Underhand Barbell Row: A Complete Guide

Quick Intro

Underhand Barbell Row, also called the Supinated Row, is a compound pulling exercise performed by bending over with a flat back and pulling a barbell up to the lower ribs using a palms-up grip. It’s a grip variation of Barbell Bent Over Row that draws the biceps and lower lats more directly into the pull than an overhand grip does.

Equipment Needed

Underhand Barbell Row needs a Barbell, loaded with weight plates to the working load, the only piece of equipment this lift requires. No rack is needed, just enough space to bend over the bar with a flat back and a full range to pull through.

Why Underhand Barbell Row Matters

Pulling the bar with a palms-up grip draws the wide back muscle running from the spine to the arm (latissimus dorsi) in strongly, with the front of the upper arm (biceps brachii) taking on a larger share of the pull than an overhand grip allows. The muscles between the shoulder blades (rhomboids) still pull the shoulder blades together, a deep muscle in the shoulder (teres major) assists the lat through the same motion, and the forearms grip the bar throughout the set. Muscular strength is the main demand, as in any heavy bent-over pull, with endurance next as the sets run to eight or ten reps.

When to Do It

Underhand Barbell Row fits well on a back-focused pulling day, either as the main row or as a variation added specifically to bring more biceps and lower lat work into the session. Two to three times a week, spaced apart from other heavy pulling work, is a reasonable frequency for most lifters.

Anyone with a current lower back or bicep tendon issue should approach this lift with some caution, since the bent-over position loads the spine and the underhand grip places the biceps tendon under tension through the pull. A recent wrist or elbow issue is also worth noting, since the supinated grip changes the angle those joints work through compared to an overhand row.

Getting Ready

A short spell on a rowing machine, or a few light dumbbell rows, warms the back and grip up before the bar comes out. A few unloaded hip hinges into the bent-over stance, with no bar yet, give an early read on how the flat-back position feels today.

Once the bar is loaded, a short ramp of warm-up sets, working from a light weight up toward the day’s working weight, lets the elbows and biceps adjust to the underhand grip before the first hard set.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. The setup. Set up over the bar with a flat back and a hip hinge, gripping the bar with the palms facing up.

2. The pull. Pull the bar up toward the lower ribs, keeping the elbows tucked close to the torso as they drive back.

3. The squeeze. Draw the shoulder blades together for a brief hold once the bar reaches the ribs.

4. The lower. Lower the bar back down under control to a full stretch before the next rep.

How Many, How Often

Underhand Barbell Row is dosed by reps and sets, with the working weight chosen relative to how well the elbows stay tucked through the underhand grip’s naturally different pulling angle.

Elbows that stay tucked close to the torso through the whole rep matter more here than the exact weight pulled, since flaring the elbows wide reduces the extra lat activation this grip is specifically meant to provide.

Modifications and Variations

Underhand Barbell Row has a single alternative, the same row with an overhand grip.

As an alternative that flips the grip, Barbell Bent Over Row uses an overhand grip instead, shifting more emphasis onto the upper back and rear shoulder rather than the biceps and lower lats this grip favors.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Letting the elbows flare out wide during the pull. It directly undoes what the underhand grip is meant to provide: elbows that drift wide shift work back toward the upper back and away from the biceps and lower lats. Keeping the elbows tucked close to the torso as they drive back and up protects the intended emphasis.

Rounding the lower back during the pull. Losing a flat back partway through the set, especially as fatigue sets in, shifts load away from the target pulling muscles and onto the spine directly. Bracing the core and holding a flat back from the first rep to the last protects the lower back.

Using too much bicep and not enough back to initiate the pull. Because the underhand grip naturally recruits more biceps, it’s easy to let the arms do most of the work while the back muscles coast. Starting the pull by driving the elbows back, not just bending the arms, keeps the back muscles properly involved.

After Your Set

A minute of relaxed walking settles the breathing before anything else. Turning both palms face down and gently pressing them toward the floor with a straight arm releases the forearms that gripped the bar in a supinated position through every rep. Kneeling in a lunge position with the back knee down and the hips eased gently forward opens the hips that held a fixed bent-over hinge through the whole set.

Going Deeper

Underhand Barbell Row usually sits alongside a standard overhand row in the same session, added specifically to train the biceps and lower lats more directly than an overhand grip alone provides. Pairing the two grips across a week gives more complete back and arm development than either alone.

Progress here tends to stall on grip fatigue before it stalls on back strength: because the underhand grip pulls the biceps in more than an overhand row, the biceps and forearms sometimes fatigue before the back muscles reach their limit, especially on higher-rep sets. Building forearm and bicep endurance separately, rather than adding weight to a set that’s stalling on grip, tends to unlock more progress here.

Someone already comfortable on a standard overhand row generally adapts to the underhand grip within a couple of sessions, and works up to a working weight close to their overhand row weight somewhere in the three to five week range.

How to Know You’re Improving

1. Elbows that stay tucked close to the torso through the entire pull, with no outward flare
2. A flat back held from the first rep to the last, with no rounding as fatigue sets in
3. A working weight that leaves the last rep or two hard without the elbow path breaking down
4. A pull that feels noticeably more bicep-and-lat-driven than the same weight on an overhand row

Elbows that stay tucked through the whole rep, not the exact weight pulled, is the marker of progress on this lift.

Muscles Worked

• Latissimus Dorsi (a large back muscle, worked lower down its length by the supinated grip)
• Biceps Brachii (the front of the upper arm, contributing far more than an overhand row allows)
• Rhomboids (the muscles between the shoulder blades, drawing the blades together as the bar reaches the lower ribs)
• Teres Major (a small muscle under the shoulder blade, pulling the upper arm back from a tucked elbow position)
• Forearm Flexors (the forearms, holding a palms-up grip under heavy load)

FAQ

How is this different from a regular Barbell Bent Over Row? The grip flips to palms-up instead of palms-down, which shifts more emphasis onto the biceps and lower lats (see Why Underhand Barbell Row Matters above).

Is one grip better than the other for building the back? Neither is strictly better, just different in emphasis. Rotating between an overhand and underhand grip across a training week trains the back muscles more completely than sticking to just one.

Why do my biceps feel more fatigued on this row than on a standard one? The underhand grip naturally recruits the biceps more directly into the pull, which is exactly why they can fatigue before the back muscles do, especially on higher-rep sets (see Going Deeper above).

Should I use less weight on this row compared to a standard overhand row? A similar or slightly lighter weight is common, since the biceps can become the limiting factor here before the back muscles reach their own limit.

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Related: Barbell Bent Over Row, the same row with the palms facing down.