Body Row

How to perform the Body Row

1. Set a bar in a rack at hip height, or use suspension straps or the underside of a sturdy pull-up bar setup you can lie beneath.
2. Grip at roughly shoulder width, hang with straight arms, and set the body in a rigid straight line from heels through head.
3. Brace the core and glutes so the hips do not sag, retracting the shoulder blades to begin the pull.
4. Pull the chest toward the bar by driving the elbows down and back close to the ribs, keeping the plank line intact.
5. Bring the chest to the bar and squeeze the mid-back before beginning the descent.
6. Lower under control to full extension, adjusting difficulty by raising or lowering the bar or by elevating the feet.

Suggested working range: 8–15 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Common mistakes

• •Letting the hips drop so the body sags out of its straight plank line during the pull.
• •Failing to bring the chest all the way to the bar and grinding out short partial reps.
• •Yanking with the arms before the shoulder blades retract, so the back barely contributes.
• •Bouncing out of the bottom instead of controlling the descent to a full stretch at the arms.

Variations & alternatives

Swap in a related movement if equipment, recovery, or progression demands it.