How to Do the Meadows Row: Form, Muscles Worked, and Alternatives

[ad_1]

How to Do the Meadows Row: Form, Muscles Worked, and Alternatives | Legion

“No Return Necessary” Money-Back Guarantee | Free Shipping & Returns | Save 20%

Free Shipping | 100% Money-Back Guarantee“No Return Necessary” Money-Back Guarantee | Save 20%

Written by Michael Matthews

Evidence Based

The Meadows row is an upper-body pulling exercise involving a barbell and a landmine attachment.

It’s a mainstay of many strength training programs because it helps you to train your entire back without putting much stress on your spine.

It also allows you to train your back unilaterally, which means it’s useful for evening out any size and strength imbalances you might have.

In this article, you’ll learn what the Meadows row is, why it’s beneficial, how to use proper Meadows row form, the best Meadows row alternatives, and more.

What Is the Meadows Row?

The Meadows row is a back exercise performed in a staggered stance using a barbell and a landmine attachment.

It was invented by former bodybuilder, trainer, and online fitness personality John “Mountain Dog” Meadows (hence the name).

Meadows Row: Benefits

1. It trains your entire back.

Research shows that horizontal pulling exercises, like the Meadows row, train your entire back, including your lats, rhomboids, traps, rear delts, infraspinatus, teres major and minor, and erector spinae.

Exercises that train several muscle groups simultaneously are called compound exercises. They’re useful because they allow you to lift more weight safely, which is generally better for muscle and strength gain.

They’re also more time-efficient because you don’t have to do several exercises to train each muscle group separately.

And if you want a program that contains all the best compound exercises for training your entire body, check out my fitness books for men and women, Bigger Leaner Stronger and Thinner Leaner Stronger.

(Or if you aren’t sure if Bigger Leaner Stronger or Thinner Leaner Stronger is right for you or if another strength training program might be a better fit for your circumstances and goals, take Legion Strength Training Quiz, and in less than a minute, you’ll know the perfect strength training program for you. Click here to check it out.)

2. It’s ideal for people with lower-back problems

Unlike many other compound back exercises, such as the barbell row and deadlift, the Meadows row exercise allows you to brace your torso against your leg, which means it lightens the load on your spine (when performed correctly).

This makes it ideal for people trying to train around a back injury.

3. It trains your back unilaterally.

The Meadows row is a unilateral exercise, which means it allows you to train one side of your body at a time.

This is beneficial because unilateral exercises . . .

May enable you to lift more total weight than you can with some bilateral exercises (exercises that train both sides of the body at the same time), which may help you gain more muscle over time
Help you develop a greater mind-muscle connection with your lats, traps, and rhomboids because you only need to focus on one side of your body at a time
Help you correct muscle imbalances, because both sides of your body are forced to lift the same amount of weight (one side can’t “take over” from the other)
May improve several aspects of your athletic performance more than bilateral exercises

Meadows Row: Muscles Worked

The Meadows row trains all of your back muscles, including the . . .

Latissimus dorsi
Trapezius
Rhomboids
Teres major and minor
Infraspinatus
Posterior deltoid

It also works the erector spinae, forearms and biceps to a lesser extent, too.

Here’s how the main back muscles worked by the Meadows row look on your body:

Meadows Row: Form

The best way to learn how to perform the Meadows row is to break it into three parts: set up, row, and extend.

1. Set Up

Wedge one end of a barbell into the corner of the room or insert it into a landmine attachment and load the other end with weight.

Position your right foot perpendicular to the barbell and around 6-to-8 inches from the weighted end. Place your left foot 6-to-8 inches behind the weight plates (staggered stance), with your toes facing whatever direction is most comfortable.

Bend both knees, bend over at the waist so your back is almost parallel with the floor, and place your right forearm on your right thigh.

While keeping your back flat, grab the end of the barbell with your left hand. If you’re using lifting straps, wrap the strap around the barbell.

2. Row

Keeping your back flat, pull the barbell until your left hand touches your torso and your elbows are about 8-to-10 inches from your left side.

(Tip: A helpful cue is to imagine touching the ceiling with your elbow.)

3. Extend

Once your hand touches your torso, reverse the movement and return to the starting position. This is a mirror image of what you did during the row.

