Rowing in the power rack= bad form?

[Odifududix]

I do Stronglifts 5x5 and from the beginning, I had issues with rows since my back could not stay horizontal, plus I literally had to bend my back in order to be able to reach the barbell.

I remedied my problem by setting down the barbell in the safety pins of the power rack and rowing from there. The pins go up to my mid shin so in order to increase the ROM, I just stand on top of a small platform (maybe 6 inches tall) before I row. I find this easier for me to reach the bar and it allows my hands to roll the bar foward until it is vertically below my chest when I pull.

Am I missing out on anything if I don't row from the floor? I notice my Pendlay rows turn into a Yates row near the end of a set, but I don't really care about this as long as I am doing some kind of pulling exercise.

Miscellaneous question: where am I supposed to feel the row? I feel my glutes and maybe my hammies being stimulated as I do this.

[DCSpartan]

OMG that is so insane.

If you cant pick up the weight and do a bent over row with proper weight without setting up the apparatus you just described its too heavy.

Your claim that your Pendlay (overhand) rows are turning into a Yates (underhand) row shows you dont know what you are talking about.

And how your glutes are involved in that mess . .

[Odifududix]

OMG that is so insane.

If you cant pick up the weight and do a bent over row with proper weight without setting up the apparatus you just described its too heavy.

Your claim that your Pendlay (overhand) rows are turning into a Yates (underhand) row shows you dont know what you are talking about.


And how your glutes are involved in that mess . .

Sorry, was just looking for advice.

I would do it from the floor but I literally have to bend down, thus rounding my back, in order to pick up the weight from the floor. Doing this every rep would be a problem...

[Odifududix]

Bump

[Ben0090]

I believe everyone has the ability to do this lift correctly if they take the time to obtain the mobility and technique, but I also dont think its the end of the world if you do another type of row as long as its a sensible choice and you progress well using it

[WapanCakes]

Bump. Curious to see if this is effective- done the same thing.

[LactoseTolerant]

I would do it from the floor but I literally have to bend down, thus rounding my back, in order to pick up the weight from the floor.

You mean like a deadlift? If you can't do that for your BOR weight, you have other problems.

Doing this every rep would be a problem...

Of course it would be a problem. That's why you only do it once per set.

[Spicynoodle]

I do Stronglifts 5x5 and from the beginning, I had issues with rows since my back could not stay horizontal, plus I literally had to bend my back in order to be able to reach the barbell.

I remedied my problem by setting down the barbell in the safety pins of the power rack and rowing from there. The pins go up to my mid shin so in order to increase the ROM, I just stand on top of a small platform (maybe 6 inches tall) before I row. I find this easier for me to reach the bar and it allows my hands to roll the bar foward until it is vertically below my chest when I pull.

Am I missing out on anything if I don't row from the floor? I notice my Pendlay rows turn into a Yates row near the end of a set, but I don't really care about this as long as I am doing some kind of pulling exercise.

Miscellaneous question: where am I supposed to feel the row? I feel my glutes and maybe my hammies being stimulated as I do this.

To me, i think this all has to do with improper posture and lifting too heavy of weights for you not to be able to even squeeze your back when doing rows. I honestly suggest to lower the weight just to fix your form. You already know that if you're feeling most of the weight with your glutes and legs, that means most of the strain is coming from you lifting up with your butt and legs rather than your actual arms/back. I've actually had this exact same problem and realized it was mostly due to rounded shoulders and improper form from doing rows because of certain muscles not being strong enough and worked out like they are use to. I also think you've done it long enough to build certain muscles, but not all of what you should be that helps support the core.

Something that I do to help this out is looking at myself and realizing which parts are more developed than the others. You can clearly tell, too, if you know what you're looking for. When i do rows/squats, my back likes to bend and i also have an anterior pelvic tilt, so my lower back likes to curve and do nothing and put all my strain everywhere else INCLUDING what you were describing with your legs/glutes.

Try touching both your heals, with your legs spread shoulder to shoulder, have your back, and your palms ALL touching the wall, with your head purposely looking forward/upward and do a couple of wall squats like that. It may look dumb, but it helps activate some of the muscles from the bad posture and stretches them. When you're use to that, add very light weights to your hands and continue doing the same thing.

If you don't want to do that, you're going to need to do some sort of back pulls to help build those supportive muscles. All you need to do is focus on having your back straight and squeezing your back so you can work out those muscles that havent had much stress on them.

