Inverted Row (under a table or bar)
Back + biceps strength — no bar? use a sturdy table edge
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
Set a bar in a rack at about waist height, or lie under a sturdy table. Check the table first: it has to take your full weight without moving. Grip the bar or the table edge with the hands about shoulder width and walk the feet out until the body hangs in a straight line from heels to head, arms straight.
The rep
Squeeze the glutes and brace so the body stays rigid. Pull the chest up to the bar or the table edge by driving the elbows back, and squeeze the shoulder blades together at the top. Lower slowly to straight arms without letting the hips sag.
On the exercise card
- Squeeze shoulder blades
- Body rigid
What goes wrong, and the fix
| What goes wrong | The fix |
|---|---|
| Hips sagging | The body moves as one plank. Squeeze the glutes and brace. |
| The chin poking towards the bar | Lead with the chest. The head stays in line with the body. |
| Short reps | Straight arms at the bottom, chest to the bar at the top. |
Make it easier, or harder
- Easier
- Bend the knees with the feet flat, or set the bar higher so the body is more upright.
- Harder
- Feet raised on a chair, a pause at the top, or a loaded backpack on the chest.
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.
In the bodyweight program it is the horizontal pull that balances the push-ups, and a kitchen table means it needs no equipment at all. It is also the step before a chin-up for anyone who cannot do one yet.
| Program | Session | Sets × reps | Load |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bodyweight Athlete | Upper Push + Pull | 4 × 10 | BW |
What it trains, and who trains it
- Region
- Upper body
- Prescribed in
- bodyweight training
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.
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