Meadow rows: the low-impact exercise for a stronger back and grip

Your back may not be top of your priority list– at least in comparison to your arms and chest– but if you want to fully fill out your t-shirt then it needs to be. Barbell rows may be hailed as the best back builder, but if you’re looking for a new strength exercise to particularly hit the upper back and those hard-to-reach lower lats, why not try meadow rows?

The exercise was invented by the late IFBB Pro bodybuilder and strength coach, John Meadows, and is a variation of a single-arm row using a barbell and a landmine attachment.

As well as working your back one side at a time, helping to reduce strength imbalances, meadow rows will also hammer your forearms. This is because you have to hold onto the thick end of the barbell, making them brilliant for boosting your grip strength, which will have great carryover to your other lifts (looking at you deadlifts and pull-ups).

They work your lats through a greater range of motion in comparison to barbell rows too. With the latter, you're using both hands to grip the barbell so you can’t rotate your torso on the way down, limiting your range of motion. However, with the meadow row you can, because you’re only using one hand. This results in a bigger stretch of the lats which can drive hypertrophy.

Meadow rows can also be easier on your lower back too. In fact, in an interview with Tiger Fitness, John Meadows says this is one of the reasons he stopped doing bent-over rows and started favouring his meadow row because they place less stress on the lower back and more on the upper back.

Plus, if you want to go really heavy and have just so happened to max out the dumbbell rack, you can! As you can load up the end of the barbell with plenty of plates, so its over-loading potential for this exercise is top-notch.

How to do meadow rows

Meadows Row | Elite Physique Training - YouTube

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• Place a barbell in a landmine attachment. If your gym doesn’t have this place the barbell in between the corner of two walls will a towel/t-shirt wrapped round the end
• Load up your weight onto the other end of the barbell and secure with a weight clip (you’re best using at least one Olympic weight plate here so that it raises the bar high enough off the floor, around mid-shin height)
• If rowing with your right arm, place your right foot slightly behind the barbell and your left foot staggered in front
• Hinge down to the barbell and take it in your right hand using an overhand grip
• Initiate the movement by pulling your elbow up towards your torso, squeezing your shoulder blades and lats as you do
• Slowly lower the barbell back towards the floor