Barbell Row vs Deadlift – Which is More Effective?

The barbell row is an upper-body exercise while the deadlift is a lower-body exercise. While both can be great exercises to work the entire back of your body, they are not the same exercise, nor are they substitutes. 

For instance, when you do a bent-over barbell row, you usually bend over, pick up the bar, and use an underhand grip. The starting position is being bent over without stretching your hamstrings too much. 

This lift mainly works your biceps, lats, and the back of your shoulder (rear delt). We’ll talk more about the proper form and variations later.

On the other hand, when you do a deadlift, you bend over while bending your legs, but the knees do not move forward. And as you pull the weight to your thighs, you still have a neutral back. This lift is effective at increasing your functional strength because it activates the largest lower body muscle.

However, which of these two is really the most effective? Below, we’ll overview the two exercises to help you decide which is right for your fitness goals.

Let’s check it out!

Bent-Over Barbell Row vs Deadlift – Performance Differences

Proper Form

The form is all-important with both bent-over barbell row and deadlift. To ensure you don’t get sloppy, choose the right amount of weight. Controlled, slow movements also offer more value rather than jerking up a massive weight only to push your muscles too much.

But before you begin with the proper form, remember to always warm-up before the workout. You can also use a weightlifting belt for added safety. Or try to do the heavier lift first to make sure that you can lift as much weight as possible. 

Now, let’s find out how the two workouts differ in form.

Barbell Row

Here’s how you barbell row with proper form:

1. Get into a medium stance, and straighten your back. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart with the bar over your midfoot.

2. Bend over and grasp the bar (medium grip, palms facing up, and hands about shoulder-width apart)

3. While keeping your hips high, unlock your knees.

4. Lift your chest.

5. Pull the bar upwards, just a few inches above the belly button

As you return the bar to the floor, straighten your back again and breathe. Then, do your next rep. 

Deadlift

On the other hand, here’s how to perfect your deadlift:

1. Just like the barbell row, stand with your mid-foot below the bar

2. Grab the bar maintaining a shoulder-width grip

3. Lift the bar keeping a flat back and driving your hips forward

4. Take a big breath and stand up with that weight

Keep in mind that your lower back should stay neutral during the lift to avoid injury. And the best way to maintain that strong spine from start to the end of your lift is to keep your chest up all throughout.

Variations

There are so many variations of barbell row out there, which means that are probably a few that would work well with your fitness goals and for your body. Choose among these variations to find something that works for you:

Barbell Rows

• Pendlay Row – This requires more range of motion and power
• Yates Row – The main difference is in the angle of the torso
• T-Bar Row – This exercise works on your lower, middle, and upper back muscles.
• Machine Row – A workout that can improve your overall strength, fitness, and stamina. It targets the muscles in your upper back and the latissimus dorsi.
• Inverted Row – This workout is easier on your shoulder as the movement is more natural compared to vertical pulling workouts, like chin up and pull up.
• Dumbbell Row – It develops muscle hypertrophy and back strength. It builds core stability and even out muscle imbalances.

Deadlifts

• Kettlebell Romanian Deadlift – It targets the glutes and increases hip mobility.
• Romanian (Stiff-Leg) Deadlift – A good exercise to improve mind-muscle connection.
• Sumo Stance Deadlift – It is a little easier on your back.
• Offset Load Deadlift – A great way to expose imbalances and asymmetries and can similarly be used to eliminate them.
• Single-Leg Deadlift – A hip-hinge movement done unilaterally makes the core, glute med, and other stabilizers work much more.
• Kickstand Deadlift – Helps focus the contraction and strength of each individual leg.

Muscles Worked

Barbell Row

The barbell row targets muscles you don’t necessarily notice. Isn’t it that when you stand in front of the mirror, the first things you often notice are your abs, chest, and arms? No wonder why many fitness enthusiasts focus more on these muscles, forgetting their legs and back.

Well, with a barbell row, you’ll look great even as you turn around because your physique is balanced. Here are the muscles you’ll work with barbell row:

1. Abs – Barbell row is a great ab builder, similar to any Olympic lift or powerlifting. It targets your ab muscles as you support your lower back during the lift. 

To be more precise, the workout targets your rectus abdominis – the muscles that run over your belly. And if you eat proper foods, your ab muscles become more visible.

