1Lower back arches as you pull
What you see: The low back sways and the chest lifts to heave the weight up.
The fix: "Round your lower back", "tuck it". Keep the trunk still and let the arms move.
Form guides · Upper body
The bent-over row: elbows back, back still.
The row trains the muscles that pull your shoulders back. Here is how to keep it in your back, not your lower back.
What good looks like.
A bent-over row is a hip hinge you hold while your arms pull. It trains your upper back and the muscles that hold your shoulders back, which most people who sit all day need more of. Leaning forward is part of the setup, so the thing to watch is your lower back: it can arch or round, and Brad cues both. "Tuck it" when it arches; "chest out" when it rounds.
- Hinge from the hips, knees soft, back flat.
- Weights hang under your shoulders.
- Pull your elbows back toward your hips, not out to the sides.
- "Pinch the blades" at the top and "drop the traps".
- Lower under control without letting your chest drop.
- "Chin in", head in line
- Shoulders down, blades pinched
- Lower back still
- Elbows back to the hips
The faults a trainer sees most
What goes wrong, and the cue that fixes it.
The cues in quotes are the words Brad Glaser uses with his own clients.
2Lower back rounds
What you see: The back curls forward under the weight.
The fix: "Chest out", back flat. Use lighter weights until you can hold the shape.
3Shrugging
What you see: The shoulders pull up to the ears instead of back.
The fix: "Drop the traps" and "pinch the blades".
4Swinging
What you see: The body bobs up and down to throw the weight.
The fix: "Don't swing." Keep the tension constant and slow the lower.
Make it easier, make it harder.
Easier
- One-arm row with a hand and knee on a bench.
- Chest-supported row, lying face down on an incline bench.
- Seated cable or band row.
Harder
- Barbell row.
- A pause with the elbows back.
- A slow three-second lower.
Move within a range that feels comfortable, and stop any exercise that hurts. Have a health condition, or been inactive a while? Ask your doctor what is right for you first. VeraForma is coaching, not medicine. It does not diagnose, treat or cure anything, and it does not replace your doctor or physio.
Let your phone check it.
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More form guides
Built by Brad Glaser · NASM Master Trainer · NASM-CPT, CES, PES · 20+ years · has certified 100+ personal trainers.
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