Pendlay Row
A barbell row reset on the floor each rep, pulled explosively from a dead stop to the abdomen.
How to do it
- Set a loaded barbell on the floor directly in front of your shins.
- Bend forward at the hips until your back is almost level above the bar.
- Take a double overhand grip just outside your knees.
- Brace your abdominals and set your shoulder blades before pulling.
- Pull the bar explosively to your belly button, driving your elbows back.
- Return the bar to the floor, let it settle, then start the next rep.
Key technique cue
Dead stop on the floor each rep, explosive pull to the navel, no bounce.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Bouncing the bar off the floor, which removes the dead stop the exercise is built around.
- ✕ Raising the torso as the bar comes up, so the hips finish the lift instead of the back.
- ✕ Rounding the lower back on the reset, which loads the lumbar spine at the worst moment.
- ✕ Pulling slowly, which turns a power exercise into an ordinary heavy row.
Benefits
- ✓ Every rep starts from a dead stop, so no momentum carries over.
- ✓ Trains explosive pulling strength for the lats and mid back.
- ✓ Reinforces the hinge position under repeated heavy loading.
Progression: from easier to harder
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Step 1 -
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Step 3 You are here
About the exercise
The Pendlay row differs from a standard bent over row in one way that changes everything: the bar returns to the floor and comes to a complete dead stop between reps. You hinge until the torso is close to parallel, take a double overhand grip with the bar over your shins, then pull explosively to the belly button while retracting the shoulder blades. Every rep therefore starts from zero momentum, which is why it is programmed for pulling power rather than time under tension. The lats and mid back drive the pull while the erectors, biceps and rear delts support it.
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