2. Lower Back – The Barbell Row primarily develops the muscles of the lower back. As gravity tries to bend your back as you lift the bar, you resist that force. In turn, this strengthens your erectors (muscle along your spine). 

3. Upper Back – Let’s say you’re doing Pendlay rows. This variation of barbell row, works your upper back (particularly the shoulder blades) to give you that v-taper form. 

As you keep your back and arms straight all throughout the movement, you also work on your rear shoulders, traps, and other small muscles of your upper back.

4. Arms – Whether you prefer an overhand or an underhand grip, a barbell row can work on your forearm muscles as you hold the bar in your hands. This also happens when your biceps work to lift the weight.

5. Hips – Your glute muscles and hamstring work as you raise your torso to get the barbell moving off the floor. The barbell row also helps strengthen your hips using static and dynamic contractions.

Deadlift

In deadlifts, your legs are considered the prime movers but it works your whole body. The following are the main muscles targeted during the deadlift.

1. Legs – The deadlift is a workout where your hips hinge backward to pick up the kettlebell or barbell from the floor. In that movement, your glutes and hamstring straighten your hips. Overall, the range of motion targets your leg muscles.

2. Arms – Since your arms hold the bar, this strengthens your forearms and grip. During a deadlift, your triceps and biceps don’t bend but they work isometrically to hold your body in proper form.

3. Abs – Your obliques and other abdominal muscles contract to support your lower back during a conventional deadlift. The heavier your deadlifts are, the more muscular and stronger you become. As long as you also maintain a proper diet or eat right, your abdominal muscles will show.

4. Traps – Deadlifts can target your trapezius muscles since there is an immense stretch at almost all the time during the movement. These muscles contract to keep your shoulders properly in place.

Not only that, but your shoulders likewise contract to add support. The heavier the deadlift is, the bigger your traps become. 

5. Back – Doing a barbell deadlift helps you build a thicker back. This is because your back muscles contract to keep the spine neutral. Moreover, your lats (latissimus dorsi muscles or the V-shaped muscles that connect the arms to the vertebral column), keep the weight close to your body.

Pros and Cons of Barbell Rows and Deadlift

Pros of Barbell Rows

The benefits of barbell rows, especially the Pendlay Row, are so profound that they should be a part of every lifter’s back training. It helps you build a stronger back as you maximize your overall upper body pulling strength during the lift.

It also entails pulling the weight as quickly as possible while maintaining proper form. This is why you can get so strong on barbell rows. 

Pros of Deadlift

Meanwhile, the deadlift is a full-body move that works many muscles. It sets in motion a surge in testosterone hormone to help you with muscle building. 

It likewise aids in other lifts, supporting your auxiliary muscles so you can perform better in standing exercises, standing presses, and squats.

Cons of Barbell Row

However, both lifts have disadvantages too. For the unfamiliar and the untrained, the barbell row can be potentially dangerous. Lumbar strain, spinal stress, and muscle pulls can cause injuries.

Cons of Deadlift

In the same way, deadlifting can be dangerous if not performed correctly. Hip injury, neck strain, and spinal compression can stem from little preparation and poor form. 

Not only that, since a deadlift places a high demand on your central nervous system, it can quickly lead to overtraining and burnout when not scheduled in a proper program. Proper technique and form and careful consideration are musts to do a correct deadlift.

Final Verdict: Which Exercise is More Effective?

Barbell rows have a few perks. It’s easier on the lower back and is great for developing grip strength and upper back. In fact, it is considered to be the bench press for the back. 

However, as a personal trainer, I believe that the deadlift is more effective than the barbell row. That is not to say that the barbell row is not a mass builder, because it is. 

It’s just that I consider the deadlift to be a lift that is unmatched by nearly any other exercise. In fact, it is the ultimate test of your overall body strength.

This is why fewer gym-goers (5%) can execute a safe deadlift while more (50%) new gym-goers can do a barbell row without instruction from a personal trainer. 

I have no data to back this up but just based on personal observation in the fitness industry and the clients I’ve worked with. A barbell row is less technical, easier, and a good exercise.

In contrast, a deadlift is difficult because of the technical demands, different muscle focus, range of motion, mobility, and time under tension when doing the exercise. But it is also worth noting that a barbell row can be a great exercise to get a better deadlift.

So, there you go. I hope you find these tips helpful when choosing what exercise you’d like to focus more on. Happy lifting!

If you like this article, you might want to read our other reviews at ExpertFitness.org.