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The Inverted Row: Best Upper-Back Exercise known to man?

The Inverted Row is gaining popularity, but it still remains an underrated movement.

To get a visual, first pause and imagine the Bench Press exercise for a moment. The bench press is a pushing exercise that brings the bar to your chest and then pushes it away. Whereas the inverted row is a pulling exercise that brings your chest to the bar and then you lower yourself back down.

backbyrows

Back built by rows

Think about the complete opposite of the Bench Press — this is the Inverted Row.

invertrow1

Inverted Row

The Inverted Row is the ultimate upper back exercise.

In the next few paragraphs, I will make the case for why every gym goer in search of a strong, healthy, balanced physique should be doing the Inverted Row exercise.

Aside from the strength benefits, the Inverted Row wins points in a variety of categories related to the ideal physique.

I. Comparison of Barbell Row vs. Inverted Row

The Barbell Row is also a highly effective compound exercise for the back. If you’re looking to build a great physique, then the Barbell Row (or a variation) should probably be somewhere in your routine.

However, the Barbell Row has some contraindications and limitations that may make the exercise inappropriate for some people.

bentoverrow

Barbell Row

Benefits of the Barbell Row:

  • One of the best exercises for back and arms
  • You can adjust the weight according to your own strength levels
  • It’s possible to use lots of weight (powerlifters can often row up to 300+ lbs)
  • Can build muscle and tone your physique
  • Crossover strength into other exercises

Disadvantagesof the Barbell Row:

  • Possibility of injury with improper form
  • Strain the lower back if not careful
painbacklow

Avoid lower back pain

  • You can “cheat” very easily on the form, which decreases its benefits
  • Doesn’t activate lower trapezius as much (a small, yet essential muscle for shoulder health)
  • Is not a direct counter-balancing movement to the Bench Press

As you can see, the Barbell Row is a fantastic exercise for a lot of people. If you train the Row, then more power to you!

But there are some areas in which the BB Row can’t keep up compared to the Inverted Row.

II. Benefits of the Inverted Row

The Inverted Row is an exceptional upper back exercise.

Similar to a pull up, push up, and other bodyweight exercises, the Inverted Row is a closed kinetic chain movement. In terms of fitness, is important to be able to move your body through space at a variety of angles.

In order to perform a feet-elevated inverted row, you must already be strong or you can do inverted row progressions to gain the required strength.

The Inverted Row with feet elevated is so demanding that 90% of an average gym population won’t be able to complete a single rep with perfect form. It is indeed a humbling exercise, especially for guys who can bench 300+ pounds.

So here are the top benefits of the Inverted Row…

1. Builds a great Phsyique

What guy doesn’t want at least a little more muscle? What gal doesn’t want that hourglass shape torso?

The Inverted Row is definitely a physique builder alone or in a well designed program. The actual exercise itself can be a great stimulus for muscle growth, but even better is that it is a great activation exercise so it can benefit your other movements.

backmuscles

Jamie likes to row

  • Rear delts
  • Middle trapezius
  • Lower trapezius
  • Lats
  • Rombhoids
  • Biceps
  • Forearms
  • Core

2. NO Lower-back strain

Our lower backs are simply not designed to move a lot of weight. The lower back is designed to remain rigid while the primary movers of the body do their work. Thats everyone knows they should “lift with your legs.”

During an alternative exercise like the Barbell Row, the lower back may succumb to the weight before the upper back. If the lower back is too weak, you won’t get the true benefits for the upper back during that exercise.

The Inverted Row takes the lower back out of the equation.

Low Back pain does not exist in this exercise.

3. Strengthens the Shoulder Girdle (Shoulder Health)

The Inverted Row movement requires a lot of effort from the muscles in the middle back. These muscles are particularly important for shoulder health.

In particular, the lower trapezius, middle trapezius, and rhomboids need to be balanced compared to other muscles. For example, the lower trapezius should have similar activation to the upper trapezius. When people have upper traps that are too dominant, it contributes to the “slunched over” posture and can wreak havoc on the shoulder joint. The inverted row strengthens the lower trapezius at just the right angle.

The inverted row is not only a great movement for the lower trapezius, but it is also a fantastic rear-deltoid exercise as well. Aside from making your physique look fantastic from all angles, the rear-deltoids should be balanced to the front-deltoids for…you guessed it…shoulder health.

