T-Bar Row Variations for a Full-Back Workout

Today I wanna touch on a great back exercise, the T bar row. How to set it U the proper form, what you want to do, what you don't want to do right, and why it's a great exercise. So let's start with what makes the T bar row such a good exercise. I love it because again, it's a free-weight movement, OK, I have to stabilize my torso. I have to be in what we would call thoracic extension most of the time, which is going to work. My lats gonna work. My erectors gonna work most of my back and anytime.

 

we can get more muscles involved, that's a good thing. OK, another thing I like about it is the grip position. Typically when you do a T bar row, you're going to start with a barbell on a landmine. You might have a machine T bar row that has a chess support, and you might have a T bar row that's on a machine that doesn't have a chess support. But you're going to have options for how you grip it.

 

When I set up at Barrow, I like to use a little bit of a closer grip attachment. When I do wider grip rows, I'll typically do a barbell row, but I like the closer grip T bar. And when I set it up, I just make sure that I get this guy under the bar so that it's kind of locked in place. And I deadlifted up from this position and stay with my hips back, my torso tall, pulling inward retracting the scapula completely. 

 What that's giving me the ability to do is pull my shoulders all the way back, work my mid back work, my lats, and then holding this position right also works. My thoracic extensor muscles I have to stabilize with my glutes and hamstrings because I'm in that pseudo-hinged position and that makes it a badass exercise for your whole posterior chain. Now, what do people do wrong with the T-bar row? They're gonna round and go forward, They're not gonna maintain this extended position.

 

And while you might still be able to retract your scapula and work the muscles you want to work, you're not gonna get that static extension piece that's nice when you do a row with a free weight and you don't have that chest support. So I certainly recommend maintaining an upright position. Now I want to share with you guys probably my favorite tip for doing the tea bar row, and this is the biggest thing most people miss. I switched the plate to a smaller 25 Pound.

 

Wait, and then a 25-pound plate has a smaller circumference. It's a generally smaller circle. So if I want to do the same weight as a 45-pound plate, I'm going to use two. Now you're going to have to double the amount of plate you use, but I only really recommend using 25 and 10 when you T bar row from a landmine because of this reason.

 

You can get way more range of motion out of that lat out of that scapular retraction when you pull back because you have a big difference in circumference versus a 45-pound plate. I'm getting that much more range of motion out of it. And anytime you get more range of motion during an exercise, you're going to get more muscle fiber.

 

Cross-sectional like they're gonna cross more, so you're going to get more hypertrophy in the long run. So for growth and developing your lats and getting that full range of motion, I would recommend using 25-pound plates on your T bars because it's going to help you get that full range.