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Inverted Rows for Pull-Ups
An inverted row, also called an Australian pull-up, is a pull-up turned horizontal: you hang under a bar with your feet on the floor and pull your chest to it. It works the same muscles as a pull-up at a fraction of the load, which makes it the rung between scapular pulls and negatives.
Say where you stand. CaliRep sets the target. coming soon What is an inverted row?
An inverted row is a horizontal pull-up: you hang beneath a bar set somewhere between hip and chest height, heels on the floor, body in one straight line, and pull your chest to the bar. Your legs carry part of your weight the whole time, which is why it is the first rung on which a beginner actually pulls. It is called an Australian pull-up because you are down under the bar, and a bodyweight row or a horizontal pull-up in other gyms.
In the order of rungs in how to do your first pull-up, the inverted row comes third, after the dead hang and scapular pull-ups and before negative pull-ups.
Why do inverted rows work as a pull-up exercise?
Inverted rows work as a pull-up exercise because they recruit the same 4 muscles that do the pulling in a pull-up, at a load your feet help you carry. Youdas et al. (2016) measured 9 muscles in 26 people across 4 inverted row variations and found biceps, lats, lower trapezius and rear deltoid all above 61 percent of a maximal isometric contraction in every variation, which they classed as very high. For comparison, Youdas et al. (2010) recorded the lats at 117 to 130 percent during a pull-up. Same muscles, roughly half the intensity.
The row also does something a pull-up cannot: it loads the back without loading the lower spine. Fenwick et al. (2009) compared the inverted row with a bent-over barbell row and a one-arm cable row in 7 men and found the inverted row produced the highest lat and upper back activation of the 3 with the lowest lumbar spine load. That is the reason physiotherapists reach for it: Youdas et al. (2020) measured the stabilisers along the spine at 54 to 66 percent of maximum during an inverted row and described the pattern as one that keeps the shoulder safely contained.
| Muscle | Inverted row (Youdas et al. 2016) | Pull-up (Youdas et al. 2010) |
|---|---|---|
| Latissimus dorsi | Above 61 percent MVIC | 117 to 130 percent MVIC |
| Biceps brachii | Above 61 percent MVIC | 78 to 96 percent MVIC |
| Lower trapezius | Above 61 percent MVIC | 45 to 56 percent MVIC |
| Posterior deltoid | Above 61 percent MVIC | not measured |
How do you set up an inverted row?
An inverted row is set up in 5 steps, and the body line is the one most beginners lose first.
- Find a bar. A barbell in a rack, a Smith machine bar, a low playground bar, gymnastics rings, or the edge of a sturdy table that cannot tip. Start at about chest height standing.
- Grip. Slightly wider than shoulder width, overhand or underhand. Use the grip you plan to use for pull-ups.
- Hang. Walk your feet forward until your arms are straight and your body is one line from heels to head, heels on the floor. Hips do not sag.
- Pull. Shoulder blades down and together first, then bend the elbows and pull your chest to the bar. Pause for 1 second (rule of thumb) with the chest touching.
- Lower. Under control, back to straight arms, without the hips dropping.
The shoulder blade movement in step 4 is the scapular pull done horizontally; if the shoulders shrug toward the ears on the way up, go back a rung.
How do you make inverted rows harder?
You make inverted rows harder by making your body more horizontal, not by lifting a leg. The lower the bar and the further forward your feet, the more of your weight the hands carry. Near horizontal, feet far in front, is the hardest floor version; feet raised on a box makes it harder still.