4. Benefits the Bench Press

Dear Benchers, I’d like to win you over here, because the Bench Press is the one exercise that every single person on the planet knows about. We all know how awesome the bench press is. It gives you great chest, shoulder, and tricep development. In other words, it makes you manly and powerful. (Or lean and alluring, if you are female).

Bio-mechanically, the Inverted Row is the perfect compliment to the Bench Press. Instead of pushing a bar away from you, you are pulling yourself towards a bar.

Think of the upper back as the foundation, while the chest is the active machinery during bench press. If your foundation is a pile of feathers, how effective is your machinery?

dbbench

Dumbbell Bench Pressing supported by upper back.

What most people don’t realize is that the muscles in the back are constantly stabilizing the muscles in the front during the Bench Press. Essentially what this means is that stronger upper back equals a stronger bench press.

Strong upper back –> strong foundation –> Big Bench Press.

5. Promotes optimal Recovery

After you get into weight lifting for a while, you realize one fundamental element…

Success in the game is a balance between training and recovery. The stimulus is the weight lifting, while the recovery includes everything from the food you eat, the timing of the food you eat, the amount of sleep you get, and essentially everything else you do.

Therefore, recovery is different for everybody. You want to optimize recovery because it allows you make more progress and stay healthy. (if you seriously overtrain, you will lose progress, get hurt, or get sick — guaranteed)

Bodyweight exercises are inherently easier to recover from compared to barbell exercises. This means that you can do bodyweight exercises more frequently and potentially make progress significantly faster than barbell exercises alone.

The Inverted Row, while a demanding exercise, is easier to recover from than the barbell row.

Training hard in the gym accounts for maybe 15% of your gains, while optimal recovery accounts for the rest.

Thats why you need to eat well, sleep well, and do bodyweight exercises!

6. Functional Strength development

Would you still be as impressed by a guy who could bench press 500 pounds, but couldn’t move his own body through a simple plane of motion?

Powerlifters struggle to lift as much weight as possible in the bench press, and even their coaches tell them they need to do bodyweight exercises — especially the Inverted Row.

The Inverted Row is a functional strength exercise with significant carryover to other exercises and quality of life.

Now you know…

This is why the Inverted Row is one of the best Upper Back exercises known to man, and why we need to spread the word to our fellow man.

III. How to perform the Inverted Row.

You may look at the picture and think you know how to do an inverted row, and you may very well be able to. Just keep in mind a few cues to help you out.

invrowelevtafet.jpg

Inverted Row Feet Elevated

1.  Foot placement determines difficulty.

Place feet on ground for beginners, and feet elevated for advanced trainees.

2. Keep your butt up

If your butt sags down, you are not doing the exercise right. Keep that butt tight and elevated.

3. Maintain Core Stiffness

This may be a core exercise for those with less developed abs. It is important to maintain core tightness, and keep your butt up, because this will put the lower back in the right position. It also enables you to focus on the primary mover, which is your back.

4. Chest up

Open up your chest, keep it up and out.

5. Lean your head back

When the head goes back, it puts your body in a position to activate the muscles that you really want. This helps to activate the lower-traps and muscles surrounding the shoulder blades.

6. Do not use momentum

Momentum is cheating. If you can’t complete a full rep with feet elevated, then start with the progressions first. Feet to the ground.

In terms of execution…

  • Pull from the elbows and middle back.
  • Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement.
  • Try to activate as much of your back as possible.
  • I like to squeeze at the top for a count of 2 seconds
  • Go up fast, then lower yourself slower

Here is a video to give you the visual of it.

IV. Go forth and Row!

I would say that 95% of people in weightlifting programs should be doing at least one variation of row. Rowing is essential for strengthening the muscles of the back.

TRX system check it out on Amazon.com. Definitely one of the best bodyweight tools, used by all my clients.

TRX system check it out on Amazon.com. Definitely one of the best bodyweight tools, used by all my clients.

As a follower of drefitness.com, you now have the knowledge of this incredible upper-back exercise.

You know how I feel about the all-powerful and beneficial Inverted Row.

I’ll let you decide whether or not you think the Inverted Row truly is the best upper-back exercise known to man.

Either way, give it a go next time you work your upper back! Prepare to be humbled.

Physical Fitness by Dre
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How the Turkish Get Up changed my Life!

