Exactly How to Do the Bent-Over Row — Plus 5 Alternatives For Every Fitness Level

You're bringing sexy back . . . muscles that is. The back is a very large and complex muscle group, so building it up takes time, and intentional work. One of the moves that hits many of the major muscle groups in your back is the bent-over row.

"The bent-over row is a full-body compound movement that targets the upper back, biceps, and even the core and hamstrings by supporting the hinge position. The primary muscle groups are the lats, mid-traps, biceps and rear-delts", says Dylan Davies, CPT and CEO of Lift Society in Los Angeles California.

So why does all that matter? We fill you in on the benefits of the bent-over row ahead — and break down exactly how to do one, plus some useful modifications and variations.

Dylan Davies, CPT, is the CEO of Lift Society in Los Angeles California.

The bent-over row is an exercise that will target and strengthen the posterior chain (the muscles along the back of your body). All of these muscles are important for posture, creating full body balance, and supporting your spine, which helps to prevent injuries while lifting, twisting, or otherwise going about your daily movements (like bringing in all of the groceries in one trip. Score!).

"By practicing and progressively overloading the bent-over row, you'll notice your back getting stronger, improved posture, and muscle definition throughout your biceps, rear delts, lats and mid-traps," Davies tells PS.

She continues, "Because bent-over rows are a compound movement, meaning you're recruiting a lot of muscle groups to perform the exercise, you can also improve your core strength and hip-hinge patterns."

"If a loaded hinge position doesn't feel great for your body, you could modify the exercise", suggests Davies. Making slight changes to the exercises will allow you to work with any injuries or discomfort you may feel while performing the bent-over row.

The Yates row is done with a barbell instead of dumbbells and requires less of a hinge.

For this modification you will use a bench in the incline position. The support from the bench will remove the hinge from the movement, while allowing you to perform it with good form.

The single arm row can be done standing, or using a bench.

One of the best ways to create variation to a movement is to play with tempo and supersets. "To level up a bent-over row you could add more weight, add more reps, or perform an agonist superset by alternating the movement with a lat pull down or dumbbell back fly to hit the same muscle groups from different angles," Davies tells PS. "You could also use time under tension and add a three-second pause at the top of each rep, or take a slow negative on the lowering phase of each rep." Here, two combo moves to add a little extra oomph to your row.

The Renegade row is a move that will not only target your back, but will also really light up the core.

To make a bent-over row more of a compound movement, you can add a deadlift.

You're doing it sitting down, but that doesn't mean the seated row is easy. And the posture change targets your upper back muscles more effectively. There are seated row machines at the gym, or you can do one at home on a mat with a resistance band.

Brittany Hammond is a NASM-certified fitness instructor, a fitness writer, and an avid reader. In addition to POPSUGAR, she has contributed to Livestrong.com, Well+Good, Verywell Fit, and Health.com. She has worked as a group fitness coach for the past seven years.