Pendlay row vs barbell row: which is better?

Walk into any gym and you’ll see barbell rows performed a dozen different ways. Some lifters pull from the floor with a flat back and explosive force. Others keep the bar hanging in the air with their torso at 45 degrees, rowing with controlled rhythm. Some are doing something in between, and a few are doing something that looks more like a standing reverse curl.

The two legitimate rowing styles are the Pendlay row and the conventional barbell row. Both build back thickness and strength. Both belong in a serious training program alongside the other core compound exercises. But they differ in execution, difficulty, and what they demand from you.

Here’s how they compare and which one works best for 5x5 training.

What is a Pendlay row?

The Pendlay row is named after Glenn Pendlay, a well-known American weightlifting coach who advocated for a strict, explosive rowing style.

How it’s performed

1. Start: Bar on the floor, feet about hip-width apart. Hinge forward until your torso is nearly parallel to the ground — close to horizontal.
2. Grip: Overhand, roughly the same width as your bench press grip.
3. Pull: Explosively row the bar from the floor to your lower chest. Drive your elbows toward the ceiling.
4. Return: Lower the bar back to the floor. Let it settle completely — dead stop.
5. Reset: Each rep starts from a complete stop on the floor. No bounce, no momentum carrying over from the previous rep.

Key characteristics

• Dead stop on every rep. The bar touches the floor and comes to rest before the next pull. This eliminates the stretch reflex and any momentum.
• Torso nearly parallel to the floor. More horizontal than a conventional row, which increases upper back demand.
• Explosive concentric. The pull is fast and powerful, not slow and controlled. You’re pulling a dead weight off the floor with maximum effort.
• Strict form. Because each rep starts from zero, there’s less opportunity for body english. Your back has to do the work.

What is a conventional barbell row?

The conventional barbell row — sometimes called a bent-over row — is the more traditional style you see in most gyms.

How it’s performed

1. Start: Deadlift the bar to standing, then hinge forward until your torso is at roughly 45 degrees from the floor.
2. Grip: Overhand or underhand, similar width to the Pendlay row.
3. Pull: Row the bar to your lower chest or upper abdomen. Controlled speed, not necessarily explosive.
4. Lower: Let the bar descend until your arms are fully extended, but don’t touch the floor. Keep the bar hanging.
5. Repeat: The next rep begins immediately from the hanging position. The bar stays in the air for the entire set.

Key characteristics

• Constant tension. The bar never rests, so your back muscles are under tension for the entire set. This increases time under tension per set compared to Pendlay rows.
• Torso at roughly 45 degrees. More upright than a Pendlay row, which shifts emphasis slightly toward the lats and reduces lower back demand.
• Allows some body english. As weight gets heavier, the torso naturally rises slightly during the pull. A small amount of this is acceptable; excessive swing is not.
• Higher weight ceiling. The stretch reflex from the bottom position and the ability to use slight momentum mean you can typically row more weight conventionally than Pendlay style.

Head-to-head comparison

Muscles worked

Both styles hit the same muscles — lats, rhomboids, traps, rear delts, and biceps. The emphasis shifts slightly:

Pendlay row: Greater upper back emphasis (rhomboids, middle traps) because the horizontal torso position and dead-stop start force these muscles to work harder. The explosive pull also demands more from the posterior chain and spinal erectors.

Conventional row: Greater lat emphasis due to the more upright torso angle. The constant tension also keeps the biceps engaged longer throughout the set.

The differences are subtle. Neither is dramatically better for any muscle group.

Form discipline

This is where the two styles differ most.

Pendlay row: Honest. Each rep starts from zero. You can’t use momentum from the previous rep to cheat the next one up. If you can’t pull it from a dead stop, you fail. The near-horizontal torso position also means you can’t stand up straighter to cheat.

Conventional row: Forgiving. The stretch reflex at the bottom gives you a small bounce. The 45-degree torso allows gradual form drift — you start at 45 degrees and end up at 60 degrees without realizing it. Small amounts of body english creep in naturally.

This isn’t necessarily bad. But it means conventional rows can gradually become sloppier over time without you noticing. If you film yourself and your torso is nearly upright by the last rep, you’ve drifted.

Weight used

Most lifters can conventional row 15-25% more than they can Pendlay row. This difference comes from:

• Stretch reflex at the bottom of conventional rows
• Momentum carrying between reps
• More upright torso allowing more body english
• Gravity working slightly more in your favor at 45 degrees vs. near-horizontal

Don’t compare your Pendlay row numbers to your conventional row numbers. They’re different lifts with different force requirements.

Lower back demand

Pendlay row: Higher demand on the lower back. The near-horizontal torso position puts your spinal erectors under significant isometric load, similar to the bottom of a deadlift. Combined with the explosive pull, this can be fatiguing — especially if you’re also squatting and deadlifting heavy in the same program.

