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Barbell Pendlay Row - Thoughts on form

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SolidBrawn

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Hey all,

Just out of curiosity: when performing the pendlay row, do you prefer to stack the torso on the thighs, or spread and "sit" between the hips?

I've played around with both and find the former a bit more comfortable and really lets me engage the midsection. Each potentially has its advantages/disadvantages, but I tend to err on the side of "do whatever is comfortable". I was wondering if any one else had other opinions?

Thanks and I look forward to your feedback.
 
Whichever gets you the most horizontal and allows you to maintain a flat back while doing the movement.

The more horizontal you are, the more you're going to work the lats (as intended), instead of the traps (if overly upright).
 
Thanks for your input. Both ways I described allow for a horizontal position, but I try to focus on contracting the upper back muscles by squeezing the shoulder blades together. I was more asking about whether or not anyone else has experimented with the stance.

When I posted the thread I was musing on whether or not body proportion plays a role in what stance is most "effective" for the individual. For instance, I'm a lanky dude with long arms and legs. Pulling exercises come much easier than pressing. When I "sit between my hips" I effectively lower my center of mass, but feel much more loading in my glutes/hamstrings, whereas stacking the torso on top of the thighs I feel a better bracing of the midsection and perhaps it would have more carry-over to other compound lifts. At least that's my thought process.

Any thoughts?
 
@SolidBrawn I'm not quite sure what you mean by 'stacking the torso on top of the thighs'.

Glenn Pendlay was asked about the Pendlay Row in an interview on BarBend.com and said this:

"In reality, the Pendlay Row is simply a strict barbell row, done with the back staying at parallel to the ground, more or less. Arching the back in an explosive movement was just something that seemed right."

From this, I'd say as long as you're keeping your back close to parallel with the ground and being strict with your reps, you can do whatever you want.

Having said that, as Glenn was a weightlifter/weightlifting coach, he'd have gotten plenty of work on his glutes and hamstrings from squats and pulls, so being able to focus more on maintaining a tight lower back while squeezing the upper back hard at the top of the movement sounds like the order of the day.
 
As with other movements, the execution depends on the reasons why you are doing the movement. The fact that you are trying to hold the back in a plane parallel with the ground through the entire movement means the emphasis is spread across the length of the spine, especially the erectors. The intent behind training the Pendlay row thus is to get stronger at holding key positions in the various stages of a pull and is great a superb assistance movement for Olympic pull variations since positional strength is so important to those movements.

So to answer your question, I would argue that whichever stance challenges your ability to keep your position MORE is the stance you want - given of course that you can SAFELY execute the movement in that stance. Not sure what you mean about "stacking the torso on thighs" - that sounds to me like you are folding over and resting the chest on your thighs. I would definitely NOT recommend that for the Pendlay row because it makes the positional aspect of the movement easier, not harder. You will definitely have to sit back and load the glutes and hamstrings, but you should still FEEL the movement across the back.
 
Thanks for the responses.

I apologize for being unclear with "stacking the torso", and by no means do I mean resting the torso on the thighs. I just couldn't think of a better way to articulate the position. Thanks @Masangkay and @Chrisdavisjr for your insights.

I've come to the conclusion that I'm overthinking this, but thought it may be worth a conversation. Cheers!
 
Thanks for the responses.

I apologize for being unclear with "stacking the torso", and by no means do I mean resting the torso on the thighs. I just couldn't think of a better way to articulate the position. Thanks @Masangkay and @Chrisdavisjr for your insights.

I've come to the conclusion that I'm overthinking this, but thought it may be worth a conversation. Cheers!

The "explosive from the floor" part is what makes it a "Pendlay", as opposed to a garden variety row.

There is going to be some slight form slop and body english compared to a strict row.

They've fallen out of my personal repertoire because I can't get as good of a contraction as I can with other implements -- the barbell hits my torso before I'm at full scapular retraction. But that's just me and my phsiognomy.
 
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