Intermediate

Prone Incline Barbell Row

Lying chest-down on an incline bench and rowing a barbell to the pad's edge locks your torso in place, so the mid-back and lats work without any body English or lower-back involvement. The incline angle gives a longer top range than a flat seal row while keeping the movement honest. It's an excellent strict-volume builder for lifters whose bent-over rows tend to turn into hip swings.

Equipment
Barbell, Bench
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

How to do it

  1. 1

    Set an incline bench to roughly 30 to 45 degrees and lie face-down with your chest on the pad.

  2. 2

    Reach down and take a shoulder-width overhand grip on a barbell resting below you.

  3. 3

    Let the bar hang at arm's length with the shoulder blades spread.

  4. 4

    Row the bar up toward the underside of the bench by driving the elbows back.

  5. 5

    Squeeze the shoulder blades together at the top, then lower under control to a full stretch.

  6. 6

    Keep your chest pinned to the pad the entire set.

Tips

  • Use less weight than a bent row expects; strict form is the whole point.
  • Set the bench high enough that the bar clears the floor at full stretch.
  • Pull to the same spot each rep and pause briefly at the top.
  • Keep the chin off the pad and the neck long to avoid straining it.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • Gripping wide enough that the bar or your hands collide with the bench frame at the top. Narrow the grip or shift down the pad so the bar has a clear path to the underside of the bench.
  • Aiming the bar at your upper chest, which flares the elbows and hands the pull to the upper traps. Track the elbows back past your ribs instead.
  • Lying down first and then reaching to the floor for a heavy bar, which loads the shoulder at full stretch before the set has started. Rest the bar on low blocks or plates so you can pick it up from a supported arm.
  • Grinding out long sets with the chest crushed into the pad and the breath held. The pad limits how far your ribs can expand, so breathe out on each pull and keep sets short enough to stay clear-headed.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the prone incline barbell row should I do?
Three or four sets of 8 to 12 with a pause at the top. Expect noticeably less weight than your bent-over row, because nothing here can be helped along by the hips; that gap is the point, not a problem. Progress in the smallest plates you have, and only when every rep in the set reaches the same spot under the bench. Placing it second in a pull session, after a heavier free-weight lift, works better than leading with it.
What can I do instead of the prone incline barbell row?
An incline dumbbell row is the same position with two independent loads and a longer range at the bottom. A seal row, lying on a flat bench raised on blocks, is the strictest version if your gym has the setup. On a machine floor, a chest-supported T-bar or plate-loaded row gives the same braced torso with less fiddling. At home, an incline bench with dumbbells or kettlebells covers it.
What is the prone incline barbell row good for, and who should not bother?
It is a strict-volume builder for lifters whose bent-over rows turn into hip swings by the fifth rep: with the chest pinned to a pad, the only way to move the bar is with your back. It also lets you keep rowing on a day when your lower back has had enough. Skip it if you specifically want to train the braced hinge under load, and skip it if your bench cannot be raised enough for the bar to clear the floor at full stretch, since the shortened range defeats the purpose.

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