The Best Rowing Exercises for a Thick, Muscular Back

If you want to bulk up your upper body, you’ve probably asked yourself what the most effective big lift is. If you thought it was the military press or the bench press, maybe you should try pulling instead of pushing every once in a while.

Most trainers worth their salt will tell you that in order to build a powerful upper body, you need to be pulling more than pushing. Due to the press-laden workout routines most guys follow — combined with all the other hunching activities we do like texting, driving and typing — you’ve probably got slightly hunched shoulders and an underdeveloped back. Rowing fixes all of that.

When you do a classic barbell row, you outperform pretty much all other upper-body exercises in terms of building strength and packing on lean muscle. If you’re not prioritizing your rows right now, you should be — as soon as possible.

What Muscles Do Rowing Exercises Work?

Rows primarily target the latissimus dorsi (the lats), trapezius, rhomboids and posterior deltoids. Depending on grip and angle, the biceps, core and rear delts all get significant work too.

Beyond aesthetics, the bent-over row has strong direct carryover to your bench press, squat and deadlift — making it one of the most transfer-efficient exercises you can do.

For bench press: The stronger your back, rear deltoids and biceps get from rowing, the stronger your pecs, front delts and triceps get on the press. You’re working the exact opposite muscles, which creates the balance your pressing muscles need to keep growing.

For deadlift: The explosive pulling motion builds a strong posterior chain and powerful hips — both of which have a direct impact on heavy deadlifting and power cleans.

Bent-Over Row Benefits

Here’s what consistent rowing actually does for your physique and performance:

1. Builds a strong back. Rowing maximizes upper body pulling strength. Use it properly for a year or two and you’ll be pulling poundages that would have seemed impossible when you started.

2. Builds a thick back. The bent-over row is one of the best lifts for adding thickness and width to the back musculature simultaneously. It has an unusually high capacity for handling heavy loads across the entire back.

3. Builds explosiveness. Pulling explosively — faster without breaking form — trains your nervous system to recruit more motor units. Over time this lets you use heavier weights and build strength at a faster rate.

4. Strengthens the hips. The hip hinge position in bent-over rowing directly strengthens the hips and teaches you to bend properly under load — a skill that transfers to squats, deadlifts and most athletic movements.

5. Improves posture. Rowing creates balance between the muscles that pull your shoulder blades back and the chest muscles that pull your shoulders forward. For anyone who sits at a desk or presses frequently, this balance is critical.

The 6 Best Rowing Exercises

1. Barbell Row

The barbell row is the reference point for all other free-weight rows and one of the best back exercises in existence. It should be your first exercise in any back routine — or at most, your second, right after pull-ups or heavy lat pulldowns.

The weight should be heavy, your grip pronated (palms facing backward) and your torso anywhere between parallel to the floor and inclined at 45 degrees. Using a pronated grip provides a wider angle and places stronger emphasis on the lats and rhomboids.

Form:

1. Grab the barbell slightly wider than shoulder width with an overhand grip
2. Slightly bend your knees, then bend at the waist until your torso is almost parallel to the floor — keep your back straight and head up at all times
3. Let the bar hang down with arms fully extended — this is your starting position
4. Pull through the elbows, keeping them close to the body, lifting the bar up to your midsection while exhaling
5. At the top, pause and squeeze the upper back muscles hard
6. Lower the bar slowly back to the starting position while inhaling
7. Repeat

Tips: Warm up with light weights before loading heavy. Keep the bar close to the body throughout — this protects the lower back and maximizes back muscle engagement. Never let your back round. If lower back pain is an issue, reduce the load and prioritize form.

Perform 4 sets of 8–12 reps.

2. Reverse-Grip Barbell Row (The Yates Row)

This was Dorian Yates’ favorite back builder — and since he won Mr. Olympia six consecutive times, it’s worth taking seriously. He performed it at a slightly less inclined angle of 30 degrees to the floor, which became known as the Yates row.

Yates preferred the underhand grip because he believed it activated the lower lats more efficiently and allowed for a greater range of motion at the top of the rep. It also allows heavier loading due to increased bicep contribution — but if you develop the mind-muscle connection properly, you can build a hell of a back with this variation.

Form: Identical to the standard barbell row, with the only change being an underhand (supinated) grip. Keep your elbows tight against your body throughout for maximum lat activation.

