Pain With Rows? Why the One-Arm Pendlay Row Fixes What Standard Rowing Can't
Rowing exercises are foundational for upper back strength, shoulder health, and pulling performance. If you're skipping them because they cause pain, you're missing one of the most important movement patterns in training. The fix is usually not to quit rows — it's to find a variation that lets you train the pattern without the pain.
Why Rows Sometimes Cause Back Pain
Barbell rows and cable rows require you to maintain a bent-over position under sustained load. For many people, this exposes two weak links:
Insufficient core bracing: Without solid intra-abdominal pressure, the lumbar spine absorbs load it shouldn't.
Poor hip hinge pattern: If you're "rowing" by extending through the lower back rather than retracting the shoulder blade, the lumbar extensors fatigue and eventually overload.
The result is lower back pain, SI joint discomfort, or a nagging pull near the thoracic spine — enough to make every rowing movement feel risky.
Why the One-Arm Pendlay Row Works
The one-arm Pendlay row solves most of these problems simultaneously. Unlike conventional rows, each rep starts from a dead stop on the floor — which means you get a fresh brace before each pull. The single-arm setup lets you use the free hand and hip to create a stable base, reducing the spinal demand significantly.
Benefits:
Improved bracing: The dead stop forces you to reset your breath and brace before each rep — the single most common fix for back pain during rowing.
Core stability: The offset loading (one arm pulling while the other stabilizes) trains anti-rotation — a core function that bilateral rows miss entirely.
Overall lower back fitness: Done correctly, it progressively strengthens spinal stabilizers rather than overloading them.
Better lat engagement: Returning the bar fully to the floor between reps allows complete lat relaxation, improving both range of motion and muscle recruitment.
How to Do It
Set up with the barbell on the floor, feet hip-width, one hand on the bar
Place your free hand on your thigh or a bench for support
Brace your core and pull the bar to your hip — not your chest
Return the bar fully to the floor between each rep, rebrace, then repeat
Start with 3 sets of 6-8 reps at a weight where control is complete throughout
Signs the one-arm Pendlay row is right for you:
Back pain during conventional rows that disappears with the one-arm version
Losing your brace mid-set under heavier loads
One side noticeably weaker than the other on bilateral rows
Back fatigue arriving before the target muscles are trained
At Prevail Rehab & Performance, we specialize in finding variations that keep you training through pain while building the strength to fix the underlying cause. Book a free Discovery Visit at https://try.prevailrehab.ca.
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