The Inverted Row

 The inverted row (or body/ring row) is an excellent calisthenics exercise to build the back, and in my opinion second only to the pull ups for bodyweight back movements. It primarily targets the lats, mid and lower traps, rotator cuff, rhomboids and rear delts but also works the biceps. Basically, it works every back muscle and the biceps. The main difference with the pull up is that the pull up emphasises the lats more while the inverted row emphasises the rhomboids and mid/lower traps more. So include both for a full back workout.

How to perform the inverted row


The inverted row is essentially a horizontal pull-up and is very easy to perform right.
1. Lie down and put your hands slightly wider than shoulder height
2. Pull until your chin is in line with the bar

Don't flare the elbows too much and make sure to do it in a controlled manner


A benefit of the inverted row is its versatility. You can easily progress it and can basically do with anything. My favourite is two chairs/tables and a broomstick but you could use a table, anything which is around chest height. Two examples you could use are a table or two bed sheets hung over the door (you can find a video on YouTube if you are confused about the setup) 

PROGRESSIONS

It is easy to progress with the inverted row, as there are many ways to adjust it to your level. With all of these exercises, start at an incline (Your upper body is higher than your feet) and then progress by moving your feet up higher, once you are at a significant decline, (Your feet are much higher than your upper body) progress to the next one. Another way to progress is to add a weighted bag, which you can do with all these progressions. Something else to keep in mind is after the one arm inverted row it is better to do the further progressions with a pair of rings, and there are videos online on how to make a pair yourself. Here is a full progression:

Bent knee inverted rowInverted rowArcher inverted rowOne arm inverted rowFront lever knee tuck inverted rowFront lever Straddle inverted rowFront lever inverted row 

VARIATIONSThere are lots of variations which can help target different pulling muscles. Here are the two best variations of the inverted row. Keep in mind all of these variations use the same progressions as the standard inverted row. Do each of them in your pulling workout for the best back gains:WIDE GRIP INVERTED ROW – Rear delt emphasisThe wide grip inverted row helps target the rear delt muscles to a greater degree. Do a normal inverted row but move your hand placement from around shoulder width to much wider.



SUPINATED INVERTED ROW – Bicep emphasisThe supinated grip will emphasise the biceps more. if you have rings these will lead to the most bicep activation, but if not, you will still get some good bicep gains from this movement. Using a narrow grip can lead to even better bicep growth. Now keep in mind, this won't isolate the biceps, just emphasise them more.







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