Exercise guide · Beginner · Compound

Inverted Row on Bench: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The inverted row on bench is a bodyweight exercise targeting the upper back, performed by pulling your chest up towards a bench while lying underneath it.

Primary muscles
Traps
Secondary muscles
Forearms , Biceps
Equipment
Body Weight
Level · type
Beginner · Compound
Demonstration of the inverted row on bench
Front view: muscles worked by the inverted row on bench. Primary: traps. Secondary: forearms and biceps.
Back view: muscles worked by the inverted row on bench. Primary: traps. Secondary: forearms and biceps.
Primary Secondary

How to do the inverted row on bench

  1. Step 1: Set up a bench at a height that allows your body to hang freely underneath it.
  2. Step 2: Lie face up on the ground with your head towards the bench.
  3. Step 3: Reach up and grab the bench with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  4. Step 4: Position your body so that your heels are on the ground and your arms are fully extended.
  5. Step 5: Engage your core and squeeze your shoulder blades together as you pull your chest up towards the bench.
  6. Step 6: Pause for a moment at the top of the movement, then slowly lower your body back down to the starting position.
  7. Step 7: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the inverted row on bench by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

Inverted Row on Bench alternatives

More exercises that train the traps as their main target:

More traps exercises

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Sources

  1. American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
  4. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.

Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset.

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.