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KF.Social EditorialThe Pendlay row, named after the late weightlifting coach Glenn Pendlay, is a barbell row with one strict rule: every rep starts from a dead stop on the floor and gets pulled up as fast as you can drive it. There is no bouncing, no swinging, no cheating with your hips. That reset on the floor is what separates it from a normal bent over row, and it is also what makes it such a good tool for building a thick, strong back and teaching your body to pull explosively. This guide covers the position, the pull, and the mistakes that quietly turn it into a sloppy heave.
The short version
- The Pendlay row is a barbell row from a dead stop on the floor, with your torso held roughly parallel to the ground the whole set.
- Each rep resets fully on the floor, then you pull the bar to your lower chest as explosively as you can.
- A flat, braced back and a fixed hip angle are non negotiable. If your torso rises to lift the bar, the weight is too heavy.
- It builds your lats, mid back, and rear shoulders while training a fast, powerful pull that carries over to deadlifts and athletic movement.
- Go lighter than a regular bent over row. The strict start position and speed demand it.
What makes a Pendlay row different
A standard bent over row lets the bar hang from your arms at the bottom, and many people let their torso rise and fall a little to keep the weight moving. The Pendlay row removes all of that. Your torso stays bent over, roughly parallel to the floor, and the bar returns to the ground and stops completely between every rep. You then pull it back up from a dead stop.
That dead stop matters for two reasons. First, it kills momentum, so your back muscles have to start each rep from zero instead of riding a bounce. Second, because you are trying to move the bar fast off the floor, it trains a genuinely explosive pull rather than a slow grind. The result is a row that builds thickness through the mid back while teaching your body to produce force quickly.
Anyone who wants a stronger, thicker back and a more powerful pull. It carries over nicely to the deadlift, because both start with the bar on the floor and reward a strong, braced, explosive first pull.
What the Pendlay row trains
Rowing movements are the main way to build the muscles on the back of your torso, and the Pendlay version hits them hard because of the dead stop and the horizontal torso.
- Lats, the big fan shaped muscles down the sides of your back that drive your upper arm down and back toward your body.
- Mid and upper back, the rhomboids, mid traps, and rear shoulders that pull your shoulder blades together as the bar reaches your chest.
- Spinal erectors, the muscles running up your spine, which work hard isometrically to hold your torso flat and parallel against the load.
- Grip and biceps, which hold the bar and assist the pull, though they are not the point of the movement.
Most lifters press far more than they pull. A strict horizontal row like this balances all that pressing, builds the mid back that pressing neglects, and supports healthier shoulders over time.
How to do it, step by step
Set up like the top of a deadlift, then bend over until your torso is roughly parallel to the floor. That flat, hinged position is your home base for every rep.
- Set your stance and grip. Feet about hip width, bar over your mid foot. Hinge at the hips and take an overhand grip a little wider than shoulder width. The bar starts on the floor, not hanging in the air.
- Get your torso parallel and back flat. Push your hips back and let your torso come down until it is roughly parallel to the ground. Set a flat, rigid back from hips to head, chest proud, shoulders down. This angle does not change during the set.
- Brace hard before the first rep. Take a big breath into your belly and brace your core like you are about to be shoved. A braced trunk is what protects your lower back while you pull heavy from the floor.
- Pull the bar explosively to your lower chest. Drive your elbows up and back and rip the bar off the floor toward your lower chest or upper stomach. The goal is speed. Think of exploding the bar up, not grinding it.
- Return the bar to a dead stop. Lower it under control all the way to the floor and let it settle. No bouncing. Reset your brace, then pull the next rep from a true dead stop.
Between reps, think bar down, dead stop, brace, explode. The moment you feel yourself using a bounce off the floor or your torso rising to help, the load is too heavy and the exercise has stopped being a Pendlay row.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
Almost every Pendlay row problem comes from chasing weight the movement is not built to carry. Find yours and fix it.
| Mistake | What it looks like | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Torso rises with the pull | Your chest lifts toward standing to heave the bar up | Lighten the load and hold your torso parallel; if the bar cannot move without standing, it is too heavy |
| Rounding the lower back | Your back curls under the load off the floor | Reset a flat, braced back before every rep; reduce weight until you can hold the position |
| Bouncing off the floor | You ride momentum from the plates hitting the ground | Pause the bar dead on the floor, kill the bounce, then pull from a true stop |
| Pulling to the wrong spot | Bar drifts up to the belly button or out to the neck | Aim for the lower chest or upper stomach with elbows driving up and back |
| Slow, grinding reps | Every rep crawls up with no speed | Lower the weight and pull with intent; the whole point is an explosive pull |
Because you pull from the floor with a horizontal torso, a rounded, unbraced lower back under load is the main risk here. Keep the back flat and braced, start light to groove the pattern, and if you have a diagnosed back problem or feel pain rather than effort, stop and speak to a clinician before loading heavier.
How to program it
Because the Pendlay row rewards speed and strictness, it works best in lower to moderate rep ranges where you can still pull every rep with intent. Once reps get slow and grindy, you are training something other than explosive power.
- Keep reps in the roughly 3 to 6 range on heavier days so each pull stays fast and clean. Higher reps blur the explosive quality.
- Use it as a main back movement on a pull or upper body day, after your heaviest hinge or before lighter accessory rows.
- Add weight in small steps only while you can keep the torso flat and the pull explosive. Speed and position come before load.
- Pair it with a vertical pull like pull ups or a lat pulldown so you train your back from both angles.
The Pendlay row is not about how much you can heave. It is about pulling a controlled load explosively from a dead stop with a rock solid back. Keep it strict, keep it fast, and it builds a thick, powerful back that carries over to nearly everything you pull.
Questions people ask
Pendlay row or regular bent over row, which should I do?
How heavy should I go on Pendlay rows?
Where should the bar touch on a Pendlay row?
Is the Pendlay row bad for your lower back?
References
- American College of Sports Medicine, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. Progression Models in Resistance Training for Healthy Adults. 2009. doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181915670
- Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Sports Medicine. Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. 2016. doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8
- Fenwick CMJ, Brown SHM, McGill SM. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Comparison of Different Rowing Exercises: Trunk Muscle Activation and Lumbar Spine Motion, Load, and Stiffness. 2009. doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181b07334
Last reviewed 18 July 2026. We check health-condition articles against current guidelines and update the date above when we do.