Conventional row: Moderate demand. The 45-degree torso is less taxing on the lower back than near-horizontal. The constant position is fatiguing over a long set, but the individual rep stress is lower.

If your lower back is already beaten up from heavy squats and deadlifts, conventional rows may be the more sustainable choice.

Transfer to other lifts

Pendlay row: Strong transfer to deadlift. The dead-stop pull from the floor trains the explosive hip extension and back engagement you need off the floor in a heavy deadlift. The near-horizontal torso position also mimics the back angle at the start of a conventional deadlift.

Conventional row: Better transfer to maintaining back tightness during prolonged sets. The isometric hold of the torso at 45 degrees trains the same endurance your back needs through multiple heavy squat or deadlift reps.

Both transfer well to the bench press by strengthening the muscles that stabilize your scapulae and upper back on the bench.

Which one should you use on 5x5?

The standard StrongLifts 5x5 program uses a conventional style barbell row with the torso at approximately 45 degrees. The bar stays in the air between reps, and you row to your lower chest with a controlled but strong pull.

This works well for most lifters for several reasons:

• Lower back management. You’re already squatting every session and deadlifting every Workout B. Adding near-horizontal Pendlay rows on top of that creates a lot of lower back volume. The 45-degree conventional row is easier to recover from.
• Progressive overload. The conventional row allows slightly heavier weights, which means the absolute load on your back muscles is higher over time.
• Simplicity. The conventional row is easier to learn and maintain good form on. For beginners following 5x5, this reduces one more variable to worry about.

When to switch to Pendlay rows

That said, Pendlay rows are an excellent tool in specific situations:

Your form is getting sloppy. If you notice yourself standing more upright each session, using hip swing to get the bar up, or not touching the bar to your chest, switching to Pendlay rows for 3-4 weeks forces a reset. The dead-stop start demands honest form.

You want to strengthen your deadlift off the floor. If you struggle with the initial pull in your deadlift, Pendlay rows train exactly that position and movement pattern.

You’re on a deload. Pendlay rows at a lighter weight are an excellent deload variation. You use less weight but get a stricter stimulus, which gives your body a recovery period without losing the movement pattern.

You like them better. Preference matters. If Pendlay rows feel better, keep you more engaged, and you can maintain good form — use them. Both styles build a strong back.

How to transition between them

If you’ve been doing conventional rows and want to try Pendlay rows (or vice versa), don’t just swap at the same weight.

Switching to Pendlay rows

Drop the weight by 15-20%. Your conventional 70 kg row becomes a Pendlay row at 55-60 kg. The dead-stop start and horizontal torso position make each rep significantly harder.

Rebuild from there, adding 2.5 kg per successful session just like any other 5x5 lift.

Switching to conventional rows

You can usually start at or near your Pendlay row weight, since conventional rows are less strict. But give yourself 1-2 sessions to get comfortable with the rhythm of keeping the bar in the air before pushing weight.

Common mistakes with both styles

Mistake 1: too much torso swing

Applies to both, but more common with conventional rows. If your torso rises 20+ degrees during the pull, you’re using momentum from your hips instead of strength from your back.

Fix: Reduce weight. Row with your back, not your hips. A small amount of movement is acceptable at heavy weights — your torso rising from 45 to 50 degrees is fine. Going from 45 to near-vertical is not.

Mistake 2: not pulling to the body

The bar should touch your lower chest or upper abdomen on every rep. Partial rows — pulling to your navel or stopping 6 inches from your body — reduce back activation significantly.

Fix: If you can’t touch the bar to your body, the weight is too heavy. Lower it. For a full form breakdown, read the barbell row guide.

Mistake 3: rounded lower back

Same problem as deadlifts and a recipe for disc issues. Your lower back must stay flat throughout the set.

Fix: Brace your core before each rep (or each set for conventional rows). If you can’t maintain a flat back, reduce weight or raise your torso angle slightly.

Mistake 4: bouncing Pendlay rows

Touching the floor and immediately yanking the bar back up defeats the purpose of a dead-stop row. The bar needs to actually settle.

Fix: Count “one” after the bar touches the floor before pulling. You don’t need a long pause — just enough to eliminate the bounce.

The verdict

Neither the Pendlay row nor the conventional barbell row is objectively better. Both build a strong, thick back. Both complement the pressing work in 5x5. Both make you better at squats and deadlifts.

The conventional row at 45 degrees is the standard choice for 5x5 — it’s easier to learn, easier on the lower back alongside heavy squats and deadlifts, and allows progressive overload with heavier weights.

The Pendlay row is the form check. When your rows start getting sloppy, when your torso is creeping upright, when you’re not sure if your back is actually doing the work — switch to Pendlay for a few weeks. The dead stop tells you the truth.

Use whichever keeps you honest, progressing, and injury-free. For proper form on the row and all five 5x5 movements, check the guide.

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