Do this exercise instead of the standard barbell row — not in addition to it. It should be your first exercise or the first rowing movement in your back session.

Perform 4 sets of 8–12 reps.

3. Dumbbell Bent-Over Row

The dumbbell row follows the same motion as the barbell row, but with two key advantages: a slightly extended range of motion at the top (no bar hitting your abdomen) and the ability to use a neutral grip (palms facing each other), which activates the back muscles differently. You can also use a reverse grip with dumbbells — switching between grip styles ensures your muscles are stimulated in new ways consistently.

Form:

1. Take two dumbbells and stand with slightly bent knees
2. Bend at the waist until parallel to the floor or at 45 degrees
3. Let the dumbbells hang with arms fully extended and palms facing each other
4. Pull both dumbbells up together until they reach your waist
5. At the top, squeeze your shoulder blades together hard
6. Extend your arms back toward the floor

Do this exercise first on back day — your lower back takes the same amount of stress as with the barbell version.

Perform 4 sets of 8–12 reps.

4. One-Arm Dumbbell Row

The one-arm dumbbell row is popular for good reason — it lets you isolate each side of the lats independently, correct strength imbalances between sides and use a full range of motion that bilateral rows can’t replicate. Do it more extensively on your weaker side to bring it up.

The bench support also means you can devote full attention to the lift rather than fighting to keep your torso in position, and injury risk to the lower back is minimal when performed with proper form.

There are two main variants:

Standing variant (allows heavier weights):

1. Stand next to a bench with feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent
2. Hold a dumbbell in front of you with a neutral grip
3. Lean on the bench with the other hand for support
4. Row the dumbbell toward your waist until you feel a strong contraction in the lats and mid-back
5. Lower until the arm is fully extended toward the floor
6. Complete all reps on one arm before switching

Knee-on-bench variant:

1. Place one knee and the same-side hand on a bench, opposite foot planted firmly on the floor
2. Raise your chest until your back is parallel to the floor
3. Grab the dumbbell with a neutral grip, lower back straight
4. Pull through the elbow until the dumbbell reaches the side of your chest, just below the armpit
5. Pause at the top and squeeze the lats hard
6. Lower slowly back to the starting position, focusing on the stretch

You can do one-arm rows at any point during your back workout — heavy with low reps early on, or light with high reps as a finisher.

Perform 4 sets of 12–15 reps per arm.

5. Prone Incline Bench Row

Find a bench with enough floor clearance to fully extend your arms with dumbbells — an incline bench usually works best. Lie face down, arms extended with palms facing each other.

Squeeze your back muscles and lead with your elbows, pulling the weights up. When they reach your torso level, contract your shoulder blades hard, then lower the dumbbells back down.

Do this exercise as the last multi-joint movement in your back workout. If you’re following it with a single-joint move like straight-arm pulldowns, place this before that — otherwise, leave it for last.

Perform 3–4 sets of 15–20 reps.

6. T-Bar Row

The T-bar row is the machine version of the barbell row. Because the weight travels a fixed path, you don’t expend energy stabilizing — which means you can overload the target muscles (middle traps, rhomboids and lats) even more than with free-weight rows.

Form: Stand on the platform with a shoulder-width stance and slightly bent knees. Lean forward and take an overhand, shoulder-width grip. Keep arms extended toward the floor with your torso inclined to about 45 degrees. Pull hard by bending the elbows while keeping your chest out and lower back arched. At the top, squeeze your shoulder blades together, then lower the weight to the starting position.

Do this exercise in the middle of your workout — particularly useful as a bridge between free-weight and isolation exercises.

Perform 3 sets of 12 reps.

Sample Back Workout Built Around Rows

Substitutions to rotate in:

• Swap overhand barbell rows for reverse-grip rows or dumbbell rows
• Swap one-arm dumbbell rows for prone incline rows (2–4 sets × 15–20 reps)
• Swap T-bar rows for one-arm dumbbell rows if you want to finish with prone incline rows (3 sets × 12–15 reps)

Alternate your rowing movements — every other workout, do two rowing movements instead of three and add a pulldown or pull-up. When doing so, put the pull-up or pulldown first in the session.

Related:

• One-Arm Dumbbell Row: Benefits and Muscles Worked
• Barbell Row vs Dumbbell Row: Which Is Better?
• Seated Cable Rows for a Thicker Back
• 7 Unique Row Variations for Massive Gains