

This should be obvious since pulling horizontally and vertically places our joints in different positions.īe that as it may, even among rows and pulldowns muscles can be targeted differently. However, it should be noted that while both pulldowns and rows work the muscles of the back, and, of course, involve a pulling motion, they do target and emphasize muscles differently. Both types of pulling exercises aim to strengthen the back. lat pulldowns) and pull ups are also a pulling exercise.Įssentially, resistance exercises that involve a horizontal pulling motion are considered rows and exercises that involve a vertical pulling motion are considered pulldowns. Rows are a pulling exercise, so they are a “pull”. There are so many variations of rows and all types of equipment can be used, such as cable pulleys, barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, and, in the case of this article, resistance bands. However, many muscles are involved in rows.

The major muscles of a row are your lats, traps and rhomboid, as well as your biceps. In resistance training, a row (or rowing) exercise involves a pulling motion that aims to strengthen the muscles that retract your shoulder blades and draw your arms toward your body. To cap it all off, at the end we have a couple resistance band pulling workouts for you. For each of the resistance band row variations, we will tell you the primary muscles being worked and we'll give you step-by-step instructions with important cues to ensure you have good form. Then we run you through 17 different variations of rows and pulls. We discuss training variables like grip, body and load positioning and how they affect which muscles are being targeted in your back.

In this article, we cover everything you need to know about rows (and resistance band pulling exercises in general). If you are looking to use resistance bands to build muscle mass in your back, banded rows are a must.
