Pendlay row: rowing with a horizontal torso and a stop on the floor after every rep. What measurements show for the back and how to learn setup and pull cleanly.
The Pendlay row is a barbell row with a roughly horizontal torso in which every rep starts and ends on the floor. The bar rests on the ground between reps (dead stop), and you pull it to the upper abdomen in one motion. The exercise is named after the coach Glenn Pendlay.
The honest answer to "Why the dead stop?": it separates the reps. You need to rebuild tension each time and cannot pull with momentum from the previous rep. That is practice knowledge. I did not find studies on the Pendlay row itself; the following measurements apply to bent-over barbell rowing in general.
A lab study with seven men compared different rowing types: the standing bent-over row produced the highest lumbar spine load and the highest stiffness, the inverted row the lowest load [1]. Anchor: the more you hold the torso yourself, the harder the lower back works. The Pendlay row is exactly that kind of exercise. If your goal is "spare the back", it is not the first choice.
A second study with 15 men showed that the free barbell row activated the erector spinae much more than the machine row (+34 % with two arms) [2]. In short: the barbell challenges your holding work more than the machine.
Stand hip-width, the bar over mid-foot. Hinge from the hip until the torso is almost horizontal (slightly above parallel to the floor, practice). The back is straight, knees slightly bent. Grip the bar a little wider than shoulder-width.
Milestone: you hold the position for 10 seconds without rounding.
Pull the shoulder blades together, then the elbows back until the bar touches the upper abdomen. The torso stays quiet. A study with 16 trained participants found (transfer: prone rowing instead of bent-over) that range of motion changed muscle activity only to a medium and inconsistent degree: in the upper range the latissimus was more active [3]. In short: pull the bar all the way to the body but do not chase an extreme position.
Milestone: 3 × 5 with light weight, the bar touches the same spot on the abdomen every time.
Lower the bar back to the floor under control. Let it rest fully, release tension briefly and rebuild it. This is the dead stop.
Milestone: 3 × 5 with the same starting position on every rep.
Raise the weight when 3 × 5 run cleanly. The lower back has to do the holding work [1], so progress in small steps.
Milestone: 4 × 5 with a stable position and a quiet torso.
Work at the same angle on every rep. If the torso rises, the weight is too heavy.
Milestone: 4 × 6 with a consistently horizontal torso.
How to track progress: Progress when all five reps have the same torso angle and the bar touches the same spot on the abdomen every time. Film yourself from the side: the hips must not shift between reps. Raise the weight in small steps (the smallest plate). That is a rule of practice, not a study figure.
Where does it fit in training? The Pendlay row fits at the start of a pulling session when you are fresh, or as the main exercise on a back day. 4 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps is a practice value. Since it loads the lower back heavily [1], do not plan it directly after heavy deadlift variations.
Warm-up: Do 2 sets of 8 reps with the empty bar, then two more with light load, and watch torso angle and back line each time. If the empty bar already tires the back, it is not the right day for heavy sets. This is practical advice, not a study statement.
The Pendlay row loads the lower back heavily [1]. Start with light weight and keep the back straight. Safety arms are not needed since the bar rests on the floor, but the floor must be non-slip. Stop with stabbing pain in the back or shoulder. This guide explains and motivates, it does not replace supervised training or a coach.
Do not pull the bar to the rib cage but to your pocket. Whoever pulls to the lower abdomen more easily stays at the horizontal angle. This is a coaching image, not a study finding.
The dead stop: in the Pendlay row you rest the bar after every rep. The torso is usually more horizontal in the Pendlay row. That is practice knowledge, not a study statement.
No, quite the opposite. The bent-over barbell row produced the highest lumbar load in a lab study [1].
The barbell activated the erector spinae more than the machine [2]. For the back the machine is gentler, for holding work the barbell is more demanding.
3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps is a practice value.
Until the bar touches the abdomen. Range of motion changed muscle activity only to a medium and inconsistent degree in one study [3].
T-Bar Row: Landmine Setup, V-Handle and Torso Angle