Yates Row
Underhand barbell row with the torso held just past 45 degrees, popularized by Dorian Yates.
How to do it
- Load a barbell and stand with feet about shoulder width behind it.
- Take an underhand grip a little wider than your shoulders.
- Push your hips back and hinge only until your torso passes 45 degrees.
- Keep your chest up, a slight arch in the lower back, and the knees soft.
- Pull the bar to your lower abdomen with the elbows tracking past your ribs.
- Lower the bar to straight arms under control and repeat without standing up.
Key technique cue
Hold about 45 degrees, don't stand up: bar to the lower belly.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Standing more upright each rep, which shrinks the range until the pull becomes a shrug.
- ✕ Rounding the lower back to reach the bar, which loads the lumbar spine at its weakest position.
- ✕ Curling the bar with the arms, which leaves the lats and mid-back underworked.
- ✕ Loading for the shorter range and then jerking the bar with hip drive on every rep.
Benefits
- ✓ Shorter range and upright torso allow heavier loading than a full bent-over row.
- ✓ Underhand grip keeps the elbows in and biases the lats.
- ✓ Less time spent at full hip flexion than a horizontal torso row.
Progression: from easier to harder
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Step 3 You are here
About the exercise
The Yates row is a barbell row taken with an underhand grip and a more upright torso than a classic bent-over row, bent forward a little past 45 degrees with the chest up and a slight arch held in the lower back. The shallower angle shortens the range and lets you handle more load, while the supinated grip keeps the elbows close and drives shoulder extension, which is why lifters describe it as a lat focused row. The trapezius, rhomboids and biceps assist, and the hinge is still held by the trunk and hip extensors throughout the set.
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