Barbell Rows vs. Pendlay Rows: Which Is Better For Strength & Powerlifting?

Why do you need rows in your program?

Rows are an important exercise in powerlifting as an accessory to help in building on strength and maintaining balance in our exercise volume for joint health.

Barbell rows and pendlay rows are some of the more common row variations you’ll see programmed for powerlifters. Is one better than the other in powerlifting? Let’s discuss the differences!

Barbell Rows

With our typical barbell rows, we are in a more upright position; a position where you could comfortably look up at a wall while performing the rows. This will put you at about a 45 degree angle to the floor. You may also find that you can use a bit more of our momentum from the movement with this variation of rows. When gripping the bar, you’ll typically grip right outside of shoulder-width, keeping your elbows tucked in nice and tight to the body. When you’re going through your reps, you won’t want to set the weights down onto the floor until the movement is over.

Pendlay Rows

With our pendlay rows, on the other hand, we are completely parallel to the floor. Our chest should be facing the floor completely. Be careful is not letting your lower back round during the movement; we want our backs to remain flat. When we grip, the grip can vary; but typically we’ll be a bit wider with where we grip the bar and as we pull up, the bar will come up to the lower chest. You want to be sure not to use momentum during the movement, so when going through each rep with heavy weight, its recommended that you set the bar down to reset and not allow any of that momentum throughout the movement.

Which Barbell Row Variation Should You Use?

You’ll see both barbell rows and pendlay rows incorporated into a powerlifting program or routine. Neither one is wrong to use, but there are different benefits to each, which is why where its placed in the program can make a difference for the powerlifting athlete!

Barbell rows are a great building exercise during a hypertrophy or volume phase of training. This is due to the nature of the movement, especially with the time under tension involved, in comparison to a pendlay row with a dead stop between reps. It can also be used as an accessory movement.

Our pendlay rows are great for building on strength in an intensity block. This is because our focus here is ultimately lifting heavy and building strength in our back. The dead stop between reps allows you to re-set to go heavy again, similar to deadlifting. This means that time under tension is taken away during this movement, which isn’t ideal in hypertrophy-focused training, but is ideal in strength-specific movements.

Ultimately, your coach will likely incorporate both into your program at some point throughout your training cycles. Both are great for powerlifters to build on hypertrophy and strength, which is necessary as an athlete, and they each have their own benefits!