Rows vs. Dead Lifts

Rows and deadlifts are both multi-joint compound moves that target muscles on the back of your body. Deadlifts involve picking a weight up from the floor until you're standing straight with the barbell in front of your thighs. Rows can be performed in a variety of ways using different modes of equipment, such as cables, barbells, machines and dumbbells, though the basic rowing movement requires you to pull the weight from a straight-arm position until your hands are in line with your body. Learn the pros and cons of rows and deadlifts and how to fit them into your program.

  1. Deadlift Technique

    • To perform a deadlift, stand with your feet hip-width apart and a barbell in front of you. Step close to the barbell so your shins brush against it then bend down and grab the bar with your hands outside your knees. Bend your knees a little and drop your hips until you feel a slight pull in your hamstrings. Keep your hips tight, pull the slack out of the bar and lift the bar off the floor by straightening your legs and pushing your hips forward. Powerfully extend your hips and squeeze your glutes hard to finish the lift. Return the bar to the ground under control.

    Row Technique

    • Row is a generic term that encompasses any movement where you pull a weight toward your body. Traditionally rows are performed in a bent over position with a dumbbell or a barbell. You start with straight arms and pull the weight in to your abdominal area by bending your elbows and drawing your shoulder blades back.

    Muscles Worked

    • While they can both be classified as back exercises and there is some overlap in the muscles worked, rows and deadlifts both target different areas. Rows are more of an upper-back move, focusing on your rhomboids, lats and biceps, while deadlifts are a posterior-chain exercise and hit your hamstrings, glutes, core and lower back.

    Variations

    • Both exercises have numerous variations that change the exercise focus slightly. Romanian and stiff-legged deadlifts are performed with minimal knee bend and emphasize your hamstrings. You can also perform deadlifts using a wide snatch grip, standing on blocks to make them tougher or elevating the bar off the floor to make them easier. For rows, switch between different types of weights or use a seated row machine if you're new to training and struggling to master the technique. You can also lie on your front on a weight bench to perform rows -- this minimizes the amount of body momentum you can use and makes them tougher.

    Programming

    • Perform both rows and deadlifts as part of your routine. Either place both exercises in a back workout or put deadlifts on a lower-body day. To get the benefits of all the different variations, perform one type of row and one type of deadlift for 4 to 6 weeks, then switch to another variation for each. You could go with barbell bent-over rows and stiff-legged deadlifts for one short training block, then switch to seated cable rows and elevated deadlifts in your next workout cycle. Neither exercise is better than the other and they both have different benefits, so aim to do both equally often.