3 Inverted Row Variations For Upper Body Strength

When building functional strength in your upper body for surf and snow sports there are 2 major movements which you need to incorporate into your training, these being “pushing” and “pulling.”

Today we are going to focus on the “pulling” movement and specifically the horizontal pulling motion (as opposed to vertical pulling – eg pullups and chinups).

Towels have more uses than just drying yourself…

The most common horizontal pulling exercises are dumbbell rows, however there are lots of other variations and I think some of the best exercises are inverted rows using your own bodyweight.

In the video below I will demonstrate 3 different inverted row variations which you can do at home or at the gym depending on what equipment you have available. And yes I will show you how to use a towel to perform inverted rows (the added benefit is that the towel variation will also help build forearm and grip strength).

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 3 Inverted Row Variations – make sure you try the towel version

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Whenever you are doing any sort of inverted row, make sure you focus on bracing your core muscles so that your trunk stays straight and doesn’t sag.

You can change the stability of the exercise by using a swiss ball as I have done, or putting one leg on the floor or on a bench. If you want to increase the intensity you can also wear a weight vest or balance a weight plate on your chest.

Inverted rows will help build a strong back and arms, and will also help you keep your shoulders healthy. For surfers this means stronger paddling muscles, for windsurfers this means easier control of your sail and for skiers and snowboarders it will help keep your body in balance and help protect your joints from injury when you fall.

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Do you have any fitness training questions or topics you would like me to cover in future posts? Leave a comment below…

Clayton Beatty BSc BComm
Exercise Scientist
Surf ‘n’ Snow Fitness

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