Single Arm T Bar Row

To build a strong physique with balanced muscle development, you have to dedicate time to exercising your back muscles. The single-arm T-bar row is an effective strength training workout that primarily targets the upper back muscles. The exercise also engages secondary muscles in the arms and shoulders.

The rowing exercise is preferred because it is unilateral, which lets you focus on form for balanced muscle development. The workout also has an increased motion range that effectively isolates back muscles more than popular bilateral back exercises.

In this review, we will look at the single-arm T-Bar row and how to best incorporate it into a workout routine.

How To Do

  1. Secure a barbell in a landmine attachment and load appropriate weights on the other end of it.
  2. Stand next to the barbell, facing away from the weights, feet shoulder-width apart, one foot in front of the other. With your knees slightly bent, lower your upper body from the hips while maintaining a neutral or straight spine.
  3. Reach for the barbell with your exercising arm and firmly grip the handle behind the loaded weights. Rest the other hand on your knees or thighs.
  4. Pull the weights up, engaging the body's core energy while keeping the barbell close to the body. Once at the top, squeeze the shoulder blades to allow its muscle to fully contract. Pause briefly at this point to maximize muscle engagement.
  5. Lower the weights steadily and with controlled motion to maintain resistance until the arm is fully extended.
  6. To improve stability and control, practice controlled breathing by exhaling when pulling up and inhaling when lowering the weights.
  7. Complete the number of reps you are comfortable with for one arm before switching to the other.

Tips From Expert

  • Concentrate the resistance or workload on the back muscle rather than the arm. To achieve maximum back muscle engagement, establish a mind-muscle connection.
  • When performing the single-arm T-Bar row exercise, avoid generating momentum. Control the movement to ensure peak contraction when pulling up, and maintain tension by gradually lowering the weight. The deliberate movement ensures optimal muscle activation.
  • Prioritize lifting form over weight volume by beginning with light weights and gradually increasing for subsequent sets.
  • Maintain proper posture by avoiding rounding the back. This could put a strain on your lower back.

Optimal Sets and Reps

The single-arm T-bar row can be tailored to individual goals to fit into a well-rounded exercise routine. Your fitness level should also influence your set and rep choices, with the goal of achieving progressive overload.

Training Type Sets Reps
Strength Training 4–5 4–6
Hypertrophy 3–4 8–12
Endurance Training 2–3 15–20
Power Training 3–5 3–5 (Explosive)
Optimal Sets & Reps of Single Arm T Bar Row

How to Put in Your Workout Split

The aim is to create a balanced routine for sufficient workout volume of different muscle groups within a weekly split.

  • Upper/Lower Split — This split involves designating specific workout days for training upper body muscles and other days for lower body muscles. For upper body days, start with a bench or overhead press workout, followed by a shoulder and trap workout. Combine these with rowing movements from the single-arm T-bar row before finishing with accessory movements such as bicep curls.
  • Push/Pull/Legs Split — This split organizes workout days around exercise movement. Pull exercises primarily target the biceps and back muscles, whereas push exercises emphasize the triceps, shoulders, and chest.
    Pull days can be days two and five of the split. The primary workout could be a barbell row or deadlift, with a back and bicep workout as the secondary. You can then add a unilateral pull exercise, such as the single-arm T-bar row, to focus the tension on the back muscles.

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Equipment

Barbell

Landmine Holder

Landmine Holder

This provides a handy anchor point for barbell landmine exercises. Ensure the barbell is all the way into the holder.

Barbell

You can use this for a range of arm exercises. Ensure the seat is at the right height. A good alternative would be the incline bench.

Who Should Do?

People Looking To Improve Their Posture

Long sitting hours are now the norm for the majority of people. Over time, this can lead to poor posture, such as a rounded back and shoulders. Furthermore, a lack of physical activity weakens back muscles, making it more difficult to maintain an upright posture.

The single-arm T-bar row is an excellent workout for office workers, seniors, and students who want to strengthen their back muscles. The exercise targets key muscles such as the trapezius, rhomboids, and rear deltoids, which pull the shoulders back to their neutral position. Other muscles worked to stabilize the spine, allowing for good posture when sitting or standing.  

Athletes Who Require Pulling Strength

Back strength is essential for good performance in sports and hobbies such as climbing, swimming, and rowing. The single-arm T-bar row is an excellent workout because it works several types of back, shoulder, and arm muscles. These muscles are involved in the pulling motions used in the aforementioned hobbies and sports.

The unilateral nature of the single-arm T-bar row increases unilateral strength. This is strategic because the described activities frequently involve unilateral movement.  

Who Should Not Do?

People With Lower Back Injuries

The single-arm T-bar row exercise requires bending over, which transfers tension to the lower back. This can exacerbate existing lower back injuries or cause complications for people with weak lower backs.

People with disc complications or back injuries should perform alternative exercises such as chest-supported rows.

People Recovering From Surgical Procedures

After undergoing surgery on the shoulder, arm, back, or core muscles, you should prioritize complete recovery. After receiving your doctor’s approval, gradually resume exercising with moderate workouts.

The single-arm T-bar row can be too demanding on the healing tissues, thereby reversing recovery. Before beginning strength training after surgery, it is best to follow a well-defined muscle rehabilitation program.

Benefits Of The Exercise

Tones Muscles

The focused muscle involvement of the single-arm T-bar row exercise produces well-defined upper-body muscles. Such works the core and accentuates various back muscles, rear shoulder muscles, and arms, resulting in a great physique.

Enhances Grip Strength

To perform the single-arm T-bar row correctly, hold the barbell handle firmly. This activates the wrist muscles as well as several muscle groups in the forearm and upper hand. Regular exercise produces a naturally strong grip.

Improves Posture 

The single-arm T-bar row works more than just the muscles associated with proper posture. It also promotes spinal alignment and helps normalize habits that maintain excellent posture for the long run. 

Such activities include sitting or standing upright with ease. This is due to defined muscles that pull the shoulders back and keep the spine in a neutral position.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a single-arm T-bar row?

It is a strength training workout that targets the upper back, shoulder, and arm muscles. The unilateral exercise balances muscle development on both sides of the back and is adapted from the traditional T-Bar row.

What are the benefits of single-arm T-bar row?

The exercise strengthens and tones various muscle groups in the upper back, shoulders, and arms. It also engages the core and stabilizes the spine, resulting in a great posture.

Is a single-arm row better than a double one?

In some cases, the single-arm row is far superior, particularly in resolving muscle and strength imbalances. It also improves core stability by increasing an individual’s unilateral control.

How many single-arm T-bar rows should I do?

It depends on your fitness level and training objectives. For strength training, 3 to 5 sets of 4 to 6 repetitions is an ideal start. You can then adjust the sets as you gain more strength and endurance.

Resources

Endomondo.com refrains from utilizing tertiary references. We uphold stringent sourcing criteria and depend on peer-reviewed studies and academic research conducted by medical associations and institutions. For more detailed insights, you can explore further by reading our editorial process.

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