Meadows Row

What is the Meadows Row?

The Meadows row is a single-arm row performed on the end of a landmine-anchored barbell, gripping the sleeve so the bar’s arc pulls across and up. The angled path and one-arm setup put the lat through a long, slightly rotational range with a hard stretch at the bottom, making it a distinctive back-thickness builder that hits each side individually from an angle a straight bar can’t match.

Muscles worked

Primary: Back

The lat and mid-back of the working side drive the elbow up and back along the bar’s arc, working through a long range with a strong stretch at the bottom.

Secondary: Biceps, Traps

The biceps assist by flexing the elbow to help complete the pull, and the traps retract the shoulder blade at the top of each rep.

Stabilizers

The braced trunk and hips resist rotation so the working lat rows rather than the torso twisting to heave the weight.

How to perform the Meadows Row

1. Load one end of a barbell in a landmine or corner and stand perpendicular to it, staggered stance with the near foot back and the far foot forward.
2. Hinge over and grip the very end of the loaded sleeve with the outside hand using an overhand grip, bracing the free forearm on the same-side thigh.
3. Let the sleeve hang so the lat stretches, keeping the hips square and the spine long over the working side.
4. Row the sleeve up and back in a distinct arc dictated by the landmine pivot, driving the elbow high and toward the ceiling behind you.
5. Feel the pull hit the upper lat and rear shoulder at the top of that arcing path, pausing briefly before lowering.
6. Control the sleeve back down to a deep stretch, complete the set, then switch which foot leads and which hand pulls for the other side.

Suggested working range: 8–12 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Mechanics

A unilateral horizontal pull on a landmine: standing side-on to the anchored bar, the working shoulder extends and the elbow flexes to row the loaded sleeve up along its arc. As a compound single-arm movement, the pivoting bar creates a curved path and a deep bottom stretch, letting each lat work through more range and rotation than a straight-bar row.

Form cues

• •Stand side-on in a staggered stance, hinge over, and grip the end of the bar or a handle around the sleeve.
• •Row the sleeve up and slightly back along its arc, leading with the elbow toward the hip.
• •Let the arm reach a full stretch at the bottom before pulling, without rounding the lower back.
• •Keep the hips and torso square, and resist twisting to throw the weight up with body English.

Common mistakes

• •Squaring up to the bar instead of standing perpendicular, which erases the distinctive arcing landmine path.
• •Rounding the spine over the working side rather than keeping a long flat back braced against the thigh.
• •Pulling the elbow low and tight instead of driving it high and back to follow the landmine arc into the upper lat.
• •Twisting the whole torso to heave the sleeve up rather than keeping the hips square and pulling with the back.

Variations & alternatives

• •Landmine row: a two-handed or T-handle landmine row that loads both sides together.
• •Dumbbell row: a braced single-arm row with a more vertical pulling path.
• •Single-arm cable row: a one-arm horizontal pull with constant tension from a cable.
• •T-bar row: an anchored two-handed row for heavy mid-back loading.

Conventional Deadlift

Back · Barbell

Barbell Row

Back · Barbell

Pull-Up

Back · Bodyweight

Lat Pulldown

Back · Machine

Seated Cable Row

Back · Cable

Programming: sets, reps & when to use it

Program the Meadows row as a secondary back-thickness movement in the library’s 8–12 rep range, where the long range and bottom stretch reward controlled reps over maximal load. It’s an excellent one-arm accessory after a heavier bilateral row, and letting the weaker side set the reps keeps the two lats balanced. Two to four sets per arm build the mid-back well.

Frequently asked questions