The Conjugate Method provides coaches and athletes many opportunities to improve strength, speed, physical composition, and athletic skills. One aspect of our training that allows us to address work capacity, physical composition, and lagging muscle groups is our accessory exercise training. This work uses the repeated effort method, focusing on accrued volume to achieve optimal hypertrophy and improve work capacity in the major muscle groups. 

At Westside, we place great value on our accessory exercise training. You may have heard of the 80/20 rule, which refers to 80% of our training volume being accessory exercise training, with the remaining 20% being main exercises. While the training adaptations achieved during main exercise training are most important, the accessory work lays the foundation for future improvement to remain possible.

Accessory exercise training often defines an athlete's success. It helps drive improvements in main exercise performance and increases an athlete's durability and resilience. It also helps prevent muscle weaknesses that can lead to performance-limiting compensations or injury. 

Back training plays a considerable role in our accessory exercise programming approach. Nearly every training day will include back training to some degree. Whether performing rows, pulldowns, back raises, or using the Reverse Hyper, we will always include accessory exercises dedicated to training the back. 

One type of back exercise we often include is the chest-supported row. While there are many variations of chest-supported rows, the idea behind the exercise is generally the same. Our goal is to limit the amount of momentum achieved using excess leg or torso movement, which places greater emphasis on the mid and upper back along with the rear delts to do much of the work. 

The Anatomy of a Chest-Supported Row

Before we discuss the specific muscles trained when performing a chest-supported row, it is essential to mention that the level at which each muscle is trained will depend on how the exercise is executed. For instance, some chest-supported row variations bias towards the upper back, while others can target the lower trapezius and latissimus dorsi. 

This is why we always recommend analyzing the main exercise work to identify weak muscle groups or points of failure. This information helps improve the level of specificity within the accessory exercise work, which can increase training efficiency and gains made. 

Here are the primary muscles trained when executing chest-supported rows:

Latissimus Dorsi

Most know the lats are an important muscle when executing a big three lift. Whether you are squatting, benching, or deadlifting, having strong lats is always beneficial. The lats are critical to movement at the shoulder joint, play a key role in scapular stabilization and movement, assist in stabilizing the spine, and assist in many other upper body tasks such as pulling, climbing, or swimming.

Primary Function: Arm Extension, Adduction, Internal Rotation, and Scapular Movement. 

Trapezius

Like the lats, the trapezius muscle plays a key role in scapular stabilization and movement. The traps also affect the stabilization and movement of the head and neck. Whether pressing, deadlifting, or squatting, mid- and upper-back stabilization can decide whether reps are made or missed. The trapezius muscle features an upper, mid-, and lower region. 

Primary Function: Shoulder Stabilization and Scapular Movement

Rhomboids

Often overlooked, the rhomboids play a significant role in shoulder health and sports performance. The rhomboids are responsible for scapular rotation, elevation, and retraction, and they are muscles that can affect sports performance significantly. The rhomboids must be addressed if an athlete plays a sport involving pulling, throwing, or any overhead work. 

Primary Function: Scapular Rotation, Elevation, and Retraction

It is also important to note that the chest-supported row also involves using the biceps and forearms. While this is not the primary focus of the movement, athletes can improve the strength and size of their biceps and forearms via the use of chest-supported rows. 

Benefits of Chest-Supported Rows

The chest-supported row directly impacts the muscles responsible for the movement of the upper torso and extremities. This means any athlete playing a sport in which the arms are involved can benefit from the chest-supported row. Additionally, any individual looking to increase the strength and size of the lats, traps, or rhomboids will benefit from the use of the chest-supported row as well.

What makes the chest-supported row so beneficial is the torso stabilization provided by the device supporting the chest. This stabilization eliminates an athlete's ability to create momentum using excess torso and leg movement, leading to stricter rows being executed. This strict execution leads to more focused development, with the proper muscles being each rep's prime movers. 

For athletes concerned with conventional sports performance, the chest-supported row can improve overhead and throwing ability. Additionally, scapular and shoulder health and durability will be improved. For strength athletes, the muscles trained during the chest-supported row will directly impact squat, bench press, and deadlift performance. 

In this squat, the improvements in mid and upper back strength result in athletes remaining capable of maintaining optimal squat posture at high training intensity. This mid and upper back strength will also assist athletes who seek to improve their deadlift. Bench press performance can also be improved, considering the impact on shoulder and arm strength and stability. 

How to Perform Chest-Supported Rows Properly

While there is more than one variation of a chest-supported row, there is one proper way to perform the exercise. The reason for using the chest support is to enforce strict focus on the targeted muscles or muscle groups each rep. Failure to adhere to proper chest-supported row execution will render the exercise less effective and could result in injury. 

When executing a chest-supported row, we want to focus on engaging the trunk muscles and keeping the spine in a neutral position. We want to avoid spinal extension, as this could potentially result in a mid- or low-back strain. If the trunk is properly engaged and torso posture is ideal, there should be no spinal extension. 

If you constantly experience some degree of spinal extension during chest-supported rows, you likely need to lower your training weight. While we want to train at appropriately stimulating intensities, we do not want to go so heavy that we cannot execute proper form.

