Pendlay Rows

Setting up and rowing from the floor

The Pendlay row is technical and unforgiving. The strict torso position and dead stop reset expose every form weakness that a standard bent over row hides. Walk through each phase with light load before chasing weight. Most failed Pendlay rows trace to lifters who cannot hold the torso parallel for more than three or four reps.

1. Stance and grip

Stand with feet hip width apart, bar over mid foot. Grip the bar just outside shoulder width with a double overhand grip. The grip should match a standard deadlift grip. Hinge the hips back, soften the knees and lower the torso until it sits parallel to the floor. This horizontal torso position is the Pendlay signature.

2. The setup brace

Take a breath into the belly and brace hard. Chest up, lats engaged, neutral spine from sacrum to skull. The brace stays for the full rep. The dead stop reset gives you a chance to rebrace each rep, which is one of the key advantages of the Pendlay style over touch and go rowing.

3. The pull

Pull the bar explosively from the floor to the lower ribs or upper abdomen. The bar travels in a short straight line. The torso stays parallel to the floor throughout the pull. The elbows track back and slightly out. The bar should arrive at the torso quickly because the speed of the pull is part of the training stimulus.

4. The pause

Squeeze the shoulder blades together at the top for a one second pause. The torso stays horizontal. The bar should not be jerked toward the chest, just driven cleanly into the ribs. The peak contraction with a paused horizontal torso is what makes the Pendlay row a strict upper back exercise.

5. The reset

Lower the bar under control to the floor. Allow it to come to a complete dead stop on the floor between reps. Reset the brace and the upper back position. Pull again from a controlled start. The reset is not optional. Without it the lift becomes a touch and go barbell row.

What the Pendlay row trains

The Pendlay row trains horizontal pulling under the most demanding torso position available. The horizontal trunk loads the lats and upper back through their full range while the dead stop reset forces every rep to start from a true static position.

Latissimus dorsi

Primary mover. The horizontal trunk position lets the lat work through its full shoulder extension range. The dead stop reset removes the stretch reflex that a standard bent over row uses, which forces the lats to produce force from a completely stopped position on every rep. This is harder than touch and go rowing.

Rhomboids and middle trapezius

These work hard on every rep because the strict horizontal torso position emphasises pure scapular retraction. The Pendlay row produces some of the highest mid back EMG activation of any free weight pulling exercise according to studies on row variations. For lifters with weak mid back development this is one of the most direct exercises.

Spinal erectors and posterior chain

The erector spinae works isometrically to hold the horizontal trunk position under load. The hamstrings and glutes work to maintain the hinged position. This isometric posterior chain demand is what makes Pendlay rows more fatiguing than standard bent over rows even at lower loads.

Posterior deltoid and biceps

The rear delts assist with shoulder extension at the top of the pull. The biceps contribute to elbow flexion. Both muscles are loaded meaningfully. The strict torso position means the biceps cannot take over the lift as easily as in a more upright row, which keeps the focus on the back.

Five errors on Pendlay rows

The Pendlay row exposes form failures that other rows hide. The torso position is the first thing to break. The reset is the second. These are the errors to watch on every set.

Rising torso mid set

The most common Pendlay row error is allowing the torso to rise from horizontal toward 45 degrees as the set progresses. The lift becomes a standard bent over row by rep four or five. If you cannot hold horizontal for all prescribed reps the weight is too heavy or the prescribed rep count is too high.

Skipping the dead stop

Touch and go reps defeat the entire purpose of the Pendlay row. Without the floor reset the lift is just a bent over row done from a lower starting position. Allow the bar to come to a complete dead stop on the floor between reps. If you cannot, drop weight or rep count.

Jerking with the lower back

Using lumbar extension to throw the bar up loads the spine instead of the back muscles. The strict Pendlay style requires pulling without trunk movement. If you cannot pull the bar to the torso without rising up the weight is too heavy. Drop ten to fifteen percent and rebuild.

Rounded upper back

Letting the upper back round into a hunched position under load loads the thoracic spine in flexion. Chest up, shoulder blades retracted slightly before every rep. The upper back position is what protects the lower back during the horizontal trunk hold.

Going too heavy too soon

Most lifters use Pendlay row weights that work for standard bent over rows. The strict version typically uses 70 to 85 percent of a touch and go bent over row weight for the same rep count. Start lighter than you think. Pendlay himself recommended building Pendlay rows over a long timeline.

Sets, reps and where the Pendlay row fits

The Pendlay row is a strength focused exercise. It pairs naturally with deadlifts and back squats in powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting programmes. It also works as a back hypertrophy tool when programmed in moderate rep ranges with strict execution.

Strength: 3 to 5 reps

The primary use case. 3 to 5 sets of 3 to 5 reps at 75 to 85 percent of touch and go bent over row maximum. Two to three minutes rest. The dead stop reset means each rep starts cold so loading needs to reflect that. NSCA Essentials supports this rep range for strength development.

Hypertrophy: 5 to 8 reps

For back size 3 to 4 sets of 5 to 8 reps at 65 to 75 percent of bent over row maximum. Reset every rep from a dead stop. Schoenfeld and colleagues have shown 10 plus weekly sets per muscle group as productive for hypertrophy. Pendlay rows count toward this volume.

Frequency

One to two heavy Pendlay row sessions per week is enough for most lifters. The combined back fatigue and isometric posterior chain demand means recovery between sessions takes 3 to 5 days. ACSM recommends 48 hours minimum between sessions for the same muscle group at intensity.

Programme placement

Place Pendlay rows after squats or deadlifts on heavy lower body days. They also work as the main back lift on dedicated back days. Avoid stacking Pendlay rows with heavy bent over rows in the same session. The combined horizontal pulling demand is excessive for most lifters.

Progression

Add reps before adding load. When you make the top of your prescribed rep range across all sets with one rep in reserve, increase load by 2.5 kg the following week. Pendlay rows progress slower than standard bent over rows because the strict execution caps loading at lower absolute weights.

More on back training

For the touch and go version, our Barbell bent over rows guide covers standard bent over rowing. Smith machine bent over rows are useful if you want a fixed bar path while you build the Pendlay pattern. And our Single arm dumbbell rows page covers the unilateral horizontal pull alternative.