T Bar Row Exercise for Stronger and Sexier Shoulder Back
T bar row can be compared with barbell bent-over rows, and this workout specializes with the mass building. You can have a T bar row as an alternative for more angles and dimensions. It will make the T bar row form more exciting and challenging.
T bar row targets the area in the middle back. It strengthens and improves muscles in this area. While doing this movement, your shoulder back and biceps are involved. Your abs, hamstrings and glutes stabilize your body while in the position of bent-over.
If you would like to try T bar row exercises, you will need to go to the gym and look for the stations on this one. You will also need techniques and assistance on how to do t bar row. It is essential to know the proper T bar row workouts.
To learn and make easier the T bar row, you will need some techniques. For beginners, these techniques are essential to do this workout properly.
Make sure you have a good grip with the handle to pull the crossbar of the T towards your chest. You should allow your hinge going upward from the hips if you perform the lift. While doing this, aim for your back to stay still. But for dynamic lift, your back will hinge up slightly. Make sure you will not allow your back for full hinge up.
In some cases, your grip will be different depending on your stance in doing T bar row. Typical grip with T-bars are wide, palms facing either down or up. Others opt for close grips when they want the hands close against the bar and emphasize lat engagement. When tight grip, you will have your elbows close to your body.
Why T bar row?
Like other mass builders workout, the T bar row provides strength and exercise the balance of our body. It backs up our muscles to our shoulders and arms. Unlike the barbell row, the T bar row is an exercise for your back. It is another variation of bent-over row done by using a T bar machine.
Let us give you the easy way on how to do a T bar row workout.
Step 1: Your starting position is firmly keeping your feet planted on the floor.
Step 2: Next, you have to bend forward with your hips while keeping your back flat and knees bent.
Step 3: Then get a grip with your T bar or a lever. Use both hands to grasp it.
Step 4: While doing this, keep your head as high as possible and keep your torso parallel to the floor.
Step 5: Extend your arms fully and pull the level towards you.
Step 6: Lift the bar until it touches your chest and also keep your torso parallel to the ground.
Step 7: Afterwards, make sure that the lever or T bar touches your chest and keep your torso parallel to the ground.
Step 8: Your final position is lowering the T bar slowly until your arms straight. Repeat this movement about 10 to 12 repetitions.
What are your choices?
Since the barbell row has many variations, you can trust us with some of the alternatives to do the T bar row.
Pendlay Row
Your starting position is to set up an Olympic bar with a suitable weight.
Next, stand with your feet apart with shoulder-width and place a small bend in your knees.
Then move forward with your hips and grab the bar with an overhand grip. Your hand should be neutral, in a straight line from your shoulders.
Make sure that you flatten your back to a neutral position before you commence the lift.
After that, row the barbell up to the bottom of your rib cage and back down to the ground in one swift and powerful movement.
Maintain that your spine is neutral throughout this exercise. Repeat this with a minimum of 8 and a maximum of 10 repetitions.
Reminder: For beginners, you can start to lift below 20 kg weight plates. Otherwise, make sure you use bumper plates to have the bar at the right height as its dead stop point.
Kroc Row
Your starting position is standing while holding a dumbbell in one hand. While the other hand is placed over something reliable that will allow you to have your shoulders higher than your hips.
Then, your upper back should be at the correct angle, more or less 15 degrees to the floor.
With your arm holding a dumbbell, you can start working on it by fully extending it towards the ground.
After that, pull the dumbbell up towards the lower portion of your ribs in an explosive movement. Avoid creating too much momentum when doing this.
Allow your arm to go to full extension on the way down and have your shoulder lowered towards the ground to feel stretch through your read deltoids and lats. Don’t forget to do this before making repetitions.
Reminder: Doing the Kroc row will significantly increase your upper back strength as well as your grip strength. If you want to improve your overall deadlift, you will need this variation of T bar row. You can also try this without the straps so that your forearms will get a solid workout.
Exercise Ball Narrow Grip Row
Before doing any movement, you will need to attach the narrow grip or your close grip handle to the cable machine. It should be about waist height while seated on the exercise ball.
Then, walk the cable out and sit on the exercise ball with your knees bent at 90 degrees angle, which will require maximum core stabilization.