This has all helped me from that EXACT problem that you're having. Eventually, you'll start seeing your back straighten out and having things be a lot easier to control due to the natural, supportive muscles also helping proper posture. However, like i've reiterated before: you need to focus on lower weight and form before you start going big dog. Hopefully this helped... and if this is entirely not applicable to you, well... good luck. Haha.

[DCSpartan]

Sorry, was just looking for advice.

I would do it from the floor but I literally have to bend down, thus rounding my back, in order to pick up the weight from the floor. Doing this every rep would be a problem...

You know its possible to bend over without rounding your back?

[I3igAl]

Sorry, was just looking for advice.

I would do it from the floor but I literally have to bend down, thus rounding my back, in order to pick up the weight from the floor. Doing this every rep would be a problem...

Just lower your hips and bend your knees more until your back is straight.

[Get-n-fit]

Doing this every rep would be a problem...

That's not a BOR if your hitting the ground every rep.

[WapanCakes]

That's not a BOR if your hitting the ground every rep.

OP says he does SL which calls for Pendlay Rows. Pendlay rows hit the ground between reps.

[Odifududix]

Bump

[Get-n-fit]

OP says he does SL which calls for Pendlay Rows. Pendlay rows hit the ground between reps.

With the set up he's doing, he's not doing Pendlay's either.

Odi-just do BOR's since you can't do pendlays.

[Odifududix]

With the set up he's doing, he's not doing Pendlay's either.

Odi-just do BOR's since you can't do pendlays.

What if my bar hits the safety pins after each rep, does that count as a Pendlay row?

If not, well I guess I'll just stick to BORs.

[WolfRose7]

What if my bar hits the safety pins after each rep, does that count as a Pendlay row?

If not, well I guess I'll just stick to BORs.

That counts as damaging equipment..

Don't do that.

you could pendlay off blocks or bumpers.
You could BoR. You could T-bar, you could seal row, you could wg cable row

[WapanCakes]

That counts as damaging equipment..

Don't do that.

you could pendlay off blocks or bumpers.
You could BoR. You could T-bar, you could seal row, you could wg cable row

Not OP but I try to set the bar down slowly after each rep. I don't intend on doing this long-term, just until I get to bigger plates where I can finally be able to pull from the floor without aid.

[Odifududix]

Bump again. Am I shooting myself in the foot for doing rows like this? Not necessarily a Pendlay row but it's better than nothing.

[Get-n-fit]

Bump again. Am I shooting myself in the foot for doing rows like this? Not necessarily a Pendlay row but it's better than nothing.

It is better than nothing, but it's also damaging equipment as stated above. Penlday rows are done with your back pretty much parallel to the ground, and ripping the weight off the floor every rep, while holding your back in the same position. If you are unable to do that, then just do BOR's. Get out of the power rack, you only need to lift the weight off the floor for the first rep....deadlift it up, and then get into BOR position and row, use a weight that is manageable that you can keep correct form with.

[Odifududix]

It is better than nothing, but it's also damaging equipment as stated above. Penlday rows are done with your back pretty much parallel to the ground, and ripping the weight off the floor every rep, while holding your back in the same position. If you are unable to do that, then just do BOR's. Get out of the power rack, you only need to lift the weight off the floor for the first rep....deadlift it up, and then get into BOR position and row, use a weight that is manageable that you can keep correct form with.

Well now I feel like a **** for doing rows like this. I guess I'll stick to "dead-rows" I suppose.

Some people argue that Pendlay rows are a little complex for novice lifters. Any truth to this?

[DCSpartan]

Well now I feel like a **** for doing rows like this. I guess I'll stick to "dead-rows" I suppose.

Some people argue that Pendlay rows are a little complex for novice lifters. Any truth to this?

I think some people are better suited for them than others.

[WapanCakes]

I think some people are better suited for them than others.

Meh, Pendlay rows might be considered "optimal" by many, but doing BOR or Yates rows as an alternative would be better than nothing I suppose.

[Garage Rat]

If your feeling your glutes and hams you are in the right position(hinged)to row and take stress off the low back.
If your not feeling your back when you row then you need to experiment and adjust your grip,find where you feel your back best and where you pull the bar to ,waist,chest or in-between and use the right amount of weight on the bar.
I personally like doing BB row from pins because as i mentioned it takes some stress away from the low back,i can activate/flex the lats/upper back by initiating the pull before i actually pull each and every rep.
They don't get as sloppy as the free barbell row because of the stop on the pins every time and i can take just a bit longer pause if needed between reps.
Its not to say that regular rows are bad it's just many most people use to much weight on them and use momentum to get the weight to the stomach taking out work the back should be doing.
For bodybuilding purposes do what feels best on the target muscle and go from there.