time, its better IMO because you have natural cadence and it doest hurt the wrists so much, also, the squeze is much better than with the bar...

[cherrydrpepper]

Good stuff thanks guys this is great and I agree Skyler going to true failure is what separates cream from the milk imo too. Alot of you guys are talking about T Bar rows I might go back to doing them.

[YoungGunsNY]

Nope, we're talking about barbell rows.

Back's easily my best & biggest body part and I owe it all to doing Arnold's method of starting with 3-4 sets of pullups,

. . . and then barbell rows after. This remains in all back workouts - only variations occur when I change from width to thickness.

Width - I'll do wide-grip pull ups & over/under (switch this as well) handed rows @ wider grip

Thickness - chin ups & over handed rows @ shoulder length (T-Bar's good after this IMO)

[sean_holland]

Yeah, I'm not talking T-Bar rows either.

Bent Over Barbell Rows....the best Back work exercise...PERIOD.

[B-HALL]

This is one of the best back movements PERIOD ! And it certainly takes your breath away, I also think it may be one of the worst performed movements, I see so many people standing up so much they look like they're doing shrugs, and others moving they're upperbody's so much they turn the movement into a deadlift/row.

[HawaiianPride.]

If you want to grow, you have to row!

[Cousinbutch]

Not sure I can follow up such a big font....

I do them pretty far upright, bringing the bar towards the bottom of my abdomen. Mainly because if I'm too far over it causes lower back pain (not the good kind) and my lower back fails before my upper.

[gbrice75]

bent over barbell rows are one of the best exercises period.
I do them every back workout.

^^^ x2

[Baseball_Player85]

I use dumbells instead. The barbell feels to awkward in this workout for me.