When you are in this position, you can start this workout by fully extending your arms towards the cable machine.
Then pull the cable towards your stomach and your elbows skimming your sides.
Make some squeezing to your shoulder blades together and hold for a second or two.
The eccentric phase of this exercise should be slow and controlled.
Reminder: This exercise requires stability from the core rather than your hamstrings and glutes. You don’t need to lift heavy objects while doing this. Instead, this exercise is best for many repetitions, mass building and conditioning. For optimal strength, you can do workouts involving heavy lifting.
ISO-Lateral Row
Before doing your starting position, make sure that the seat height is appropriate for you and the chest pad should be aligned with the middle of your chest. Also, your chest pad is set at the right distance from the handles.
After this, your starting position is reaching the handle of the bar. In each hand, while keeping your chest firmly against the chest pad, you will need to pull the handles all the way back towards you.
Then your elbows should go straight behind you, and your shoulder blades should come together.
Now, you can hold and squeeze it before returning to full extension. Create a stretch through your rear deltoids and lats. You don’t need the weight plates touch at the end of the movement. You should always maintain tension.
Repeat this workout for a minimum of 10 repetitions and a maximum of 12 repetitions.
Reminder: This workout is useful to strengthen the balanced through the upper and middle back. If the ISO-lateral row machine you are using has adjustable handles, hold them away with 45-degrees to hit your lower lats hard.
What could have been done wrong?
You will presume that you are doing the T bar row correctly, but in fact, you are not. Sometimes you are not aware that you are doing it all wrong. Or at some point, you made some mistakes.
So we are giving you some of the things that you should avoid when doing the T bar row exercise.
Warning 1: You are missing the target.
Since doing T bar row focuses on your back muscle group, but many are confused about how to build your back muscle.
To avoid, you will need to do the following:
Focus on chins and pulldowns with a grip wider than shoulder-width. In this way, your lat width will improve.
Keep your elbows close to your sides and pull them as far back as possible. It will make your ranges of motion in maximum contractions. It is helpful to activate your lower lat.
For your middle and upper back muscles, you can do wide grip rows that can pull to your chest. Use a Smith machine or low cable while seating, instead of a barbell.
Warning 2: Do not forget your lower back.
Indeed, the T bar row is right for your back, but the common focus is your upper back. So don’t forget to do some exercises with your lower back. Your muscles at your lower back help you a lot for standing and doing some errands daily.
To avoid this, you will need to do some deadlifts. This workout will focus on your lower back every time at the end of each back routine. Also, you can do stiff-leg deadlifts and back crunch. This workout improves your back extension but with a shorter movement. Instead of bending your waist and hips, you can contract your abs and curl your torso down.
Warning 3: You are doing wrong with your grip.
Losing your grip is a common problem with every workout. So, when you do some workouts, you will need to exercise a good grip. First, your underhand grip involves the biceps. So doing some workout with your biceps can improve your grip. Also, you will need to wear training straps when you are doing a T bar row to have a good grip.
Warning 4: Do not put 100% reliance on machines.
Doing a workout using a machine should not be your option. Though most gyms offered unique rowing machines, you will also need to have alternatives. You can use barbells, dumbbells and chinning bars to have a good mass building.
Warning 5: You are frequently using your secondary muscles.
Because you cannot see your back muscles, you tend to do crucial forms like stretches and contractions during rows, pulldowns and other lifts. It is usual for bodybuilders who have trouble isolating the muscles. To avoid overusing your secondary muscles, you will need to work with your weight. Don’t let it work you. You can always use weights with a comfortable handle with a maximum of 12 repetitions. If you are aware of your biceps of doing too much of the work, you will need to utilize an overhand grip. Focus on the weight or the path of the movement, instead see to it that the targeted area is your back and you are doing it right.
In a Nutshell
T bar row is your shoulder-back exercise. Properly doing it will give you impeccable results; otherwise, you are just wasting your time for some workout with no results. Always remember that before doing exercises, you will need to do some preparations. You will have to ensure that you are wearing proper workout attire and eating healthy foods. Also, you must seek assistance from a professional trainer if you want to do the T bar row.
