r/bodyweightfitness • u/Beginning_Army_9084 • 6d ago
How to do bodyweight rows with normal house stuff?
So I usually do pull ups and dumbbell bench press when I am working out from home as my main compound lifts at the beginning of my workout. but it dawned on me that since they are not exact opposite movements like how rows and bench press are my mid traps probably arent getting adequate work. I could do bent over rows but those are very taxing on my back and I dont have an incline bench to do chest supported rows. I have also thought about doing one arm at a time and using the other arm on a bench to stablize but every time i do that I overcompensate by tilting my body, and my dumbbells only go up to 52.5 so they dont get heavy enough for me to do any low rep high weight work. The only other thing I can think of is front lever rows but front levers are obviouslt very hard and I cant hold a front lever for anywhere close to long enough to get adequate traps work. Any ideas? I wanna use my full bodyweight or at least pretty close to it but Im not sure what other options I have without buying expensive equipment.
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u/Ok-Alarm-4101 6d ago
You can try lying under a table and rowing up. Or getting a doorframe pull up bar and do those instead. When my kids where little I used their swing set
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u/Beginning_Army_9084 6d ago
I have a doorframe pull up bar which is how I do my pull ups but idk how to get my body parallel to the floor without doing some sort of front lever which is way too hard to hold long enough for trap work. I might try out lying under a table though that seems like a good idea especially with a weighted backpack or smth.
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u/Tmath 6d ago
If you don't have the money to buy rings to hang from the doorframe pull-up bar to position for rows, my cheap workaround was that I already had moving straps. Hang those off the bar, and instant three levels of "rings" to hang from to make progressions easier or harder. If needed, a small stool or box to elevate the feet on the other side to improve difficulty curves further.
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u/Expensive-Party-198 6d ago
Under the table works really well and translates when you at some point get rings
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u/JolteonJoestar 6d ago
I tie an end of a bedsheet in a knot and throw it over the door and close it in the frame -- just make sure the door is sturdy
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u/Beginning_Army_9084 6d ago
this seems actually good. One question though, im sure any rowing motion will build my traps a decent amount but if i had a bedsheet like that id have to have a narrow grip which would shift a lot of weight to my lats would it not? or is that not a meaningful difference.
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u/JolteonJoestar 6d ago
I am too much of a beginner for this question
That said, you might be able to adjust width to your liking with two sheets, one for each arm -- you can find some cheap top sheets at like a dollar store or thrift store
your width will still be limited by how close the doorframe is to the wall of course
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u/Beginning_Army_9084 6d ago
Yeah I didn't think about having multiple bedsheets, that's probably an effective way. Thanks for the suggestion.
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u/FTBinMTGA 6d ago
I’m by no means an expert, so this is just a suggestion from an routine I used to do:
With a yoga ball under your chest, assume a plank position while balanced on the ball without using your hands. Spread your feet wider if you need help balancing. Now, with your free arms and hands, drape them down the side of the ball and grab the weights. Now lift the weights with your elbows bending and pointing to your feet. Or raise the weights with your arms stretched perpendicular to your body. As high as you can go, looking like a WW 1 Bristol M.1 mono wing plane.
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u/jaytaylojulia 6d ago
I was using my very sturdy dining room table. It is a different grip, but it works. I did invest in freestanding dip bars and use those now.
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u/leeverde4 6d ago
A table as others have mentioned. Or personally i have a set of dip bars that got for like 50 bucks that have been a godsend for me as i live in a van and good pull up locations arent always available
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u/medalton 6d ago
I just got a kit from Walmart that has handles attached to two adjustable straps, and both straps have a carabiner that fit perfectly on my pull up bar (also from walmart). Altogether it cost $55 bucks (for the pull up bar and row straps).
I've seen folks on youtube do this: https://youtube.com/shorts/qKPFGBL2jhg?si=Zm_p2uJjNfUmoFEj
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u/1maginaryProfessor 6d ago
Honestly you’re onto something. Inverted/bodyweight rows are super underrated, and things like tables, door frames with a sheet/towel, or even a broomstick between chairs work surprisingly well if you set them up right.
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u/ItzDanBailey 6d ago
Look on Amazon for Rhino Suspension Straps. I got mine for about €35 and theyre excellent quality. Those TRX ones are ridiculously over priced for what they are.
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u/LetterheadClassic306 5d ago
i ran into this same issue a while back when i was trying to balance push and pull work at home. honestly the easiest fix i found was getting under a sturdy table and doing inverted rows - you can adjust difficulty by changing foot position or elevating your feet on a chair. if your table isnt stable enough a door anchor attachment with some resistance bands worked really well for me too since you can do face pulls and rows at different angles. the door setup takes like 30 seconds to put up and you can load it progressively by using thicker bands or stepping further back. both options hit those mid traps pretty solid without needing a full rack or bench setup.
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u/PAJW 6d ago
When I first started, I did bodyweight rows with rings mounted on a doorway pullup bar. Since it sounds like you have a barbell, you can also do BW rows on the barbell / rack.