This old time Strongman exercise can take your body to a whole new level of performance.

tilepictureTGUbeach

Unconventional, but the results are real. (DreFitness @ Rio de Janeiro)

In my younger days, I used to think that the Bench Press was the only way to get the body I wanted.

So I benched.

And then I benched some more.

But something funky started happening with my body.

The bench press destroyed my shoulders.

My shoulders ached, my strength flat-lined, and my posture sucked.

I finally realized that the Bench Press was doing more harm than good for me.

The Turkish Get Up is 100% pure functional strength, for an empowered lifestyle.

There are SO MANY benefits from doing the Turkish Get Up — it’s no surprise that this is a highly popular exercise among combat athletes. This is functional strength at its finest.

Here’s the benefits for a regular person like you and me:

  1. Fat loss, metabolism booster
  2. Increased shoulder stability at the joint
  3. FULL-Body Strength: Legs, glutes, core, shoulder, back, triceps, forearm grip strength
  4. One of the best Abdominal/Core exercises in existence
  5. Improved flexibility — especially relieving for tight hips that many Americans chronically suffer from.
  6. Whole body coordination
  7. Lean muscle!!!

The Turkish Get Up changed my life!

My joints, tendons, and ligaments are healthier! Performance has improved, and my physique is getting tighter for summer time.

Finally, the Turkish Get Up is a FUN exercise and gets a lot of priceless looks from other gym-goers.

This simple, full body exercise is Pure Bang-For-the-Buck!

Additional reading:

Mastering the Turkish Get Up for Total Body Power (DragonDoor.com, The world’s premier site for Kettlebells, Strength, Conditioning, Flexibility, and Advanced Fitness Resources)

Short Topic: The Turkish Get Up (Tmuscle.com, Unapologetic Muscle Building Elitists)

Rehabbing Old Injuries:

Mastering the TGU is well worth the investment of your time and effort. I’ve had a long history of shoulder subluxations/dislocations. I had two surgeries on my right shoulder (1985 & 1987) and one on my left (1989). Unfortunately, even after two surgeries, my right shoulder would continue to dislocate on a regular basis; sometimes while training, many times while sleeping. Talk about a rude awakening!

I was facing the grim option of a third surgery on my right shoulder, contemplating the ‘Law of Diminishing Returns’. Over a 15 year period, I diligently practiced every rubber band exercise and rotator cuff program known in the realm of physical therapy, but to no avail. In December 2001, Pavel taught me the TGU with a dumbbell. Kettlebells weren’t manufactured yet. I practiced this exercise with dumbbells, than later with kettlebells. Kettlebells are without a doubt superior and well worth the investment. Ultimately, I fabricated two 110 pound kettlebells. By Spring of 2002, I was performing singles with either hand, reaching my goal.

By God’s Grace and perfect timing, He placed the right person (Pavel) with the right exercise (TGU), when I needed it the most. Knowing what I know now, I’m thoroughly convinced that I could have avoided all three surgeries had I only known this valuable exercise.

My shoulders are more stable and stronger now than ever before. The range of motion completely restored. Best of all, I have not suffered a shoulder subluxation in years.

This success story has been repeated many times with the clients I train. Boxers, grapplers, NHB fighters, police officers, military personnel, and the average “Joe” or “Jane” have all reaped the benefits of the TGU.

Testimonial By Jeff, from http://tacticalathlete.com/articles/?p=21 

Here’s my progress on the TGU:

Physical Fitness by Dre
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Power Nutrition: Meal Plan for a Typical Day

Intelligent eating is the cornerstone for all goal reaching success.

A lot of you having been asking me for this — so here it is! These are the foods that I consumed today, with some thought to nutrients.

Example Eating Plan:

9 AM: Carbo/Protein Break feast

Athlete nutrition from 1950's

Hot oatmeal. Add one tablespoon of coconut oil and one tablespoon of almond butter for flavor, energy, and healthy cardiovascular system. Additionally, a scoop of pure Whey Protein powder to ensure positive protein balance in the muscles.

Result: A slow digesting meal that fills you up, provides loads of energy, and promotes a healthy overall system. The oatmeal will slowly refill your muscle glycogen stores, which is especially important for athletes when they need energy.

Supplement addition: Vitamin D — all athletes need it.

11:45 AM: Pre-workout Drink

Carbohydrate/Protein drink.

