Stronglifts 5x5 for Women

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Barbell row form

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emilyesq
emilyesq Posts: 47 Member
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I've been doing SL 5x5 for about 3 weeks now, and I'm pretty sure I haven't had the same form twice for the barbell rows. I've been watching so many form videos, and I keep thinking I have it, then I put my own body in that position and it just... doesn't work.

I almost feel as though my torso is too short - I get into what I think is the proper form, but there's not enough of my chest sticking out to pull the bar up to. It's entirely possible (actually, given that I'm such a lifting newb, it's almost guaranteed) that this is just a result of a form error. I got some good advice about it from a guy at my gym the other day, but when I make the corrections he was recommending, I end up with the same problem. I basically have to turn the motion into half a deadlift in order to get the bar up around my knees and to my chest.

Any tips on what I might be doing wrong? I'd love to make a form video, but my gym has a strictly enforced no-recording policy. Mostly I'm just wondering if anyone on this board had a similar problem.

For the record, I'm 5'6" and I am definitely more leg than torso, but I wouldn't say I'm disproportionate.

Replies

  • chubby_checkers
    chubby_checkers Posts: 2,353 Member
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    I like this video because he shows you the difference between barbell rows and Pendlay rows. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZlRrIsoDpKg

    Which one are you doing?
  • emilyesq
    emilyesq Posts: 47 Member
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    It's definitely a barbell row that I'm attempting. I'm trying to do exactly what Mehdi shows in his videos for the SL program.

    When I say that's what I'm attempting, I mean that I end up doing something halfway between the barbell and Pendlay rows, because I end up having to straighten up a little to complete the motion and avoid just bringing the barbell up to my kneecaps. I think it's possible that my knees are bent at too tight an angle, but when I try to straighten them up, I end up overbalancing and nearly pitching myself to the floor. Graceful I am not.
  • chubby_checkers
    chubby_checkers Posts: 2,353 Member
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    I have a really hard time with barbell rows, so I do Pendlay because I find them easier. I'm not going to be much help! :\
  • emilyesq
    emilyesq Posts: 47 Member
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    Yeah, I may end up switching to Pendlay rows myself. I'm going to give the barbell rows another try or two - I'm supposed to do them tonight, so I'll see how it goes. I'll just keep watching form videos in my spare time at work. :D
  • Fittreelol
    Fittreelol Posts: 2,535 Member
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    Pendlay rows are what is recommended in SL. Widen your stance and bend your knees until you are able to make your back parallel to the floor.
  • emilyesq
    emilyesq Posts: 47 Member
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    Oh crap, my apologies - that's what I get for watching videos with the sound muted. Yes, it's Pendlay rows I'm struggling with! I'll try widening my stance, that may be the issue. Next time I get a break from my desk I'll test it out. (Can you tell it's a slow day at work?)
  • mirrim52
    mirrim52 Posts: 763 Member
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    Are you stacking plates to get the bar to the right height? That makes a huge difference to me.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
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    emilyesq wrote: »
    I think it's possible that my knees are bent at too tight an angle, but when I try to straighten them up, I end up overbalancing and nearly pitching myself to the floor. Graceful I am not.

    if you're using a really wide grip, that could be part of it too. the wider your hands are, the 'shorter' your reach is going to be. so that might be something to play around with, unless you have mechanical problems that make a closer grip unsafe or uncomfortable for your shoulders.
  • krokador
    krokador Posts: 1,794 Member
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    One thing I find really helps me keep the form tight on those is squeezing my glutes and pushing out my belly (as if I had a belt on and was trying to press against it). I do them with a fairly pronounced bend in the knees and about a squat stance width for my feet, so that my back can remain flat and my grip is with my ring fingers about an inch inside the knurling (slightly less than bench press width).

    Don't know if that can help you set-up better. If you don't have full-sized plates or bumpers it makes it a bit more complicated, but you can make do by getting into position and letting the bar hang down to around mid-shin (stacking plates is such a hassle! lol). Always make sure to keep the core braced to keep the tension away from your lower back and try to think of the movement as bringing your elbows back to touch your shoulder blades together
  • Fittreelol
    Fittreelol Posts: 2,535 Member
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    canadianlbs wrote: »
    emilyesq wrote: »
    I think it's possible that my knees are bent at too tight an angle, but when I try to straighten them up, I end up overbalancing and nearly pitching myself to the floor. Graceful I am not.

    if you're using a really wide grip, that could be part of it too. the wider your hands are, the 'shorter' your reach is going to be. so that might be something to play around with, unless you have mechanical problems that make a closer grip unsafe or uncomfortable for your shoulders.

    Absolutely this. Just want to add that it's less likely to have issues with a wide grip row than it is a wide grip bench. For rows my pinky is right next to the rings. I could never go that wide in bench without pain.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
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    i've been re-reading your descriptions and trying to picture the issue, and it sounds like you're saying that you have to get so low in order to reach the bar that your knees are physically in the way of the bar path. is that correct? anyway, i kind of relate.

    a couple of thoughts:

    - dk what your weights are, but if you're not using the 45lb plates then the bar will be lower than it 'has to' be - and really from what i understand, than it should be. that's going to need a deeper knee angle, so maybe stacking would help since you can bring the bar up to a more orthodox height.

    - again with the grip width. that's also going to take inches away from your reach.

    - i'm not sure how to explain this, but it helps me to try and make myself into a triangle while i'm setting up. arms and back at right angles to each other, with my bum sticking way out behind me and my legs making the last, longest side. i don't think you want to be a real triangle since afaik you need at least some bend in your knees to protect your low back. but the idea helps me, because otherwise i just fold myself up into a kind of letter-T shape, with my shins as the downstroke and my torso just frankly sitting around on top of them like the crossbar part. and yeah, if i do that then my knees come all the way to my boobs, so i can't get a natural bar path going.

    i actually find that of all my body regions, rows feel like they're stressing the very tops of my hamstrings/inner thighs far more that they feel like they're stressing my lats. the lats and back move the bar, but my posterior chain is doing a hell of a job just keeping my body in balance while those ones are busy.

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