Muscle Groups Involved

• Mid Back/Mid Traps - Primary
• Lats - Primary
• Delts - Rear - Primary

Category

Bodyweight

Highlights

• Keep your body rigid the entire time.
• Think about pushing your elbows behind you instead of bringing your hands to your chest.
• Allow your shoulders to stretch forwards at the bottom of the movement.
• Lower the bar or elevate your feet to increase the challenge.

Description

The Overhand Inverted Row is a scalable bodyweight rowing exercise that targets the latissimus dorsi, middle and lower trapezius, rear delts and rhomboids while also challenging core stability and gri

Sign in to see all the information

The Overhand Inverted Row is a scalable bodyweight rowing exercise that targets the latissimus dorsi, middle and lower trapezius, rear delts and rhomboids while also challenging core stability and grip. To perform the Overhand Inverted Row start by lying on your back on the floor with a stationary bar placed above you at the level of your chest. Brace your entire core and glutes to create a rigid body. Reach up to the bar with an overhand (palms towards your feet) grip at slightly wider than shoulder width. While keeping your body in a straight line, balanced on the backs of your heels, begin the movement by bringing your shoulder blades down and back. Continue to retract your shoulders back hard as you bring your body up towards the bar. Pause briefly at the top as your torso makes contact with the bar at the level of your nipples or lower. Lower yourself back down to the starting position. Allow your shoulders to protract (move forwards) as you deepen into the stretch. Pause briefly in the stretched position before performing the movement for the desired number of reps.

Common Mistakes

Sign in to see all the information

Do not arch your back or let it round. Do not use inertia to touch your torso to the bar. Use a smooth, consistent pace during the movement. Do not flare your elbows or keep them pinned to your sides. Do not turn this into a Reverse Grip Pull. Be sure to initiate the movement from your shoulder blades to activate your back musculature.

Pro Tips

Sign in to see all the information

Pretend that your hands are hooks and imagine that you are pushing your elbows behind you and trying to touch them behind your back. As you lower yourself, do it on purpose with control instead of letting gravity drag you down. You can elevate your feet to increase the challenge and change the angle (putting more emphasis on lower traps). Lowering the bar will increase the difficulty of the lift as you become more horizontal.

Purpose

Sign in to see all the information

The Overhand Inverted Row is a great choice for strengthening your back and posterior shoulders while allowing for a full range of motion for your shoulders. It also helps build core stability and grip strength.

Form

Sign in to see all the information

The bar should touch your torso in a similar spot to a Bench Press, about an inch or two below your nipples.

Additional Names

Australian row, Australian push up