Intermediate

Yates Row

The Yates row uses a supinated grip and a taller torso angle near 45 degrees, which shifts emphasis toward the lower lats and lets you handle heavier loads than a strict bent row. The underhand grip brings the biceps more into the pull. It suits lifters who want a heavier row variation that is a bit friendlier on the lower back than a fully parallel hinge.

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

How to do it

  1. 1

    Take an underhand, shoulder-width grip on the bar and stand tall.

  2. 2

    Hinge back to about a 45-degree torso angle with a flat back and braced core.

  3. 3

    Let the bar hang at arm's length in front of your thighs.

  4. 4

    Row the bar to your lower abdomen, driving the elbows back along your sides.

  5. 5

    Squeeze the lats and mid-back, then lower under control to full extension.

  6. 6

    Keep the torso angle steady and avoid standing fully upright to complete the rep.

Tips

  • Pull to the belt line, not the chest, to keep the lower-lat emphasis.
  • Keep the elbows tucked close to the body with the supinated grip.
  • Don't let the torso ratchet upright to cheat the weight up.
  • A slightly heavier load is fine here, but the back must stay flat throughout.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The underhand grip on a straight bar holds the elbow in full supination under a heavy load, and the inside of the elbow is where that shows up; if it starts to nag, use an EZ bar or a lighter row.
  • The bar gets picked up off the floor with a rounded back before the set has even started, because the setup gets no attention on a row you take from standing; deadlift it up with a flat back or pull it from knee-height pins.
  • Shoulders shrug up at the top instead of the elbows going back, which is what happens when the bar is heavy enough to need the traps to bail it out.
  • The bar swings away from the thighs on the way down, so the next rep starts with the weight further from the hips and the low back holding a longer lever; keep it tracking close to the legs.
  • A forty-five degree torso gets treated as permission to keep adding plates until the bar never reaches the abdomen, and those last inches are the movement.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the Yates row should I do?
Three or four sets of 6 to 10, in the heavy row slot early in a pull session. The taller torso angle lets you hold more than a strict bent-over row, so expect a bigger number, but set the load by whether the bar still reaches your lower abdomen on the last rep. Add 2.5 kg when every set finishes at the top of the rep range with the same torso angle you started with. Once a week is usually enough for a heavy underhand row.
What can I do instead of the Yates row with no barbell?
Two dumbbells rowed with the palms facing forward and the elbows tucked give the same supinated bias, and each hand can rotate a little, which the elbows appreciate. A supinated grip on a seated cable row or a low pulley trains the same line with constant tension and no lower-back cost. An EZ bar is worth trying if a straight bar bothers your elbows, since the angled sleeves take the forearm out of full supination.
What is the Yates row good for, and when is it a poor choice?
The underhand grip and the more upright torso shift work toward the lower lats and let you handle heavier loads than a parallel-torso row, which makes it a good heavy rowing option for intermediates and a little kinder on the lower back. It is a poor choice if the inside of your elbow or your biceps tendon is already irritated, since the loads here are far above anything a pulldown puts through that same position. It is also not the row to pick for upper-back and rear-delt work, where a wide, flared-elbow row does more.

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