Inverted Row

How to perform it

1. 1Preparation and positioning. Set the handle height and foot position so the body remains clear of the floor throughout the chosen range.
2. 2Starting position. Take a closed grip, extend the elbows, and form a straight line from head through hips to the chosen foot or knee contact. Keep the ribcage and pelvis stacked.
3. 3Concentric phase. Pull the chest toward the handles by driving the upper arms back while keeping the body rigid. Allow controlled scapular retraction without shrugging.
4. 4End position / lockout. Reach the same chest-to-handle marker on every rep with wrists neutral and shoulders controlled; do not thrust the hips toward the handles.
5. 5Eccentric phase. Extend the elbows under control and allow the shoulder blades to move around the ribcage without losing the trunk line or dropping suddenly into the shoulders.
6. 6Breathing and bracing. Inhale before or during the lowering phase, maintain a moderate brace, and exhale through the pull without relaxing the hips.
7. 7Valid rep. A valid rep starts at the defined straight-arm position, reaches the fixed chest marker without hip drive, and returns under control with the same body angle and contact points.

Common mistakes

• Using trunk or leg momentum

  Fix: Make the body quiet, lower the difficulty, and initiate the pull through the upper arms.

• Shrugging through the pull

  Fix: Keep the neck long and let the scapulae move under control rather than collapsing toward the ears.

• Cutting the lower range

  Fix: Return to the same controlled straight-arm marker on every rep.

• Jutting the head to reach

  Fix: Keep the head neutral and move the chest/body to the fixed marker.

Safety

• If spinal symptoms, radiating pain, numbness, or weakness are present, stop and seek appropriate assessment; do not use bracing cues to train through neurological symptoms.
• Choose a load, range, and setup that permit a controlled return or exit; stop the set rather than compensating through sharp or progressively worsening symptoms.

Progressions & alternatives

• regressionHigh-angle Inverted Row— Reduce strength, balance, or coordination demand while rehearsing the key pattern before returning to Inverted Row.
• progressionRing Row— Increase load, range, instability, or skill demand after Inverted Row is repeatable through the planned volume with reserve and no technique drift.
• alternativeSeated Cable Row— Train a similar primary pattern with a different stability, equipment, or joint-loading profile when Inverted Row is impractical or poorly tolerated.