What is more important for a DB Row?

[BrandonH20]

I can do more weight without having a pause at the top of my rep, but if I drop it 5-10 lbs per set at what I'm currently doing (Ex: 60 without pause, 50 with pause) I can manage to hold the DB at the peak of the movement for a second or two. I'm not sure whether I should continue using a little heavier weight or whether I should drop it so I can have that little squeeze.

[W8isGR8]

Db rows aren't a peak contraction exercise, so I don't worry about holding it at the top. Just go as heavy as you can without cheating the weight up

[BrandonH20]

Db rows aren't a peak contraction exercise, so I don't worry about holding it at the top. Just go as heavy as you can without cheating the weight up

Can you give me an example of cheating it up?

[W8isGR8]

Twisting your body, jerking the weight up, etc

[BrandonH20]

Well then looks like I've probably been cheating them anyways! I tend to jerk the weight up instead of doing it more controlled. Thanks for the help.

[InclineVet]

Db rows aren't a peak contraction exercise, so I don't worry about holding it at the top. Just go as heavy as you can without cheating the weight up

Agreed.

OP: Use cables for contraction instead of db's.

[W8isGR8]

Agreed.

OP: Use cables for contraction instead of db's.

Don't confuse the boy. He should stick with db's

[Moloholo]

Don't confuse the boy. He should stick with db's

hmm whats the difference? recently i've been doing one arm db rows. haven't tried one arm cable row yet. =/

[Dominik]

Db rows aren't a peak contraction exercise, so I don't worry about holding it at the top. Just go as heavy as you can without cheating the weight up

Agree with your advice but not being able to pause at the top of the movement can be a reliable indication they're trying to row too much weight.

[W8isGR8]

Agree with your advice but not being able to pause at the top of the movement can be a reliable indication they're trying to row too much weight.

So we have to pause each rep? Does that mean anyone who doesn't pause for a few seconds at the bottom of every squat rep is using too much weight? How about pullups, I sure as sh*t don't hold my reps at the top. Lol

[ZoranM]

I can do more weight without having a pause at the top of my rep, but if I drop it 5-10 lbs per set at what I'm currently doing (Ex: 60 without pause, 50 with pause) I can manage to hold the DB at the peak of the movement for a second or two. I'm not sure whether I should continue using a little heavier weight or whether I should drop it so I can have that little squeeze.

Since you feel the need to ask this question, you must be fairly 'new' to DB rows.
Don't be concerned much about the pause at the top. Half a second is enough,just to prevent you from purely 'swinging' up and down.
Don't jerk. Learn good form first. DB rows are an exercise where a slight cheat can bring great advantage, but you should wait a few years before doing that deliberately for a purpose.

[MattyG]

Agree with your advice but not being able to pause at the top of the movement can be a reliable indication they're trying to row too much weight.

For noobs yes, but the more experienced lifter knows when he needs to worry about a peak contraction and when he needs to just get a weight moving.

[Dominik]

So we have to pause each rep? Does that mean anyone who doesn't pause for a few seconds at the bottom of every squat rep is using too much weight? How about pullups, I sure as sh*t don't hold my reps at the top. Lol

That's not what I said.

Most people try to row with too much weight. Being able to pause it at the top is an indicator you're moving a weight you're in control of as opposed to cheating the hell out of it which most likely does sweet f*ck all for the lats and upper back muscles.

Same principle can apply to most exercises. Laterals come to mind. If you're flapping your arms like a wounded bird to make those reps and you're unable pause them at the top, then you're probably using too much weight. If you can't pause at your chin doing lat pulldown then you're probably one of those dicks who swings back with their bodyweight. Ditto for pullups with that stupid kipping motion. The list goes on.

[robbondo]

Ditto for pullups with that stupid kipping motion.

That has a name? People at my gym use the pull up bar like a gd trapeze.

[TheStreetKing]

I can do more weight without having a pause at the top of my rep, but if I drop it 5-10 lbs per set at what I'm currently doing (Ex: 60 without pause, 50 with pause) I can manage to hold the DB at the peak of the movement for a second or two. I'm not sure whether I should continue using a little heavier weight or whether I should drop it so I can have that little squeeze.

If you can't hold the dumbbell at the top of the rep and pause with it then you didn't get the weight up with muscle power, You got it up there with momentum!

[400Lb Gorilla]

strict is good. cheat is good. either way....

[Rasputin4]

I personally think pausing for contraction for just about one second is a good idea. Not only is it a good indicator that you're not using too much weight to have good form, it also places more tension on your lats. An above poster mentioned not pausing at the bottom of a squat, but I personally do pause for maybe just a second or even half a second at the bottom of a squat, take a breath, then press the weight up - it's not good to bounce the weight up, either. It's similar to how, in bench press, it hits your pecs a little better if you pause just before lockout at the top and pause at the bottom - no bouncing the bar off your chest - to hit pecs the best. Rows might not be a peak contraction movement like a dumbell curl, but maintaining tension is always best and if you're using decent form I don't think this would affect how much weight you can lift much if at all.

[__Iceman__]

If you can keep your body from moving relatively little then pausing isn't much of a requirement. I find that being able to do a rep slowly up *and* down means much more control. You can still pause at the top if you jerk a weight up.

[W8isGR8]

Here's an old vid of me doing DB rows with 160. Form isn't super strict, but not sloppy or cheating.




I just feel the extra weight is worth more for building muscle than worrying about being super strict. Back is probably to one muscle group that you can get away with looser form. Trying to be super strict usually results in way less reps and weight than if you just get into the "groove"

Just my opinion and experience.

