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Pendlay Row

Named for coach Glenn Pendlay, this row starts from the floor with a torso held parallel to the ground, so every rep begins from a dead stop with no stretch reflex or momentum. That builds explosive pulling power and a rock-solid position off the floor. It is an advanced lift because the flat-back parallel hold is demanding and unforgiving of sloppy technique.

Equipment
Barbell
Body part
Back, Lats
Type
Strength
Browse by movement
Horizontal Pull
Muscles worked
Target
Latissimus Dorsi, Trapezius Middle
Secondary
Trapezius Lower, Deltoid Posterior, Infraspinatus, Biceps Brachii Long Head, Biceps Brachii Short Head
Tertiary
Erector Spinae, Trapezius Upper

How to do it

  1. 1

    Set the bar on the floor over mid-foot and hinge until your torso is parallel to the ground.

  2. 2

    Take a shoulder-width overhand grip with a flat back and braced core.

  3. 3

    Pull the bar explosively to your lower chest or upper abdomen, keeping the torso still.

  4. 4

    Squeeze the shoulder blades together at the top.

  5. 5

    Lower the bar all the way back to the floor and let it settle before the next rep.

  6. 6

    Reset your brace on each rep rather than bouncing the plates.

Tips

  • Keep the torso parallel and locked; the only thing that moves is the bar and your arms.
  • Reset the bar fully on the floor each rep to kill momentum and train raw strength.
  • Think of driving the elbows to the ceiling rather than curling the bar up.
  • If you can't keep the torso still, the weight is too heavy for a true Pendlay.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • Hamstrings, not the back, are usually what stops a lifter holding a parallel torso, and the low back rounds to make up the difference; put the bar on blocks or low pins until the position is available.
  • The hips shoot up as the bar breaks the floor, so the first half of the rep is a small deadlift and the row starts from wherever you end up.
  • Each rep is allowed to land a little further forward, so the bar creeps toward the toes and every pull gets longer and heavier; reset it over mid-foot before you pull again.
  • The contact point drifts up toward the sternum as the weight climbs, which shortens the pull and hands the work to the traps; the bar should meet the lower chest or the top of the abdomen.
  • The head cranes up to find a mirror while the torso is parallel to the floor, which is a long time to hold the neck extended; keep the eyes on the floor a foot or two ahead of the bar.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the Pendlay row should I do?
Treat it as a power lift rather than a pump exercise: 4 or 5 sets of 3 to 5 reps, resting two to three minutes so every rep leaves the floor fast. Each rep starts from a dead stop with the bar settled. If the fourth rep is visibly slower than the first, the set is over whatever the plan said. Start well below your bent-over row weight, since there is no momentum to help, and add 2.5 kg only when every rep in every set moves at the same speed.
What can I do instead of the Pendlay row without a barbell and bumper plates?
Dead-stop dumbbell rows, with the bells resting on blocks or low boxes between reps, keep the important part, which is starting each rep from nothing. A T-bar row loaded so the plates touch down between reps does the same. If your gym floor cannot take a barbell being lowered, set the bar on rack pins at shin height and row from there, which also solves the problem if your hamstrings will not let you reach the floor with a flat back.
What is the Pendlay row good for, and who should not do it?
It builds explosive pulling strength and a solid position off the floor, which carries into deadlifts and the Olympic lifts, so it suits intermediate and advanced lifters who want their rows to be a strength movement. Holding a torso parallel to the floor under load is genuine work for the lower back, so end the set when you can no longer hold that position rather than grinding out another rep. Beginners should build the hinge with a bent-over or chest-supported row first, and nobody should run it on a day when the low back is already tired from heavy deadlifts.

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