Ratio of simple carbs to protein is 2:1 — may also add extra creatine and branched chain amino acids.

Result: A quick digesting energy drink that boosts insulin in order to shuttle protein directly into the muscle tissues. Moreover, simple carbohydrates are vital for optimal blood glucose levels during weight training and athletics. If you don’t have enough blood glucose and you’ve run out of muscle glycogen, then your performance will suffer and you may have to end the workout early.

1 PM: Post-workout Drink

Carbohydrate/Protein drink.

Consume the same thing as your pre-workout. Except instead of giving you energy, the purpose of this drink is to aid in muscle recovery. Following the stress from the workout, your body is ready to uptake simple carbs in order to refill muscle glycogen at an accelerated rate. In other words, the simple carbs go straight into your muscle and NOT onto your belly. Thats GREAT news — but this is only the brief period following intense exercise. Timing is everything here.

Result: Increased recovery, reduced soreness, higher anabolic lean muscle development. Remember that simple carbs act as a transporter to get the protein (amino acids) into the muscle at a faster rate  — so a 2:1 ratio of carbs/protein seems to be ideal.

2 PM: BIG Lunch

Lentils with raw saurkraut, vegetables, and salmon burger. (Large serving sizes since it is first solid meal after workout)

After I get home from the workout, I put the lentils on the stove and let them cook for 30 minutes or so. I’ll steam the vegetables as well, or microwave them if I’m pressed for time. Once the lentils are finished and cooled to tolerable temperature, I’ll add the raw sauerkraut (because high heat kills enzymes) and maybe some Braggs Aminos for flavor.

Result: Lentils are a wonderful source of slow digesting carbs that will continue to refill your muscle glycogen stores, but without adding any body fat. We want to keep the glycemic index of our foods relatively low for the rest of the day in order to minimize potentially adding body fat. Since lentils are high in L-Tryptophan, a precurser to Serotonin, I usually feel very balanced after this meal.

The salmon burger adds Omega-3 essential fatty acids along with a great source of protein. Of course, the vegetables contribute vital antioxidants that are even MORE important for athletes. And the raw sauerkraut contains enzymes to decrease the load on your pancreas and help digest food — not to mention the billions of probiotics.

5 PM: Fruit Snack

Apple, a Pear, and Branched Chain Amino Acids supplement to stay in anabolic mode.

Result: Do I really need to tell you why fruits are good? I typically eat fruits in between meals because I don’t like mixing fruits with proteins. Fruits provide essential nutrients and are vital to the immune system. Your performance in the gym (strength and force output) is very closely related to your immune system. In other words, to perform, you need to be healthy…and fruits help you do that.

7 PM: Dinner

Beef and vegetables

Actually, I was at a catered training at the Super Supplements headquarters, and they typically offer delicious meals. The beef was moist and tender — thank you Naturade for providing that.

Result: Continue protein synthesis and a delicious meal.

9 PM: Healthy Fat Snack

Walnuts, Almonds and Cod Liver Oil

I like to get my fats in at night time, away from carbs. The nuts contain healthy fats and some protein, while the Cod Liver Oil contains essential Omega-3 fatty acids to keep me smart and sexy.

11 PM: Night time Snack

Raw Kefir

The goal of a late night snack is to provide your body with protein and nutrients to use through out the night. My preferred night time snack is Kefir, which contains slow digesting protein and billions upon billions of probiotics. Moreover, Kefir contains plenty of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and enzymes which all contribute to recovery and make me feel wonderful in the morning.

These foods are just an example.

With thousands of different healthy foods out there, the key is variety and nutrition. We can modify the times of day we eat certain foods, and realize that certain combinations of foods work better together than others.

The overall goal of nutritious eating is:

  • Healthy, functioning immune system
  • Antioxidants to protect cells from damage
  • Protein (amino acids) for maintenance and building lean muscle
  • Carbohydrates for energy — refill muscle glycogen stores depleted from workout, and have steady stream of slow burning carbs to use as blood glucose energy.
  • Optimal cholesterol and blood pressure — often by consuming those healthy fats, but foods like lentils help too.

As a result of this healthy eating, you allow your body to thrive and to grow into an unstoppable resilient force of nature. If you follow my advice and become incredibly sexy as a result, don’t blame me for the attention from opposite sex — I warned you.

Physical Fitness by Dre