Pure Strength BBA - T-Bar Rows

S

Soosan

Cathlete
Before Cathe does 3 sets of 10 T-Bar Rows, she does a warmup set of 16 reps with lighter weights. Rather than go through the trouble of changing plates, I just do all 4 sets with the same weights. Why does she do this warmup? Do any of you skip it? How much weight do you use for this exercise?
 
I think she does the warm up set to try and fatigue the muscle or to help people make sure that they have proper form before going heavy. I don't skip it personally. I use about 20-30 for the warm up set and 40 for the heavy set. Hope that helps you some. Do what you feel is appropriate for you and your body.

HTH:)
 
I do the first set as a double are dumbbell row with 15# dumbbells. Then when she goes into the t-bar rows I typically have 55#s on one end. Some days I go lighter because my forearms are tired. And yes, she does this first set to fatigue the muscles.
 
Thanks for the replies! I like the idea of using two 15#ers rather than changing plates to pre-exhaust the muscles. I'm going to try that next time.
 
Or you could just slip the extra plates over the end of the bar without actually locking them down. After all, it's always tilted and they won't fall off.
 
An easy way to increase the weight on your bar for this is to just load your bar evenly for the warmup set (say, 30 lbs) and then for the heavy set just slip another 10-20 lbs over one end, without even removing the clip. That end is lifted, and I don't think its unsafe to do during this move. (When you switch to the next exercise, you'll need to even out your weights, and make sure you secure them with the clip!)

Sometimes I do skip the warmup set. I can't remember if this is the first back exercise after the warmup in PS, but if so, I'm sure Cathe uses that warmup set to do just that--warm up the muscles for the HEAVY weight you should be using on T-bar rows.

PS
Another tip on this exercise, if you aren't feeling it, is to use a short towel rather than your hands to hold the bar. I do this, and I really feel this exercise in my back.

Hope that helps a little!

Wendy
 
Wendy, I use a towel too - learned that from an old Firm tape ("Firm Strength" with Pam Cauthen). If I use both hands on the bar, I always favor my right hand/stronger side.
 
Wendy, I'm interested in this towel idea since I feel those T-bar rows more in my fingers than in my back. Do you wrap a short towel around the bar and pull the ends of the towel? Am I picturing this right? Thanks.

Pinky
 
I don't actually wrap it around the bar--put a small towel on the floor with your barbell situated perpendicularly over it, with the towel near the end with most of the weight. Bend down as if you were going to grasp the bar for t-bar rows, but grasp the ends of the towel instead.
When you use a towel, the bar is a bit further away from you--I'm not sure if that's what makes me feel it more, but whatever it is, it works for me.

Hope that description was clear!

Wendy
 
Okay, I feel really stupid, but since we were discussing that exercise in PS and I will be doing that tape this week with Cathe's January rotation, I have a question that I have always been too embarrassed to ask. (Ha, just joking)

I always feel that the barbell is going to slide between my legs no matter how my barbell is loaded. I know it's probably because I exercise on carpet. Do you think it would be okay to put the end of the barbell on a yoga sticky mat or do you think it would tear up the mat? Also, are there any substitutions that I could do instead of this exercise. I have dumbells up to 25 lbs.

Thanks, for any suggestions, Sandra
 
Sandra, the lower end of my bar wants to slip away too. It seems more stable without any plates on the lower end with the bar end resting on a folded towel. Besides being more stable, it keeps the carpet from getting damaged.

I like using the towel around the heavy end too. Having my hands further apart allows for much better focus on the back. So maybe I should just use dumbells...

Debra
 
Yep on the unrely end. I lift up the whole bar during the exercise or it slips down between my legs. Do you think if I load the light end a bit it will help???

Sassy
 
Thanks for the suggestions everyone,

I have not done the tape in a while so it is quite possible that I am not loading the bottom heavy enough to keep it from slipping between my legs. I will give that a try and let you know how it goes, or substitute some of the sets with barbells. I do feel that exercise in the mid-back much more than any other exercise.

Thanks again, Sandra
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top