Don’t let the weight yank your arm back to the starting position or try to extend your arm slowly. The entire “extension” should be controlled but only take about a second.

When you’ve completed the desired number of reps, switch sides and repeat the process with your right arm.

Here’s how it should look when you put it all together:

The Best Meadows Row Alternatives

1. One-Arm Dumbbell Row

The one-arm dumbbell row trains your back similarly to the Meadows row. The benefit of the one-arm dumbbell row is it’s slightly easier to set up than the Meadows row.

The downside, however, is you can only progress up to the heaviest dumbbells available in your gym (usually around 100 pounds), whereas with the Meadows row you can continue to add weight for far longer.

This is significant because lifting heavier weights over time is the best way to maximize the muscle-building effects of weightlifting.

2. Seated Cable Row

The seated cable row trains your back about as well as the Meadows row. Using a cable instead of a barbell puts constant tension on your muscles throughout each rep, which trains your back muscles slightly differently.

3. Barbell Row

Because you use a bit of leg drive to get the bar moving, you can generally lift more weight with the barbell row than you can with other back exercises. This is one of the reasons research shows that the barbell row is highly effective for training your entire back.

+ Scientific References

Legion Featured Author

Mike Matthews

Mike Matthews is the founder and CEO of Legion as well as the author of several award-winning fitness books, including Bigger Leaner Stronger, Muscle for Life, and The Shredded Chef.

His simple and science-based approach to building muscle, losing fat, and getting healthy has sold over a million books and helped thousands of people build their best bodies ever, and his work has been featured in many popular outlets including Esquire, Men’s Health, Elle, Women’s Health, Muscle & Strength, and more, as well as on FOX and ABC.

You can find Mike on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

Our Most Popular Evidence-Based Articles

Our “No Return Necessary”
Money-Back Guarantee

If you don’t like something of ours, guess what happens next?

No, we don’t request you deliver it to a PO box in the Gobi Desert by carrier pigeon. Nor do we ask you to fill a cursed inkwell with orc’s blood and demon saliva and then use it to complete reams of return forms written in ancient Cyrillic script.

We just . . . wait for it . . . give you your money back. Holy moo cows. And that means you can say “yes” now and decide later.

Free Worldwide Shipping & Returns

Many companies use shipping and handling fees to increase their profit margins, but here at Legion, we hate profits, so our shipping is free!

Okay, so we do dig on profits, but we also go in for happy customers, and free shipping works like gangbusters. So, if you live in the United States, your order ships free regardless of order size, and if you live elsewhere, your order ships free when it’s over $199.

Why the restriction on international orders? Unfortunately, shipping abroad is very expensive, and if we didn’t require a minimum order size, we’d lose a lot of money. But! We’re also hustling to improve our international logistics and will be passing our savings along to our international customers.

Also, if you don’t absolutely love our stuff for whatever reason, we don’t request you deliver it to a PO box in the Gobi Desert by carrier pigeon.

We just . . . wait for it . . . give you your money back. No returns. No forms. No nonsense. Holy moo cows.

That means you can say “yes” now and decide later. You really have nothing to lose.

Clinically Effective Doses

Many ingredients in supplements don’t have any scientifically validated benefits, and many ingredients that do are often underdosed to the point of irrelevance.

That’s why we only use the choice ingredients and precise doses shown to be effective in peer-reviewed scientific studies.

Clinically Effective Doses

You need more than great ingredients to make great products—you also need proper doses. That’s why we use the precise doses of ingredients shown to be effective in peer-reviewed scientific studies.

100% Natural Ingredients

“Natural” doesn’t always mean “better,” but in many cases, natural ingredients are superior to artificial ones for various reasons, including purity, safety, and efficacy.

That’s why all of our ingredients in all of our products come from plant and animal sources, including sweeteners, colors, and flavors.

Made in USA

If you want to ensure the supplements you’re swallowing every day are safe and effective, you want products produced in the USA.

That’s why all of our supplements are made in America in NSF-certified and FDA-inspected facilities that operate in accordance with the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulations.

Lab Tested

Did you know that supplements can contain dangerously high levels of toxins like lead, arsenic, and cadmium?

That’s why we test every ingredient of every supplement we produce for heavy metals, microbes, allergens, and other contaminants and ensure they meet the strict purity standards set by the FDA.

