If you’re new to lifting, and you’ve realized the importance of working all your muscle groups, instead of just training chest and biceps, you’re probably going to want to include some bent-over barbell rows. This is one of the most important, big compound exercises. The lats (latissimus dorsi) are the biggest muscles on the upper body, and they are involved in pretty much any pulling movement. A nice thick upper back will provide balance to your physique and will provide stability to your shoulders in other exercises. Barbell rows are one of the simplest, most powerful strength- and mass-building exercises you can do. So, if you want to begin doing barbell rows, how much weight should you start with?
After learning how to perform barbell rows with perfect form, you should start out by doing a set of 10 reps with a very light weight, like maybe 20-30 lbs, and if this feels super easy, add 5-10 lbs. Do another set of 10, then add another 5-10 lbs. Continue this process of adding weight in these increments until you get to a weight where you cannot do 10 reps. Make a note of this weight. Although you will be fatigued by all of the warm-up/test sets, this will give you a good idea of where your work sets should be. Then in subsequent workouts, start with 50% of this weight for a warmup set, then use 75% for a second set, then 100% of this weight for 1-2 work sets. As you get stronger and can do more than 10 reps, increase this amount by 5lbs, or in smaller increments if you prefer and if your gym’s plate selection allows for it.
The bent-over barbell row is a simple exercise, but it is easy to do it wrong. If you’re unsure about how to properly perform this exercise, here is a good video tutorial on how to perform barbell rows properly. If you’re going to a gym, something to consider is that a standard Olympic barbell is 45 lbs without any weight plates on it. Some gyms have the smaller, standard barbells too, or the preloaded ones, but many do not. If this is too much for you to begin with, I would suggest you start with some 10-20 lb dumbbells.
So you’re ready to start doing barbell rows and building a strong and muscular upper back. There are still a few other considerations to think about. Read on and we’ll take a look at some of them.
How Many Sets And Reps Of Barbell Rows Should I Do Starting Out?
Starting out as an absolute beginner, a good plan is to do the standard 3 sets of 10 reps. 2-3 times a week, as part of a total body workout. As I explained before, you should do the first set at about 50% of the weight you will use for the work, or heavy (relative to you), set. This is a warm-up set so don’t do more than 10-15 reps.
Second set you will add some weight, up to about 75% of your final set’s weight. This is sometimes known as a stretch set. This will prepare your muscles for the work they are about to do in the heavy set.
Finally comes the heavy set. This is the set that will actually tax your muscles and cause them to grow. You are soon going to be testing your muscles’ limits here so be sure to maintain correct form and use matts or pads in case you need to drop the weight.If you’re uneasy with using free weights, it OK to use one of the machines available at most gyms, although free weights are definitely preferable. You want to use a weight where you can just about get 10 reps. If it is easy, and you feel like you could’ve gotten 12 or so reps, then do a 2nd set with this weight. Then, the next time you do rows, go up in weight by about 5% or 5lbs. Conversely, if you can’t get at least 9 clean reps, drop the weight by 5-10% next time.
It’ll take some experimentation, but you will find your groove here and will quickly get a grasp on the exact amount of weight you should use. Remember to write down or somehow record the weights you use on each exercise so you can be sure to progress over time.
If you are uneasy about the concept of a “heavy” set, try 2 sets of 20 reps instead. Start with about 50% of your expected work set’s weight.
How Often Should I Do Barbell Rows Starting Out?
Recovery is the most overlooked aspect of weight training for many excited beginners, and can quickly lead to burnout and excessive soreness. Wanting to get big as fast as possible, many new trainees will work out the same muscles frequently without giving them time to recuperate and grow.
Twice or three times a week is optimal for beginners, assuming you are following my advice about a maximum of 4 sets per workout. Every other day would also be acceptable, if you’d like a slightly higher frequency.
The point of weight training is to stimulate the muscle, then let it recover. Then repeat. Too much of the same exercise, or not enough rest time, can actually lead to getting weaker! Or at the very least, not progressing, so be sure to get 48-72 hours of rest between workouts.
How Hard Are Barbell Rows For Beginners?
The two big exercises for lats are pull-ups/chin-ups, and rows. Pull-ups are very difficult for many beginners because your bodyweight is the minimum level of resistance, this means that rows are easier to start with because you can use a lighter weight.
The bent-over stance used for this exercise may be a little uncomfortable for some new trainees, especially if they are very overweight. But with practice this will become a basic and straightforward exercise to perform for most people.
How Soon Can I Go Heavy On The Barbell Row?
What’s considered “Heavy” is relative to you. Ultimately, if you are performing a set to failure, this is a heavy weight for you (in that rep range). Once mastered, the barbell row is a great exercise to go heavy on, so after a few months of safely building your strength, you’ll be surprised how heavy you will be able to go on this exercise. As long as your form remains perfect and you can perform the desired number of reps, feel free to pile on the weight. As you become more advanced, you may decide to try out high-weight, low-rep approaches to lifting. This means that you’ll be able to use more weight because you’re doing less reps. Again, correct form is a must. Cheating in order to use more weight will be a pointless, and fruitless endeavor and you should avoid it.
There Is No Substitute For Proper Form!
Keep the barbell under control at all times. No swinging or rocking. This is cheating, and is potentially dangerous, as well as robbing you of results by having your lower back and legs providing too much assistance. The pride that makes gym goers want to use more weight than they should is not doing anyone any favors. Other people at the gym do not care how much weight you can lift, but they might admire a muscular, balanced physique, so focus on perfect form and you’ll see results instead of appeasing your ego and risking injury.
Keep your form strict and controlled – including while lowering the weight – and you will see faster results than if you cheat, and you’ll be safer.
It is important to track your progress with other metrics besides just weight and what you look like in the mirror. The scales will not tell the full story of what’s going on with your body composition. I highly recommend you track your body fat using a body fat monitor, and use a retractable tape measure to keep track of the size of your waist, hips, arms, and legs. This will give you a more complete picture of your progress.
Related Questions:
Is One Set Of Pushups Every Morning All I Need?
A single set of push-ups every morning is not a perfect, complete workout, but will certainly lead to improvements over time to your chest, shoulders, arms, back and core. It is important not to do a fixed number of push-ups, as this may leave some ‘in the tank’. Instead, perform one set of as many push-ups as you can in one go every morning. This amount will vary from day to day, since some days you are stronger than others, but even if it’s 25 push ups one day, and only 10 or 12 the next, some is always better than none, and the consistency will pay off. A single set to failure should not cause much in the way of soreness so your muscles will have repaired themselves by the next day allowing this to become a daily routine.
How Much Should I Start Benching?
To figure out what weight you should use when you first start bench pressing, first you need to evaluate your strength level. The easiest and most relevant way is to try push-ups. So do as many push-ups as you can in one set, with strict form. If you can do 0-5 push-ups, start with 20-25% of your bodyweight for your heaviest set. If you get 5-10, use 40-50% of your bodyweight. Add 5% of your bodyweight for each two additional push-ups you are able to do in one set up to about 75% of your bodyweight. Do a lighter (50% of work set weight) set to warm up, a medium set with another 25%, and then your heavy set. Use a spotter, and go lighter if necessary. Remember, it’s better to build up weight over a few workouts than to get injured going too heavy too soon.
