Lying row, do you do it?

[goldwave84]

Hi all
Do you do the lying row? Its when you lie under a smith machine or power rack, and then row your body upwards toward the bar. Your body stays straight the entire time. Has it helped you?

[UConnJulie]

I do them. They were really hard when I started, but now not so much. It's a good alternative to bent-over rows or seated rows. And I think it has helped my chin-up/pull-up too.

[goldwave84]

Sounds good! Ever seen a good article on T-nation?

[Lisa~]

Ash, the exercise you described is what I call an inverted row. I've seen it called a horizontal row or even a fat man pull-up. I use this exercise a lot with clients, especially new clients. It's a good rowing exercise and I often alternate it with push-ups for a horizontal push/pull pairing. If I have a client who can't stabilize their shoulders for seated cable rows, I'll use the inverted row for their horizontal pulling. Since you're hanging, it's easier to get the shoulders set by just cuing them to pull to the bottom of the sternum.

For a stronger client, this movement is going to be too easy unless you elevate the feet and add a weight vest, or do it with blast straps and add an explosive component. It's a great bodyweight movement for home workouts.

But the name lying row could mean face down on an incline bench and rowing DBs or a BB from there. So, not sure where you got the terminology, but just wanted to throw that possibility out there.

[goldwave84]

Yes Lisa, dats it! Tried it yesterday and was amazed at how it targeted my middle back, which is hard to stimulate during a sitting row. I can even get ppl to put light plates on my chest for added weight. Thx.

[PowerManDL]

I use it a lot myself. It seems to work the scapular/midback stuff in a way other rows don't, which is a bonus with my shoulder problems. Plus I like handling bodyweight as well.

[Frank.S]

They are good until you get to strong for them.

Blast Straps should make them harder you would think, ive done them with chains and for whatever reason, it wasn't any harder. weird.

[Kevin T.]

I've done these both rowing to the face and rowing to the sternum. Don't really know for sure the difference. I rowed to the face when I did them instead of face pulls and to the sternum when I was just doing them as part of the program. I like um.

[RedLefty]

I do them a lot. I love diversity in my workouts, which means playing both sides of lots of things. Push/pull. Upper/lower. Anterior/posterior. High rep / low rep. And the one many people forget -- open and closed chain.

I like having a closed-chain horizontal pull option.

[maxattack]

I have done them (reverse pushups) on a smith machine, which is the only use I have found for it. I increased the difficulty after a while by elevating my feet on a swiss ball.

[Kevin T.]

I remember reading Mike Boyle said the ideal set up to strive for is the bar at squat height and a box or ball at 18". I have no clue why, I just remember him saying it.

[PowerManDL]

I would make sure to include them and progress on them. They don't seem to correlate to back strength in other exercises, IME, at least not going by what I can chin and barbell row.

[Jean-Paul]

I call them recline rows.

[diamondpete]

I have heard them called reverse push ups as well. I do them, but I do not have a vest and elevated feet doesn't make it hard enough, I have tried with a plate on my chest and it is a bit scary, so I only do them occasionally for a change of pace, near the end of a workout when I am a bit tired.

[karky]

when doing these I have a real problem getting the bar all the way to my chest/upper abs. Don't know why, I can only get the first few reps with the full range of motion, the rest will stop a few inches from my body. Does this indicate some weakness? if so, where?

[Lisa~]

Pete, try them one-handed and see what you think.

Mr. Viking General, it's probably just that your butterfly wings are getting in the way of fulling retracting your scapulae.

Naaaaaa, it's just fatigue. If you can do the first couple full ROM then you know your body can go there. If you made the bar higher (therefore a lighter load is being rowed) then you could probably get them all full ROM. Both approaches are fine. I'd say leave the bar low and shoot for more reps all the way to the bar each time.

[fitfairy]

Anyone doing these one-armed??

[UConnJulie]

I think Jill (L'ilJ) does ...

[Sign]

Originally Posted by UConnJulie

I think Jill (L'ilJ) does ...

sorry for the momentary derail but did anyone else notice that L'ilJ is an anagram for Jill? Probably not important just noticed and thought it was amusing. Back to discussing inverted rows.