T-Bar row === > Back, Free Weights ## Principal Exercise ![](https://i.imgur.com/iXcCiav.png) 1. M. rhomboideus 2. M. deltoideus 3. M. trapezius 4. M. teres minor 5. M. teres major 6. M. latissimus dorsi **Muscles involved** ![](https://i.imgur.com/EboyIa3.png) **`MAIN MUSCLES:`** latissimus dorsi, teres major and minor, deltoid (rear) **`SECONDARY MUSCLES:`** rhomboids, biceps, brachialis, brachioradialis, trapezius, infraspinatus, (lower back muscles) **`ANTAGONISTS:`** pectoralis major, triceps, deltoid (front) **Execution** ![](https://i.imgur.com/pgJjrG1.png) Stand with your feet slightly apart and your torso straight, hips bent around 45o and knees slightly bent. Hold yourself firmly in position. Grasp the T-bar with an overhand grip (palms down). Pull the bar up to the top of the abdomen, keeping your elbows open. You can straighten your body slightly at the same time. Because of the position for this exercise, it is necessary to inhale just before you lower the weight, then hold your breath and exhale over the last third of the upward movement without releasing all of the air. **Comments** Almost all of the comments on the Bent-over Barbell Row (Ex. 2) also apply to the Long Bar / T-bar Row. However, the effort is exerted at more of an angle, which means the position is more comfortable and not so hard on the vertebrae. If you do not have a specific bar for this exercise, you can rest the end of an ordinary long bar in a corner, loading the weights at the moving end and using a crossbar to pull up. This may reduce the range of motion in the exercise, if the weights come in contact with your torso too early. You will need thick discs with a small diameter and a U-shaped crossbar. There is a machine for this exercise, but it is not common due to its limited versatility. ![](https://i.imgur.com/0mEs3sf.png) **Common mistakes:** swinging the body too far forward; incomplete set or movement; curving the spine and overall poor technique ## Variations ### WIDE GRIP ![](https://i.imgur.com/VVVybpI.png) **`MUSCLES USED`** latissimus dorsi, teres major and minor, deltoid (rear), rhomboids, trapezius **`TECHNIQUE`** The exercise is virtually the same as the Long Bar Row, but the wider grip shifts some of the work to the upper back. There is a more limited range of motion in this exercise, as is always the case when you widen your grip on the bar in traction exercises of this kind for the back (Pull-ups and Rows). ### ONE-ARM ![](https://i.imgur.com/abR1w74.png) **`MUSCLES USED`** latissimus dorsi, teres major and minor, deltoid (rear) **`TECHNIQUE`** The technique used is the same as in the basic exercise, but the movement is performed with one arm and to the side of the body. Given the position, the weight will obviously have to be lighter if you use only one arm. The only advantage of this variant is that it concentrates the exertion on one side of the back and allows a few degrees more movement. However, this is not enough to warrant replacing the conventional exercise with the one-arm variant. The exercise can be improved by placing your free hand on something for support to relieve some of the strain on the lower back, as in Ex. 4).