Inverted Row: Muscles Worked, Benefits, How To & Alternatives

Are you looking to increase your back, shoulder, and arm strength but aren't quite ready for a vertical pull-up? Try the "down under" version, also known as the Australian pull-up or inverted row.

Pull-ups are a demanding upper-body exercise that requires significant muscle strength, often making them intimidating for many people.

However, the good news is that inverted row puts your body in a horizontal position, making it easier than the vertical option. It also works the back muscles from a different angle and improves scapular retraction, which aids in mastering vertical pull ups.

Whether you're preparing to tackle traditional pull-ups or seeking a standalone exercise to strengthen your upper body, inverted rows are an excellent addition to your workout routine.

Read through the blog to know why you should consider incorporating them, along with a guide on how to perform them correctly, the muscle groups they target, and common pitfalls to avoid. 

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The Australian Pull Ups or Bodyweight Row is a back Calisthenics Exercise to mainly work your endurance. This exercise changes the vertical pulling angle of a traditional pull up to a horizontal pull.

To better understand this move, picture yourself in a push up position and then turn over. Instead of your hands on the ground, your arms stay extended, and you grasp the bar above you.

The intensity can be easily changed by either doing it on a higher bar or a lower bar to make it easier or harder respectively.

The hardest possible way to do this exercise with your body weight would be to place your feet higher than the bar height.

Changes in the grip from close to wide also change the intensity, but the traditional way is to use a grip slightly wider than your shoulder width. 

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If you’ve never been under the bar, you are missing out!! Here are some reasons to try the inverted row: 

Whether you're new to pull-ups or still trying to master them, starting with inverted rows can be incredibly beneficial. This exercise helps build upper body strength, targeting key muscles needed for pull-ups.

It also allows you to focus on maintaining proper form, reducing the risk of injury. Incorporating them into your routine can help you progress more confidently and safely. 

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A strong back is essential for both aesthetics and posture stability, as well as for injury prevention, making back exercises a crucial part of any workout routine. Rows are particularly effective, targeting your lats, rhomboids, delts, biceps, and forearms, delivering an exceptional upper-body workout.(1)

You can adjust the difficulty of rows based on your experience level, making them accessible for everyone.

Even if you can perform pull-ups, incorporating rows into your routine offers a different angle to challenge your muscles. Try doing them at the end of your back workout to push your muscles to their limits. 

Also Read: The Perfect Smith Machine Squats

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While often overlooked, rows can significantly enhance your grip strength. Inverted rows intensely target the biceps and forearms, crucial for a strong grip. As you improve your grip, your ability to lift heavier weights increases, which can also lower your mortality risk.

You can vary your grips to achieve different goals:

• Overhand grip: Excellent for building grip strength.
• Underhand grip: Focuses on biceps growth.
• Mixed grip: Helps manage grip fatigue, allowing for higher volume.

Inverted rows are easy to incorporate into upper body or full-body workouts. They also work well in super-set combinations, such as pairing a set of inverted rows with a set of push-ups and then repeating. 

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A traditional or vertical pull-up does not require much effort from your lower body and hence doesn’t help in achieving any major improvement.

In contrast, performing an inverted row demands the engagement of the glutes and hamstrings symmetrically throughout the entire movement.

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Compound exercises target multiple muscle groups simultaneously, making them more effective at stimulating growth compared to isolated exercises. Incorporating compound exercises into your workout routine can significantly enhance your physical performance and overall fitness.

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It’s far easier to find a horizontal bar for Australian pull-ups than it is to find or buy a dedicated pull-up bar. You get many of the same benefits with both pull-up exercises, so if you have a bodyweight routine you’re looking to add to, the Aussie pull-up variation could be the perfect solution.

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An inverted row can be performed practically anywhere, (gym, home, park).

At the gym, get familiar with the squat rack or a Smith machine. Both pieces of equipment allow you to use the bar or attach a set of rings to a stable structure above you.

Rings are more advanced, so it's best to wait until you are confident at the bar before using them.

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Steps To Perform an Inverted Row

1. Place a barbell in a squat rack at hip height, then lie on the floor so your chest is underneath the bar.
2. Sit up and sing an overhand grip, grab the bar slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
3. Pull your hips off the floor so that your body makes a straight line from your heels to your head. Keep your spine neutral while engaging your glutes and core.
4. Pull yourself up and contract/squeeze your shoulder blades on top of the movement.
5. Reverse the movement by slowly extending your arms and lowering your body, making sure to keep a neutral spine throughout.
6. Return to the original position in a slow and controlled manner and repeat until the completion of your set.

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The muscles1 involved in the inverted row include: 

Primary

Trapezius

Latissimus Dorsi

Biceps brachii

Rhomboids

Deltoid posterior (back) 

Secondary (Synergists)

Teres major

Infraspinatus

Teres minor

Brachialis

Brachioradialis

Pectoralis major, sternal (lower) 

Stabilizers (Fixators)

Erector spinae

Hamstrings

Gluteus maximus 

There’s more than one way to do this exercise. Whether you’re performing a barbell inverted row or a Smith machine inverted row, the position of your feet and the position of your grip can make a huge difference here. After all, research suggests making exercise alterations can effectively accelerate strength gains.(2)

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A beginner will likely benefit by bending their legs 90 degrees at the knee. By bending your legs, you reduce the range of motion and limit the percentage of your body weight that you’re lifting. This is also, generally, a more stable position. 

