Gi / Towel Row
Grip + back endurance specific to grappling
How to do it well
The set-up and the rep in full, then the cues the app shows on the exercise card — the short version, for the moment you are standing in front of the bar.
Set-up
Loop a heavy towel, or the lapel of a gi, around a cable handle or a low anchor, and grab one end in each fist with the thumbs wrapped. Stand or sit tall, arms straight, shoulders back and down.
The rep
Row the towel to the lower ribs, driving the elbows back and squeezing the shoulder blades together. Crush the grip the whole way, then lower slowly to straight arms without letting the fabric slide. If the grip gives out before the back does, that tells you what to work on.
On the exercise card
- Crush the grip
What goes wrong, and the fix
| What goes wrong | The fix |
|---|---|
| The grip slipping | Wring the towel as you hold it. If it still slips, drop the load; the grip is part of the exercise. |
| Leaning back to finish | Stay tall and pull with the back. |
| Shrugging | Set the shoulders down and back before each pull. |
Make it easier, or harder
- Easier
- A standard cable row with handles, adding the towel for the last set.
- Harder
- Single-arm towel rows, or a towel inverted row with the feet raised.
How Train Smart prescribes it
The sets and reps below are the authored starting point. The actual weight you see is calculated from your own last top set and the week you are in within your four-week block.
Grappling is gripping cloth and pulling. This trains both at once, in the MMA program's grip, pull and trunk session: the back works as hard as in any row, while the hands hold the same shape they hold in training.
| Program | Session | Sets × reps | Load |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMA | Grip, Pull + Trunk | 4 × 8 | Moderate |
If you cannot do this one
Rack taken, kit missing, or it does not suit you. These are the swaps the app offers, matched by movement pattern and body region — each with the reason it is a fair substitute.
| Alternative | Why it works as a swap |
|---|---|
| Single-Arm DB Row | Unilateral back strength, even sides |
| Barbell Row | Heavy horizontal pull for the whole back |
| Pendlay Row | Dead-stop bar row from the floor — explosive pulling power |
| Yates Row | Underhand grip — lat-bias mid-back |
| Meadows Row | Landmine single-arm row — back thickness with shoulder safety |
| Kroc Row | High-rep heavy DB row — back endurance + grip |
This exercise, in a program that knows why it is there
Train Smart puts this movement in the right session, at the right point in your block, at a weight calculated for you — and swaps it automatically if you do not have the kit.
Your first month is free, with nothing to pay today. Then A$24.99/month, cancel any time. On the App Store and Google Play.
- Install itFree to download on iPhone and Android.
- Tell it how you playYour sport, your season, the nights you train and the kit you have. No account needed.
- See your week, then start freeYour program is built before you pay anything. Start the free month to unlock it, and cancel any time in your store settings.