The Barbell Row is an intermediate barbell row that primarily trains the back and lats, with the biceps assisting. It is useful for building horizontal pulling strength through the back and lats.
Primary muscles
back, lats
Secondary muscles
biceps
Equipment
barbell
Difficulty
intermediate
TARGET AREA
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
back, lats
Secondary muscles
biceps
THE MOVEMENT
How to perform
Set the feet, hinge at the hips, and brace the torso before lifting the bar into the row position.
Keep the bar close and the torso angle consistent.
Pull the bar toward the lower ribs or upper abdomen by driving the elbows back.
Lower under control until the arms are long again without losing the hinge.
IRONYOU / CORE
Core cues
Keep the torso position consistent from rep to rep.
Drive the elbows back while keeping the shoulders away from the ears.
Control the return so the back stays loaded instead of letting the weight pull you forward.
STAY SHARP
Common mistakes
Turning the row into a torso swing.
Shrugging instead of pulling through the back.
Cutting the eccentric short and losing the stretched position.
YOUR PROGRESS
Your strength
Use your best set to calculate your current IronYou rank and see what comes next.
IRONYOU RANK CALCULATOR
127 exercises. One ladder. Your first rank is free.
Published reference points from the production IronYou rank system.
IronYou has 13 strength ranks: Copper I–III → Silver I–III → Gold I–III → Titanium I–III → IRON. IRON is the highest IronYou rank. The public standards tables show the estimated 1RM required to enter Silver I, Gold I, Titanium I, and IRON. Standards vary by sex and bodyweight.
Logged load: total barbell load. Public value: total barbell load.
Barbell Row Strength Standards — Male
Male
Published estimated 1RM thresholds by bodyweight. Load is recorded as total barbell load.
Barbell Row estimated 1RM strength standards by bodyweight and IronYou rank — Male.
Bodyweight (kg)
Silver I
Gold I
Titanium I
IRON
50 kg
51.4 kg
68.1 kg
84.7 kg
119.5 kg
60 kg
56.9 kg
75.4 kg
93.9 kg
132.4 kg
70 kg
62 kg
82.1 kg
102.1 kg
144 kg
80 kg
66.5 kg
88.1 kg
109.6 kg
154.6 kg
90 kg
70.6 kg
93.5 kg
116.4 kg
164.1 kg
100 kg
74.3 kg
98.4 kg
122.5 kg
172.7 kg
110 kg
77.7 kg
102.8 kg
128 kg
180.5 kg
120 kg
80.7 kg
106.9 kg
133 kg
187.5 kg
Barbell Row Strength Standards — Female
Female
Published estimated 1RM thresholds by bodyweight. Load is recorded as total barbell load.
Barbell Row estimated 1RM strength standards by bodyweight and IronYou rank — Female.
Bodyweight (kg)
Silver I
Gold I
Titanium I
IRON
40 kg
24.3 kg
32.2 kg
40.1 kg
56.5 kg
50 kg
32.4 kg
42.9 kg
53.4 kg
75.3 kg
60 kg
37.5 kg
49.6 kg
61.8 kg
87.1 kg
70 kg
40.6 kg
53.8 kg
67 kg
94.4 kg
80 kg
42.6 kg
56.4 kg
70.2 kg
99 kg
90 kg
43.8 kg
58 kg
72.2 kg
101.8 kg
100 kg
44.6 kg
59 kg
73.5 kg
103.6 kg
Values are estimated 1RM thresholds required to enter the named IronYou major rank tier.
Standards are derived from the production IronYou Rank V1 model.
KEEP EXPLORING
Variations
Related variations: Seated Cable Row, One Arm Dumbbell Row, and Chest-Supported Dumbbell Row.
Choose the version that matches your equipment, joint comfort, and the movement you can repeat consistently.
EARLY ACCESS
Track Barbell Row in IronYou.
Keep your last session, progress and next target with you when you train.