Step by Step Instruction

1. Set up as normal for your inverted row.
2. Instead of balancing on the backs of your heels with your legs straight, bend your knees and plant your feet flat on the ground.
3. Raise your hips so they’re in line with your shoulders.
4. Perform your rows while maintaining this alignment.

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You have to be ready for this one before you start. This is the opposite of the legs-bent inverted row. Instead of assisting yourself with bent legs, you’ll place your feet on a weight bench or plyo box. The elevation increases your range of motion and makes you lift more of your weight. 

Step by Step Instruction

1. Place a weight bench or plyo box where your feet would be in a regular inverted row.
2. Set up as normal, but with your feet elevated on whichever surface you choose.
3. Perform your rows, ensuring that your hips and shoulders stay aligned throughout your range of motion.

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If you want to build more muscle and strength, try this one. This is just a standard legs-extended inverted row, but you perform reps to a set tempo. You’ll be spending a lot more time under tension and won’t be able to perform as many reps. 

Step by step instruction:

1. Perform a standard inverted row, but slowly. Take a full three seconds to lift yourself toward the bar.
2. Pause for one-second pause at the top.
3. Take a full three seconds to lower to full extension. Reset and repeat at this cadence.

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Although rows are excellent for what they do, people might still not do them for some reason. If you're in the mood to try some efficient alternatives3 for upper body training here is a list:

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The barbell bent-over row is one of the best upper-body exercises and a great alternative to an inverted row. One of its prominent advantages is that you only need one piece of equipment to perform it. Moreover, it targets all the muscle groups that an inverted row targets, so you'll feel similar stimulation from this exercise.

• Bend knees slightly and bend over the bar with back straight.
• Grasp bar with a wide overhand grip.
• Pull bar to upper waist. Return until arms are extended, and shoulders are stretched downward.
• Repeat.

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The incline chest-supported row is a great alternative to the inverted row. By supporting your chest on an incline bench, you take the momentum out of the equation and can focus solely on your back muscles.

• Set an adjustable weight bench to an approximate 45-degree incline.
• With a dumbbell in each hand, sit on the bench facing down.
• Row the dumbbells with slow control.
• Always come to full extension between reps.

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The single-arm dumbbell row isolates one side of your muscles and lets you target them much better. Moreover, it forces you to engage your core and other muscles as stabilizers. Ensure your back is straight during the movement, as developing an arch can hurt your spine.

• Assume a standing position while holding a dumbbell in one hand with a neutral grip.
• Hinge forward until your torso is roughly parallel with the floor and then begin the movement by driving the elbow behind the body while retracting the shoulder blade.
• Pull the dumbbell towards your body until the elbow is at the midline and then slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position under control.
• Repeat for the desired number of repetitions on both sides.

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Pull-ups are one of the best upper body exercises. You only need a strong bar to perform it at your home, gym, or local park. Pull-ups involve multiple muscles simultaneously and help you build serious strength.

However, pull-ups aren't the best choice for beginners, as they require serious strength. That's why it's suggested to start with rows and progress toward pull-ups.

• Grip it about shoulder-width apart.
• Raise your feet off the floor by bending your knees.
• Pull yourself up by pulling your elbows down to the floor.
• Pull yourself all the way up until your chin passes the bar.
• Repeat.

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Not all commercial gyms have a T-bar, but if yours does, you’re in luck. It’s like the chest-supported row, but you’ll often be able to lift a lot more weight since you can load weight plates onto the machine.

• Load the necessary weight plates onto the T-bar machine.
• Step onto the foot plates and grab the desired handles.
• Bring your elbows back, rowing the T-bar toward you.
• Come to full extension between reps, and repeat.

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Sumo deadlifts high pull is another exercise that targets all the muscles targeted by rows. It isn't about the amount of weight you can move in this exercise but the efficiency with which you move it.

The sumo deadlift puts tension on all the muscles that rows exert, including the hamstrings, glutes, upper back, arms, etc. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, the sumo deadlift can be a game changer for anyone.

• Position your feet outside of shoulder width, toes pointed out. Grab the bar with a narrow grip, inside your shins.
• Keep your butt low, back flat, and your knees pointed outward coming out of the hole. Engage your core. Pull the bar explosively straight up your body.
• Reach full hip and knee extension, then execute the “high pull” until the bar is just below your chin.
• Let the bar fall back to the floor, keeping your core tight throughout to protect the lower back.

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Rowing exercises are excellent for developing the major muscles of the back such as the lats, traps, and rhomboids. 

Make sure you're doing them with a proper form and adding variations to make them more exciting and rewarding.

If you're a beginner, try bending your legs to make them manageable, extend your legs as you progress, and raise your legs like a PRO!

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