[MattyG]

Here's an old vid of me doing DB rows with 160. Form isn't super strict, but not sloppy or cheating.

[youtube]


I just feel the extra weight is worth more for building muscle than worrying about being super strict. Back is probably to one muscle group that you can get away with looser form. Trying to be super strict usually results in way less reps and weight than if you just get into the "groove"

Just my opinion and experience.

Nice - I wasn't expecting the self-supporting body-prop variation here with 160lbs!
srs

I think lifting needs a mixture of super strict and super not strict. So long as the trainee is experienced to know how to 'cheat'.

[Rasputin4]

Here's an old vid of me doing DB rows with 160. Form isn't super strict, but not sloppy or cheating.




I just feel the extra weight is worth more for building muscle than worrying about being super strict. Back is probably to one muscle group that you can get away with looser form. Trying to be super strict usually results in way less reps and weight than if you just get into the "groove"

Just my opinion and experience.

You weren't swinging the weight up, but you also weren't using full ROM.

[400Lb Gorilla]

Here's an old vid of me doing DB rows with 160. Form isn't super strict, but not sloppy or cheating.

youtube]


I just feel the extra weight is worth more for building muscle than worrying about being super strict. Back is probably to one muscle group that you can get away with looser form. Trying to be super strict usually results in way less reps and weight than if you just get into the "groove"

Just my opinion and experience.

oh noes STRAPS!!! Lulz good lift. Heavy DBs breh, my gym only goes up to 150s and they are the rubber coated weights

[JustinT24]

You weren't swinging the weight up, but you also weren't using full ROM.

might be true but at the end of the day is him stepping down to say 100 pounds and getting full ROM better then doing 3/4 ROM with 160?

I do DB rows with 100s because thats all we have at my gym and I won't lie I twist a little bit to get the last few on high rep ranges.


"Cheating" a little to get heavier weight is IN MY OPINION better then sticking to low weight and having picture perfect form. Its like saying if you push with your legs and your butt comes off the bench half an inch in bench press then its cheating. You aren't lifting in powerman competitions you're lifting to build your muscles and at the end of the day heavier weight with "semi-perfect" form is going to get you stronger and bigger then doing 1/2 of the weight with strict form

[Dominik]

Here's an old vid of me doing DB rows with 160. Form isn't super strict, but not sloppy or cheating.




I just feel the extra weight is worth more for building muscle than worrying about being super strict. Back is probably to one muscle group that you can get away with looser form. Trying to be super strict usually results in way less reps and weight than if you just get into the "groove"

Just my opinion and experience.

If it's working for you then obviously keep doing it.

But if that was me, I'd be logging those as partial reps.

Nothing wrong with throwing in a few extra heavy sets with looser form for back, although I try to do most of my rows with strict form. At least that way I know the muscles I'm targeting are actually doing the work.

[Rasputin4]

How often do I see people on here rag on doing half bench and half squats? Why is it acceptable to do incomplete ROM on rows? I'll be honest, I find it more acceptable to do a 3/4 squat because I find it more quad specific then I can do something else to hit hams harder, but with rows, it's all the same muscles all the way up and down.

[chazzy1864]

Here's an old vid of me doing DB rows with 160. Form isn't super strict, but not sloppy or cheating.

[youtube]vKLTscr4biQ[youtube]


I just feel the extra weight is worth more for building muscle than worrying about being super strict. Back is probably to one muscle group that you can get away with looser form. Trying to be super strict usually results in way less reps and weight than if you just get into the "groove"

Just my opinion and experience.

Point invalid. You are using straps and from now on, all further advice from you will be disregarded and you are hereby branded a pussy.

[W8isGR8]

If it's working for you then obviously keep doing it.

But if that was me, I'd be logging those as partial reps.

Nothing wrong with throwing in a few extra heavy sets with looser form for back, although I try to do most of my rows with strict form. At least that way I know the muscles I'm targeting are actually doing the work.

my upper arm is in line with my torso at the top. The lats don't flex the arm past that point. The point is, someone who can move a 160 lb dumbell with "loose" form can sure as sh*t move a 120 with perfect form.

If i was worried about being super strict the whole time i probably would still be stuck using the 80's.

[Rasputin4]

my upper arm is in line with my torso at the top. The lats don't flex the arm past that point. The point is, someone who can move a 160 lb dumbell with "loose" form can sure as sh*t move a 120 with perfect form.

If i was worried about being super strict the whole time i probably would still be stuck using the 80's.

I bring the weight up until it touches my waist and my lats are flexed at that point. It's great if you can lift 120 with perfect form, but why do you then state you would be stuck with 80s? Honestly, maybe you should lower the weight a bit and use full ROM.

[BigD_SEVA]

Point invalid. You are using straps and from now on, all further advice from you will be disregarded and you are hereby branded a pussy.

you are what ya eat chazztastic


true story though, straps for rows is sad W8

[W8isGR8]

I bring the weight up until it touches my waist and my lats are flexed at that point. It's great if you can lift 120 with perfect form, but why do you then state you would be stuck with 80s? Honestly, maybe you should lower the weight a bit and use full ROM.

I'm saying if i was a form nazi from day one i wouldn't have made the progress i did. Everyone i've ever known around here that was a form nazi was 150 lbs doing 15lb concentration curls with perfect form.

At some point you have to stop being a bitch and throw some weight around. Don't chicken wing your curls and laterals like dom said, but sweet jesus if throwing a little body english helps knock out another 5 reps how is that worse for the muscle? More reps with more weight is a bad thing?

Obviously you shouldn't be starting rep 1 with ****ty form.

Oh yeah, Dom, remember how you always say nobody can do anything close to a 1RM deadlift with perfect form......