Intermediate

Plyometric Inverted Row

This brings plyometrics to horizontal pulling, teaching the lats and mid-back to accelerate the body toward the bar fast enough to let go and re-grip. It is a scalable way to train pulling power for people not yet ready for clapping pull-ups, since you set the difficulty with body angle. Keep the plank rigid so the power comes from the back, not a hip swing.

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

How to do it

  1. 1

    Set a bar in a rack at about waist height and hang underneath with an overhand grip.

  2. 2

    Walk the feet out and set a rigid plank from heels to shoulders.

  3. 3

    Pull explosively, driving the elbows back to bring the chest fast toward the bar.

  4. 4

    Release the bar briefly at the top of the pull.

  5. 5

    Re-catch the bar and let the elbows extend under control to absorb the drop.

  6. 6

    Reset the plank and repeat while each pull stays sharp.

Tips

  • Raise the bar or stand more upright to make the pull easier and keep it fast.
  • Squeeze the shoulder blades together at the top so the mid-back drives the release.
  • Hold the plank tight; kipping with the hips steals the point of the drill.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The catch is taken on locked-out elbows, so the drop lands on the joint instead of the muscle; meet the bar with soft arms and let the elbows bend as you absorb it.
  • Sets get run until the reps slow down, which turns a power drill into a slow row with a hand release; end the set the moment the chest stops arriving fast.
  • Sweaty hands and a polished bar make the re-grip a gamble; chalk up or pick a knurled bar, because the whole drill assumes you catch what you let go of.
  • The release becomes a token opening of the fingers with the hands never leaving the bar, so nothing about the rep is explosive; if you cannot clear the bar at all, the angle is too hard rather than your effort too small.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the plyometric inverted row should I do?
Power work is short: 4 to 6 sets of 3 to 5 reps, resting a full minute or two between sets, placed early in the session while you are fresh. Every rep should look like the first one, and the set ends when the chest stops arriving at the bar quickly, which is often before the number you planned. Once or twice a week is plenty, and it belongs alongside ordinary strength work rather than in place of it.
What can I do instead of the plyometric inverted row to train pulling power?
An explosive ring or suspension row, pulled as fast as you can with a hard squeeze at the top, keeps most of the value and removes the catch. A band anchored low and rowed fast from a hinge trains the same intent with nothing to miss. If you have a bar and enough strength, a chest-to-bar pull-up done for speed is the vertical version. Medicine ball slams and throws train fast intent through the trunk when no anchor is available.
What is the plyometric inverted row good for, and who should not do it?
It teaches the back and arms to produce force quickly and then absorb it again on the catch, which suits athletes in sports that involve pulling, climbing or grappling, and it is a way into pulling power for people not yet ready for explosive pull-ups. It is not a way to build muscle or general strength, so it sits on top of ordinary rows rather than replacing them. Skip it if you cannot yet do ten strict inverted rows, if the bar or rack is not solid, or if a missed catch would drop you onto anything harder than a mat.

Related exercises

Other movements among FitRay's 2,000+ exercises that load the same target muscle — same equipment and level first.

All Back exercises