Australian Row

1. 1

   Choose the support

   Use a secure low bar and a firm surface for the feet. A gym bar must be fixed against rolling or lifting out. Start higher if the low position is too demanding.^{1Exercise Highlight: Inverted RowSnarr RL, Esco MR · J Aust Strength Cond 21(4), 2013 · technique article; full author-uploaded tex…}

2. 2

   Set the grip and line

   Show position 1

   Take an overhand grip slightly wider than the shoulders, with the thumbs around the bar. Extend the arms; keep the heels supported and the neck in line with the trunk.^{1Exercise Highlight: Inverted RowSnarr RL, Esco MR · J Aust Strength Cond 21(4), 2013 · technique article; full author-uploaded tex…}

3. 3

   Pull the chest towards the bar

   Show position 2

   Bend the elbows and bring the chest towards the bar without dropping the hips. Keep the elbows fairly close to the sides and the wrists aligned with the forearms.^{2How to Do the Inverted Row — Benefits, Variations, and MoreAurélien Zachwalinski, CSCS · Breaking Muscle, 2023 · coaching guidance; programme and medical cla…}

   CueLead with the elbows.^{2How to Do the Inverted Row — Benefits, Variations, and MoreAurélien Zachwalinski, CSCS · Breaking Muscle, 2023 · coaching guidance; programme and medical cla…}

4. 4

   Return under control

   Show position 3

   Lower to extended arms while keeping the feet in place and the trunk firm. The back stays clear of the ground.^{1Exercise Highlight: Inverted RowSnarr RL, Esco MR · J Aust Strength Cond 21(4), 2013 · technique article; full author-uploaded tex…2How to Do the Inverted Row — Benefits, Variations, and MoreAurélien Zachwalinski, CSCS · Breaking Muscle, 2023 · coaching guidance; programme and medical cla…}

Higher-bar and bent-knee rows are two ways to begin, not mandatory consecutive stages. Their order depends on the setup. The Atlas lists them separately so you can record the position you are working on; move on when the whole motion stays controlled.

• Hips dropping

  The shoulders rise while the hips trail behind. Choose an easier angle and restore the body line.^{2How to Do the Inverted Row — Benefits, Variations, and MoreAurélien Zachwalinski, CSCS · Breaking Muscle, 2023 · coaching guidance; programme and medical cla…}

• Reaching with the neck

  Keep the head aligned; reposition so the chest approaches the bar instead of the neck.^{1Exercise Highlight: Inverted RowSnarr RL, Esco MR · J Aust Strength Cond 21(4), 2013 · technique article; full author-uploaded tex…2How to Do the Inverted Row — Benefits, Variations, and MoreAurélien Zachwalinski, CSCS · Breaking Muscle, 2023 · coaching guidance; programme and medical cla…}

• Curling the wrists

  Keep the wrists in line with the forearms instead of bending them to finish the pull.^{2How to Do the Inverted Row — Benefits, Variations, and MoreAurélien Zachwalinski, CSCS · Breaking Muscle, 2023 · coaching guidance; programme and medical cla…}

• Dropping the return

  Keep control until the arms extend; the lowering is part of the movement.^{1Exercise Highlight: Inverted RowSnarr RL, Esco MR · J Aust Strength Cond 21(4), 2013 · technique article; full author-uploaded tex…}

• Underhand grip

  Grip

  Changes hand orientation while keeping the same rowing movement.^{1Exercise Highlight: Inverted RowSnarr RL, Esco MR · J Aust Strength Cond 21(4), 2013 · technique article; full author-uploaded tex…}

• Rings or suspension handles

  Equipment

  Separate handles can rotate. Their attachment must be secure.^{1Exercise Highlight: Inverted RowSnarr RL, Esco MR · J Aust Strength Cond 21(4), 2013 · technique article; full author-uploaded tex…}

• Feet elevated

  Stance

  Raising the feet changes leverage and makes the row more demanding.^{1Exercise Highlight: Inverted RowSnarr RL, Esco MR · J Aust Strength Cond 21(4), 2013 · technique article; full author-uploaded tex…}

• Weighted vest

  Load

  Adds resistance to the established movement; it remains a variation here.^{1Exercise Highlight: Inverted RowSnarr RL, Esco MR · J Aust Strength Cond 21(4), 2013 · technique article; full author-uploaded tex…}

Related skillsPull-UpFront Lever

On Calisthenics Balkan

• Read about Fundamentals in LearnThe movement family this skill belongs to, and how it fits into calisthenics.
• Athletes with Australian Row on their profileSkill labels on profiles are set by the athletes themselves and are not verified.
• All movements in the AtlasCalisthenics movements, one at a time: what they are, how they are done and the steps that lead to them.

What this page relies on. Titles and publishers are written as published.

The small numbers in the text point to the entries below.

1. 1Exercise Highlight: Inverted RowSnarr RL, Esco MR · J Aust Strength Cond 21(4), 2013 · technique article; full author-uploaded text, not a trial
2. 2How to Do the Inverted Row — Benefits, Variations, and MoreAurélien Zachwalinski, CSCS · Breaking Muscle, 2023 · coaching guidance; programme and medical claims not used
3. 3Scapular muscle balance and spinal stabilizer recruitment during an inverted rowYoudas et al. · Physiother Theory Pract 36(3):432–443, 2020 · EMG, 26 healthy participants; abstract only
4. 4Comparison of different rowing exercises: trunk muscle activation and lumbar spine motion, load, and stiffnessFenwick, Brown, McGill · J Strength Cond Res 23(5):1408–1417, 2009 · laboratory comparison, 7 men; abstract only

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