Lifting one leg is a common cue and it does not work. Youdas et al. (2016) compared rows with both feet on the floor to rows with one leg lifted and found no significant difference in muscle activation for any of the 9 muscles measured. Rings or suspension straps do not add much either: Aguilera-Castells et al. (2020) reviewed 18 studies on suspension training and found muscle activation higher in the suspended version of most exercises, with the inverted row as the exception. The bar height and your foot position are the dials. Everything else is decoration.
| Version | Difficulty | How |
|---|---|---|
| Bar at chest height, body at 45 degrees | Easiest | Feet close to the bar |
| Bar at hip height, body at 30 degrees | Medium | Feet further forward |
| Bar at knee height, body near horizontal | Hard | Heels well in front of the bar |
| Feet raised on a box, body horizontal | Hardest | More weight on the hands |
How many sets and reps, and when do you move on?
3 sets of 6 to 10 reps, 2 or 3 times a week, with a full pause at the top of each rep, as a rule of thumb. Move to the next harder version when every rep of every set is controlled, with the chest touching the bar and the hips level. Move to negatives when 10 clean reps near horizontal feel controlled. That is the same signal used on every rung: form on every rep, not a calendar.
The days those sets sit on are in the beginner calisthenics workout plan, where the row is your pull until you can do a negative. If a band is available, band assisted reps and rows can run in the same week; the band choice is in resistance bands for pull-ups.
The inverted row is the one rung under a pull-up I could not build into CaliRep, because the app takes rep counts for pull-up, push-up and dip only, and a row at an unknown angle is not a number that compares to anything. So the rows live here, and their job is to build the pull-up count the app asks for: you enter it, 0 included, and a goal workout is 6 sessions ending in 1 attempt at a target computed from that number and held fixed. The first goal workout, Foundation, is free.
Questions people actually ask
Are inverted rows as good as pull-ups?
They train the same muscles at a lower load. Youdas et al. (2016) measured biceps, lats, lower trapezius and rear deltoid above 61 percent of a maximal contraction during the inverted row, which is very high, but the lats reach 117 to 130 percent in a pull-up (Youdas et al., 2010). The row is the rung under the pull-up, not a replacement for it.
What is an Australian pull-up?
The same exercise as an inverted row: hanging under a low bar with your feet on the floor and pulling your chest to the bar. The name comes from being 'down under' the bar. Bodyweight row and horizontal pull-up are 2 more names for it.
How do I do inverted rows at home without a bar?
Under a sturdy table: lie beneath it, grip the edge with both hands, and pull your chest to the underside. Check that the table cannot tip. A broomstick across 2 chairs is not safe; a door frame pull-up bar set at hip height, or gymnastics rings from a beam, is.
How many inverted rows should I do?
3 sets of 6 to 10, 2 or 3 times a week, as a rule of thumb. Make the row harder before adding reps: lower the bar or walk the feet forward until you are nearly horizontal. When 10 clean reps at near horizontal feel controlled, move to negatives.
Should my feet be on the floor or raised?
On the floor until near horizontal rows are easy. Youdas et al. (2016) found no difference in muscle activation between rowing with both feet down and one leg lifted, so lifting a leg is not the way to progress. Raising both feet on a box is, because it puts more of your weight on your hands.
Overhand or underhand grip for inverted rows?
Either. Youdas et al. (2016) found lat activation differed between underhand and overhand grip, and upper trapezius activation differed between grips in the single leg version, with no other differences. Use the grip you will use on the bar for pull-ups so the pattern carries over.
References
- Activation of spinal stabilizers and shoulder complex muscles during an inverted row using a portable pull-up device and body weight resistance (Youdas et al., J Strength Cond Res, 2016)
- Scapular muscle balance and spinal stabilizer recruitment during an inverted row (Youdas et al., Physiother Theory Pract, 2020)
- Comparison of different rowing exercises: trunk muscle activation and lumbar spine motion, load, and stiffness (Fenwick et al., J Strength Cond Res, 2009)
- Muscle activation in suspension training: a systematic review (Aguilera-Castells et al., Sports Biomech, 2020)
- Surface electromyographic activation patterns and elbow joint motion during a pull-up, chin-up, or Perfect-Pullup rotational exercise (Youdas et al., J Strength Cond Res, 2010)