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Pendlay row

Also called Pendlay rows, dead-stop barbell row.

What is a Pendlay row?

A Pendlay row is a barbell row that begins with the plates resting on the floor for every repetition. With your torso close to horizontal, you pull the bar toward your lower chest, lower it and reset before pulling again. It trains the back and elbow flexors.

Anatomical illustration of a Pendlay row in two positions: the loaded bar resting on the floor below a near-horizontal torso, then pulled to the lower chest with the upper back highlighted.

How do you perform a Pendlay row?

Set up

  1. Load the bar with plates that let it rest at a reachable height, and stand with the bar over the middle of your feet. Clear space around both ends.
  2. Bend your knees and hinge forward to take an overhand grip just outside your legs. Set your torso close to horizontal, with your back held steady and your arms straight.

Execution

  1. Brace, then pull the bar briskly toward your lower chest without driving your torso upright.
  2. Lower the bar onto the floor with control and let both sides settle.
  3. Reset your breath and body position before the next pull. End the set if you can no longer keep the same torso angle.

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing the plates into the next repetition

    Let the bar settle, then brace again. A bounce removes the deliberate floor reset.

  • Jerking the chest upright

    Reduce the load if the pull requires a large change in torso angle.

  • Forcing the floor setup

    If you cannot reach the bar with a controlled back position, use higher plates or an elevated dead-stop row rather than rounding to reach.

Where it fits in a session

Use it early in your pulling work if you want to practice forceful repetitions from a still start.

Keep the starting height and torso angle consistent. Add load only while every repetition still begins with a full reset.

Muscles worked

Front
Front — Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.
Back
Back — Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.

Primary

Secondary

Select a muscle name to locate it.

Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.

Variations

  • Two frames of an anatomical illustration of a barbell bent-over row, side by side on white. A male figure with the skin removed over the back is hinged at the hips with the knees bent and the torso folded to roughly forty-five degrees, holding a barbell with an overhand shoulder-width grip; the bar carries one large plate a side, marked 45. In the left frame the arms hang straight down and the bar is at about knee height. In the right frame the bar has been pulled up to the lower ribs and the elbows are drawn back past the ribcage. In both frames the highlighted muscles are shaded red across the whole upper and middle back — the trapezius, the rhomboids between the shoulder blades, the rear shoulder and the upper latissimus dorsi — while the arms, legs and lower back are left plain.
    Barbell rowKeeps the bar off the floor between repetitions and can use a more upright torso.
  • Elevated dead-stop row — Starts each repetition from stable supports when the floor position is out of reach.
  • Anatomical illustration of a man rowing two dumbbells while lying chest-down on an incline bench, with the upper and middle back highlighted.
    Chest-supported rowUses a pad to support the torso during the pull.

Frequently asked questions

What makes a row a Pendlay row?

The defining features are the near-horizontal torso and the bar returning to the floor between repetitions. A bent-over row can keep the bar suspended for the entire set.

Where should the bar touch?

Aim toward the lower chest or upper abdomen while holding your torso angle. Adjust the grip slightly if needed rather than changing your body position to chase a precise point.

Can you row from blocks?

Yes, if the floor setup is out of reach. Use stable supports of equal height and log the elevated starting position consistently.

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