Barbell Row Alternative

Barbell does aren’t really working for me, in that I don’t feel my back muscles working. I’ve watched a lot of videos on form but I just can’t seem to nail it. Is there any alternatibe compound exercise I can do to replace it? Keep in mind that I’m physically incapable of completing a pull-up (or chin-up for that matter)

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Just do cable rows faggot

Not even assisted pull-ups? Lat pull-downs?

Bring a barbell to rest at about waist level. Lie beneath it and put a weight plate on your chest, hold the bar and pull yourself up to it.

Do seated rows and focus on contracting the back muscles and squeezing. Keeping the chest up and shoulders set squarely helps. Practice with a barbell, grip slightly outside shoulder width. A good cue is to think about pulling from your ring fingers, and pulling from your elbows.

>Keep in mind that I’m physically incapable of completing a pull-up (or chin-up for that matter
Work on this every time you step in the gym. Jump up to the bar and lower yourself slowly

I haven’t tried lat pull downs but was considering. Is that a good replacement for barbell rows?

As for assisted pull-ups, I’ve been doing them for a while but progression has been slow. I went up to 30 pounds assisted but have stalled hard

If I add too much weight to a barbell row I wont feel it in my back or get the contraction I want. I would bet that you would be able to feel it if you halved the weight you are using and focused on feeling the muscles in your back. You shouldn't always lift as much weight as you can, if the exercise stops hitting what you want it to

Stop doing assisted pull-ups, instead do negative pull-ups (start from top and slowly lower yourself). Do this 3x5, in not too long you'll be able to change climbing back up to start your next negative pull-up into an actual pull-up.

The best way to get better at an exercise is to do the exercise.

I know that negative pull-ups are better, but I tried doing one the other day and literally couldn’t sustain any hold whatsoever. I would just drop like a stone as soon as I jumped

Are you perhaps just really heavy? If so, just keep it up with the barbell rows and try again to improve your form, maybe ask for help in the gym. You're going to need to lose a lot of wait if you can't even do a negative pull-up so eat less.

I don’t think I’m that heavy, I’m 160 pounds at 5’11”

Also idk if it matters but I’m naturally, very weak. When I started lifting, I was benching less than the bad (40 pounds) and overhead pressing about 30 pounds.

Those two exercises came easy to me and I now do 110 pounds and 75 pounds respectively, but I find that other lifts have not progressed quite so nicely

This
do the bar to failure if you're so fucking weak but what's likely happening is you aren't bringing the bar up far enough to activate your back properly because you have too much weight on there for your candy ass. Good luck user

Do people legitimately think seated cable rows are an acceptable replacement for an all-encompassing compound exercise?

>acceptable
It's an exercise to work up to the legit one, you judgemental bitch.
Offer a constructive alternative or GTFO.

T bar rows

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barbell rows are h*ckin sh*t. cable rows, as a high-rep assistance exercise, are fine.

Do inverted rows using rings or those stupid trx things starting with your feet on the ground, then progress to feet on a box. Then you can change your grip, do archers, typewriter etc.
Don't waste time with the rubber bands for pull us, do jumping pull ups all the way to the top, off a box, even, focusing on holding the negative and go all the way down, make sure your feet aren't touching the ground or you're not developing the entire muscle, then start with chin ups. Eventually, you will be able to do 1-2 pull ups and then just keep going from there. I like inverted rows even tho I can do pull ups. The machine shit is never going to help you because you're never going to put enough weight on it, doing body weight forces you to use the weight you need.

Also, you can do standing bent rows without a bench (way harder), or plank rows on with one hand on a parelette or bench. Make sure do go from hip to shoulder.

and by standing bent row i mean get into a deep lunge position, start with your left foot way forward and right back, toes on the floor of each foot, including your back foot, then put your left elbow on your quad and do the row with your right arm, then when you get that down start doing with out the assistance of the elbow on your quad. Reverse and do the other side.

Barbell flies are how the Romans became strong enough to conquer the known world. They only fell because the shitskins could do heavier barbell flies. Flies are always superior to rows, just like how planes are superior to boats.

What about those planes that can land and taxi across the water? Seems like the ultimate invention desu

When I get home from work I will investigate the feasibility of a barbell flyrow.

I gave it a go the best I could, for reference the dude is holding two barbells but is pulling them back then twisting wrists to turn the upwards movement in to a fly. The swastikas are because I had extra room in the painting and figured it would look shibby

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Is it really so bad to use a machine for rows? I fucking hate barbell rows, but the machine feels pretty good. What's really the difference in muscle activation between machine and barbell rows? Anything that other compounds don't do a good enough job hitting?

Barbell rows are dogshit. My back exploded once I switched to seated cable. I'll sacrifice the compound aspect for being able to blast my back in isolation. My lower back and core don't suffer because I also do deathlifts.

Cancer

Pussies lol

daddy jeff recommends one arm dumbell rows over a bench. one of his videos he suggests pulling your elbow back like a pendulum in addition to pulling up, once i started doing that i could really feel activation in my lower lats and i've started trying to mimic that feeling with pullups and cable rows as well.

Cope

Now
THIS
is
ART

I can do 10 assisted pull-ups with a 20lbs weight vest on, how do I progress from here??

rows = horizontal pulling
pulldown = vertical pulling
you should have one of each


barbell rows use more muscles due to stabilization.

dumbbell rows are better for MMC, barbell rows are easier to progressively overload.
"why not both?"