Naturally Sweetened & Flavored

While artificial sweeteners may not be as dangerous as some people claim, studies suggest that regular consumption of these chemicals may indeed be harmful to our health.

That’s why all of our supplements are naturally sweetened and flavored and contain no artificial food dyes, fillers, or other unnecessary junk.

Science-Backed Ingredients

Many ingredients in supplements don’t have any scientifically validated benefits. That’s why we only use choice ingredients shown to be effective in peer-reviewed scientific studies.

No Chemical Junk

“Natural” doesn’t always mean “better,” but in many cases, natural ingredients are superior to artificial ones for various reasons, including purity, safety, and efficacy.

That’s why all of our ingredients in all of our products come from plant and animal sources, including sweeteners, colors, and flavors.

Waiver and Release of Liability

In consideration of the services and/or products offered by Legion Athletics, Inc. (“Legion”) including, but not limited to, nutrition plans, exercise routines and coaching, and in addition to the payment of any fee or charge:

I knowingly and voluntarily enter into this waiver and release of liability and hereby waive any and all rights, claims or causes of action of any kind whatsoever arising out of my use of Legion’s services and/or products, and I hereby release and hold harmless Legion and its consultants, officers, contractors, agents, owners and employees from any and all responsibility, liability, cost and expenses, including for injuries, damages or disorders (physical, metabolic, or otherwise), resulting from my use of Legion’s services and/or products.

I understand that fitness activities including, but not limited to, strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular exercise, with or without the use of equipment, are potentially hazardous activities that involve a risk of injury and even death, and I am voluntarily participating in these activities and using equipment and machinery with knowledge of the risks involved. I hereby agree to assume and accept any and all risks of injury or death related to said fitness activities.

I understand Legion’s services and products are not meant to treat or manage any health conditions or circumstances, and I acknowledge that Legion has recommended I obtain a healthcare provider’s approval for my use of Legion’s services and/or products, through regular physical examination(s) and/or consultation. I acknowledge that I have obtained my healthcare provider’s approval or have decided to use Legion’s services and/or products without such approval and hereby assume all responsibility for my use of said services and/or products.

I understand that results from using Legion’s products and/or services are not guaranteed, and I agree to not hold Legion liable for any outcomes or lack thereof.

OUT OF STOCK

Security Check

Please click the checkbox below. We apologize for the inconvenience.

If you don’t absolutely love this product, just let us know, and we’ll give you a full refund on the spot. No forms or return necessary.

Analyzed for purity and potency in a state-of-the-art ISO 17025 accredited lab by Labdoor™, the gold standard of third-party lab testing.

Analyzed for purity and potency in a state-of-the-art ISO 17025 accredited lab, the gold standard of third-party lab testing.

This product doesn’t just “contain natural ingredients’’—every ingredient is naturally sourced from plants and animals. This product contains no artificial or synthetic substances of any kind.

Fact Checked

Our scientific review board of nutritionists, dietitians, molecular biologists, doctors, and other accredited experts is responsible for reviewing every article, podcast, and video we produce to ensure they’re evidence based, accurate, trustworthy, and current.

Thanks to their connections, credentials, and academic experience, this team of MDs, PhDs, and other professionals has access to a wealth of research published in the largest and most prestigious journals in the world.

This allows them to not only review individual studies but also analyze the overall weight of the evidence on any and all topics related to diet, exercise, supplementation, and more.

If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, misleading, out-of-date, or anything less than factual, please let us know in the comments section of the article in question.

Evidence Based

We follow a detailed, rigorous, multi-step process to create content that meets the highest standards of clarity, practicality, and scientific integrity.

First, our research associates provide our editorial team with accurate, up-to-date, proven scientific evidence.

Then, our editorial team uses this research to draft articles and outlines for podcasts and videos.

Finally, our scientific review board reviews the content to ensure all key information and claims are backed by high-quality scientific research and explained simply and precisely.

If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, misleading, out-of-date, or anything less than factual, please let us know in the comments section of the article in question.

Mike Matthews

How to Do the Meadows Row: Form, Muscles Worked, and Alternatives

What Is the Meadows Row?

Find the Perfect Supplements for You in Just 60 Seconds