Lying Cambered Barbell Row

Also called bench row, seal row and cambered bar row.

Works

Upper back, plus biceps, lats and traps

Equipment

Barbell

Level

Beginner

Type

Isolation

How to do it

Setup. Place a cambered bar underneath an exercise bench.

1. Lie face down on the exercise bench and grab the bar using a palms down (pronated grip) that is wider than shoulder width. This will be your starting position.
2. As you exhale row the bar up as you keep the elbows close to your body to either your chest, in order to target the upper mid back, or to your stomach if targeting the lats is your goal.
3. After a second hold at the top, lower back down to the starting position slowly as you inhale.

Cues

• Chest flat on the bench.
• Palms down, wide grip.
• Pull to the chest or belly.
• Lower to a full hang.

Common mistakes

• Chest lifting off the bench.
• Jerking the bar up.

Where to start

A starting point, not a law. Pick a weight you could lift two or three more times than the top of the range. Tempo is seconds down, pause, up. When every set hits the top of the range, add a little weight.

Swap for