Trying to Build Up Your Lats?
Underhand BB Rows are great for Females too!
Chances are that you are currently, or at least should be, trying to add some beef to your lats (latissimus dorsi). Whether you’re a male trying to build a back reminiscent of Dorian Yates or a female trying to build a lean, shapely back – you’re going to have to target your lats.
After all it’s primarily your lats that give your torso that coveted V-shape appearance, making your waist appear narrower. That alone is reason enough to intelligently blast your lats in the gym.
Best Lat Exercise
I often hesitate to label something – especially an exercise – the best. After all, the best one for one person may not be the best for another. However, assuming you don’t have a lower back problem that prohibits you from doing certain exercises, I feel quite confident that the “best” overall lat exercise is the Underhand Barbell Row (aka Reverse-grip Barbell Row).
The UH BB Row (as I abbreviate it on clients’ programs) is, in my humble opinion, the best overall lat exercise around. Heck, I’d even go so far as to say it’s one of the single best back exercises…period! It’s THAT GOOD!
UH BB Row Start Position
UH BB Row Finish Position
UH BB Row Tips:
*Slightly wider than shoulder-width grip
*Keep your back flat or slightly arched (extended) throughout.
*NEVER round your back (aka flex your spine)!
*Consider using a weight-belt when using heavy weight (heavier than your 8 RM – repetition maximum).
The standard bent-over barbell row calls for an overhand (pronated) grip, and that’s just what we all did for decades with no questions asked. When I started out in the iron game over 20 years ago I did the same thing, week in and week out. However, I always questioned whether or not I was doing it right, because I simply didn’t feel the overhand version of the BB row like I thought I should.
Then along comes a bodybuilder from England named Dorian Yates. Dorian, like me and many others, also felt the overhand BB row left a lot to be desired – so he put on his thinking cap. The result was Dorian switching to an
UH BB Rows hit you right here.
underhand grip to better target his lats. As soon as I read that I was off to the gym to try it out. Long story short, I never looked back! It was awesome!
The Underhand BB Row hits you right square in your lats where you want it to, whereas Overhand BB Rows hit your upper back and traps FAR more than your lats. You can try to make the overhand row hit your lats well by using a narrower grip and keeping your humerus adducted (arms along your sides) during the row. But try as you might, most people find that it STILL doesn’t hit their lats like the underhand version.
The underhand version is also more natural feeling for most people, partially because the supinated (palms up) grip places your biceps in a more mechanically advantageous position.
Regardless of the science and reasoning behind the Underhand (or reverse-grip) Barbell Row – it WORKS! Not only will it help you make your back wider, it also thickens up your lats such that it will enhance the appearance of the coveted Christmas tree appearance in the lower back region.
Give Underhand Barbell Rows a shot – your lats will thank you. 
Yours in health & fitness,
Dr Clay
hello dr clay
i only have dumbbells.
is dumbbell row with underhand grip as efficient as barbell version?
thank you.
I wouldn’t say either is inherently better than the other, just different. So by all means, only having dumbbells to row with shouldn’t be considered a problem, just something for you to work around.
So with DB’s you can either row one arm at a time, or you could mimic a barbell and row both at the same time.
Another neat thing you can do with dumbbells that you can’t do with a barbell is to start the row in a neutral-grip position (palms facing each other, toward the middle) or even in an overhand (pronated) position, then rotate into the underhand (supinated) position as you near the top, contracted position. Being able to rotate the DB during the rowing movement is a neat plus to dumbbells.
Row on, my friend!
Dr Clay