Yates Row

What is the Yates Row?

The Yates row is a barbell row performed with an underhand grip and a more upright torso than a standard bent-over row, named for bodybuilder Dorian Yates. The supinated grip and higher torso angle let the elbows drive back past the body and bias the upper back, traps, and lower lats, while allowing heavier loads than a strict parallel-torso row.

Muscles worked

Primary: Back

The mid- and upper-back (lats, rhomboids, and mid-traps) drive the elbows back and behind the body to pull the bar to the waist from a more upright torso.

Secondary: Biceps, Traps

The biceps take a strong share because the underhand grip puts them in a powerful pulling position, and the traps retract the shoulder blades at the top.

Stabilizers

The spinal erectors and braced trunk hold the semi-upright torso angle fixed, and the legs anchor the stance under heavier loads.

How to perform the Yates Row

1. Stand holding a barbell with a supinated underhand grip at about shoulder width, feet hip-width and knees slightly bent.
2. Hinge to a more upright torso angle of roughly forty-five to seventy degrees, more vertical than a strict bent-over row.
3. Brace the core and keep the back flat, letting the bar hang at arm length in front of the thighs.
4. Row the bar up toward the lower abdomen and belt line by driving the elbows back and down close to the body.
5. The underhand grip and upright angle bias the lower lats and let you handle heavier loads with a touch of controlled body English.
6. Lower the bar under control to full extension, keeping the lumbar spine neutral rather than rounding to chase heavier weight.

Suggested working range: 6–10 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Mechanics

A bilateral horizontal pull with a supinated grip and a torso angle above parallel: the shoulders extend and the elbows flex and drive back past the body to bring the bar to the lower belly or waist. As a compound it works the back and arms together, and the underhand grip plus higher torso angle recruit the biceps and upper back more, letting you handle heavier weight than a strict, parallel-torso barbell row.

Form cues

• •Take an underhand, roughly shoulder-width grip and set the torso a little more upright than a strict row.
• •Pull the bar to the lower belly or waist by driving the elbows back and behind the body.
• •Keep the semi-upright torso angle fixed rather than swinging it up rep to rep.
• •Squeeze the shoulder blades at the top and lower under control to a full stretch.

Common mistakes

• •Standing nearly upright and reducing the row to a shrug rather than holding the forty-five to seventy degree angle.
• •Rounding the lower back to chase heavier weight, exposing the lumbar spine under load.
• •Using so much body English that the legs and hips throw the weight up instead of the back pulling it.
• •Pulling the bar to the upper chest instead of down to the belt line where the underhand grip belongs.

Variations & alternatives

• •Barbell row: the overhand, more bent-over version that biases the lats through a stricter hinge.
• •Pendlay row: a strict overhand dead-stop row from the floor for explosive pulling.
• •Reverse-grip lat pulldown: a vertical underhand pull that also emphasises the lower lats and biceps.
• •T-bar row: an anchored neutral-grip 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 Yates row as a primary back movement in the library’s 6–10 rep range, early in the session while the lower back is fresh. The underhand grip and upright torso let you load heavier than a strict row, so it suits building upper-back and lower-lat mass with moderate reps. Keep the torso angle honest instead of turning it into a standing heave. A couple of hard sets pair well with a vertical pull.

Frequently asked questions