Straight-Bar Bench Mid Row
Trains the Rhomboids and Middle Trapezius.
- Equipment
- A barbell, a box and either a flat bench or an adjustable bench
- Mechanic
- Compound
- Force
- Pull
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Set a flat bench and lie face down on it with a barbell on the floor underneath.
- Set the bench high enough on blocks that your arms can hang straight without the bar touching the floor.
- Reach down and take the bar with an overhand grip a little wider than your shoulders.
- Pull the bar up to the underside of the bench, driving the elbows out and back.
- Squeeze where the shoulder blades come together.
- Lower under control until the arms hang straight again.
Common mistakes
- Lifting the chest off the bench to pull higher. The bench is what removes the lower back and the hips from the movement; coming off it gives them back and makes the exercise pointless.
- Setting the bench too low. If the bar reaches the floor before the arms are straight, the range is cut at the bottom, which is where the shoulder blades do their travelling.
- Pulling with the elbows tucked to the sides. Tucked elbows aim the pull at the lat; this setup is for the middle back, and that wants the elbows out.
- Choosing the load from a bent-over row. Chest-supported means no help from the hips, and the honest weight is usually a good deal lighter.