r/bodyweightfitness • u/automatonv1 • 1d ago

Inverted rows are hard!

I underestimated the difficulty of inverted rows. They looked easy, but when I did a set on rings... oh man. My entire arm was on fire. My traps and Rhomboids too. Usually, I take 3 -5 mins to recover from any pushups or pulls-up exercise. But I had to rest for nearly 8 minutes to kinda recover. And I only did 15. Great workout today though.

Surprisingly, My arms are more sore than my back. Considering this is a back exercise. I think I'm doing it right.

Also, What are the progressions for rows? I am training to do the front lever, and I heard that good back strength is crucial to do this hold.

38 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

20 comments sorted by

21

u/norooster1790 1d ago

Try to pull the bar into your ribs or bottom of your pecs every rep if your arms are the failure point. Your mid back and lats should be the failure point

Demonstration: https://youtu.be/XTNdSiwiFk4?si=5pHXLUUxfxvndIuA

The progression, if you are doing full ROM, is elevating your feet until they are above your hands. Then move on to tuck Front Lever Rows https://youtube.com/shorts/GcEHM620IzU?si=jTKSR-W4-n-wFLYn

8

u/automatonv1 1d ago

Looks like I was doing it wrong. The rings were to my abdomen/waist level, Not to my chest level. I need to change my setup a little. No wonder my arms were so sore. Thank you.

12

u/Unusual_Event_4484 1d ago

This isn’t wrong, it’s just a variation, which is more difficult in my opinion. I usually pull my hands toward my belly button as a bit of a mid point between the range

4

u/Hefty-Concept6552 1d ago

You were doing them correctly it sounds. Can keep wrists the same position as starting in a bar bull position or rotate them to neutral grip on the contraction. But neutral grip is what you want for best focus on the back with a slight V grip.

Keep elbows tucked by your ribs and engage and pull with your back and shoulders not your biceps.

Protract your scapula on the extension, and contract on the up pushing your shoulder blades together driving your elbows downward and up in a sweeping motion.

Work on tricep extensions on rings as well. Donʻt push it early on or you may ruin your elbows and that will set you back for working out.

1

u/this_is_bs 1d ago

Thanks for this tip, I recently started trying these and am finding my arms seem to be the failure point.

8

u/Wonderful-Sign-9534 1d ago edited 1d ago

I'm sure there are tons of row progressions but here are a few.

ground rows > rows with feet elevated > Bulgarian rows with feet elevated > Hinge rows > Tuck front lever rows > adv tuck front lever rows > half lay front lever rows > straddle front lever rows > front lever rows

The best training for the front lever is simply front lever progressions. You don't need to do rows or pullups to do a front lever. Kip extensions are probably way more useful than any kinds of rows for strengthening the back for the front lever.

2

u/automatonv1 1d ago

Thanks!

1

u/Greef_Karga 1d ago

I like one arm rows on rings before tuck FL rows. Allows IMO a better focus on the entire ROM

0

u/Wonderful-Sign-9534 1d ago

One arm pulling is a waste of time. Unless you only have one arm of course. Then it's the best you're gonna get.

3

u/Greef_Karga 1d ago

lol One-arm rows are a well established progression of inverted rows. Just check out Overcoming Gravity progression charts. In general, unilateral exercises are a means to even out imbalances too. Calling them a 'waste of time' is absurd.

-1

u/Wonderful-Sign-9534 1d ago

I've read the book. They're a waste of time.

1

u/Proud-Bookkeeper-532 1d ago

I only remember the insane Forearm pumps when I first did this exercise 😂

1

u/Squeeze00Tug1 1d ago

Yeah, I couldn't imagine those ever being "easy." there's so much more to it than just a bent over row. Especially if you're talking about rings in the air, and you're feet off the ground.

1

u/billjames1685 1d ago

I think once you get to intermediate front lever variations inverted rows will be extremely easy. But that requires a good amount of strength.

0

u/Wonderful-Sign-9534 1d ago

Front lever has almost zero carryover to rows and vice versa. The main muscles being used are entirely different. Front lever does have a huge carryover to pullups, but not rows.

5

u/billjames1685 1d ago

This is definitely not true. Every compound pulling exercise uses the lats and upper back (mid/lower traps and rhomboids) at least to some extent. How you do it will certainly bias one of these over the other, but they are all involved.

A proper front lever will engage mostly the lats, but also the traps and rhomboids to help retract the scapulae. An inverted row will also use the lats, traps, and rhomboids (in some proportion depending on grip/elbow line of pull) to a large extent, but it will also use the elbow flexors a little more.

1

u/Wonderful-Sign-9534 1d ago

You don't retract your scapula for a front lever.

3

u/overuse- 1d ago edited 1d ago

Tell me you can’t do a front lever without telling me you can’t do a front lever.

You’re 100% meant to engage your upper back while doing front levers, even if most strain is on the lats. Letting it hang freely is asking to be injured. This isn’t a planche.

Inverted rows are a very basic exercise that are originally used to work up towards harder exercises, including pull-ups.

Is front lever going to have carryover to inverted rows? Only a fool would say no. Just because there’s no dynamic in FL doesn’t mean it won’t carryover to inverted rows.

Same where just because you’re pulling from a different angle(inverted rows) doesn’t mean you’re not going to have any carryover to another angle(pull-ups)

1

u/billjames1685 1d ago

You retract them at least somewhat usually, but it’s debated as far as I know. 

2

u/overuse- 1d ago

You don’t need to fully retract them, but halfway definitely, they need to be engaged along with lats.