We can begin the row once the trunk is braced, and our posture is ideal. Whether we are using a barbell, dumbbell, or machine, the goal is to use the proper agonist muscles to pull the weight to the chest. We want to execute each row with strict technique, appropriately moving through the prescribed range of motion. 

This means no half reps and no body movement to manipulate the barbell. We want to place the burden on the appropriate muscle groups and force them to do the work. We also want to execute controlled eccentrics—not to the point that it turns into tempo lifting, but enough control to ensure form remains strict and injury is avoided. 

Variations of the Chest Supported Row

When most people think of the chest-supported row, they immediately think of the chest-supported row machine with the torso in a vertical position. While this machine is a great way to perform a chest-supported row, there are other options. At Westside, we perform chest-supported rows in both the vertical and horizontal torso positions. 

Of course, our first option is the typical chest-supported row machine. With this machine, we can also attach bands, which help to accommodate resistance and place great emphasis on the squeeze during the concentric portion of each rep. We often go with 8-10 or 10-12 reps with the chest-supported row machine.

Depending on our grip, we can use the machine chest-supported row to target the mid or upper back specifically. 

Our next option is the seal row. To set this exercise up, we will take a removable bench and elevate it using mats, blocks, or bumper plates. This row variation places the torso horizontally and requires an athlete to pull the weight from the floor to the bench where the torso rests. 

Considering the horizontal torso positioning, the athlete is limited in the amount of spinal extension that can be used to achieve an advantage over the barbell. Unlike the vertical chest-supported row, where the athlete can lean back each rep, gravity makes leaning upward difficult when executing a seal row rep. When performing this movement, we can go with 5-8, 8-10, or 10-12 reps, depending on the athlete and their current weaknesses. 

Much like the chest-supported row machine, we can manipulate grip styles to provide different stimuli and emphasize specific muscles. 

We can also use the dumbbell chest-supported row. This exercise uses an incline bench, allowing us to manipulate the incline to target specific back muscles. For instance, we can use a high incline to target the upper back or a lower incline to focus on the muscles of the mid back. 

This exercise follows similar set and rep parameters as the machine chest-supported row. It can also be performed using a variety of grip styles to bring about specific training effects and adaptations. It should also be noted that athletes can utilize cables in place of dumbbells when performing this exercise. 

The final way we typically execute the chest-supported row is the T-bar chest-supported row. This style of chest-supported row is the middle ground between the machine chest-supported row and the seal row. This exercise is a WSBB staple and a great way to develop the mid and upper back and the posterior shoulders. 

Like the other movements, we can do 8-10 or 10-12 reps each set. Of course, we can do higher rep sets with each of the above-mentioned movements if work capacity is a specific issue.

Incorporating Chest-Supported Rows into Your Routine

Adding chest-supported row exercises to training is very easy when utilizing the Conjugate Method. As mentioned above, we can train our back muscles during any training day of the week, so we always have options when looking to add back exercises to the mix. However, we typically perform low/mid-back exercises on lower days and mid/upper-back exercises on upper days.

Therefore, we typically program our chest-supported row work on an upper-body training day. We do this considering the impact of the traps and rhomboids on both vertical and horizontal pressing movements. Here are two examples demonstrating how easily we can include chest-supported rows during an upper-body training day.

Max Effort Upper

Main Exercise:

Bench Press – work up to a top-set single 

Accessory Exercises:

Seal Row – 4 x 8-10
DB Bench Press – 4 x 10-12
Rolling DB Tricep Extension – 4 x 10-12
Pull-Ups – 3 x AMRAP
Lateral Raise – 2 x 12-15

Dynamic Effort Upper

Main Exercise:

Speed Bench Press – 9 x 3 @70% (45% bar weight, 25% AR)

Accessory Exercises:

Push Press – 4 x 5 
Chest Supported Row Machine – 4 x 10-12
Williams Extension – 4 x 10-12
Hammer Curl – 3 x 12-15
T Bar Row – 3 x 10-12

As you can see, it is rather simple to introduce chest-supported rows into your Conjugate training plan. Even if we weren't able to include the work on our upper days, we could still go with chest-supported rows on our lower days if need be. It all depends on the athlete you're working with.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How can chest-supported rows benefit the athlete?
A: Chest-supported rows directly train the muscles responsible for shoulder and arm function, which are involved in nearly all aspects of upper body function. 

Q: What muscles do chest-supported rows work?
A: The chest-supported row focuses on the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, and trapezius muscles. 

Q: Can you use lifting straps when executing chest-supported rows?
A: Yes. Often, lifting straps can help athletes achieve greater levels of muscle engagement.  

Q: Should I bias more towards vertical or horizontal chest-supported rows?
A: Typically, we incorporate equal vertical and horizontal chest-supported rows. However, if an athlete has a specific weakness that can be addressed by one type of row over the other, we would be biased toward that row style.

Q: What is the lowest rep count when performing chest-supported rows?
A: Our lowest rep count is usually 8-10 reps per set. However, some athletes can achieve significant gains with 5-8 heavy reps if execution remains optimal. 

For more information about back training and the Conjugate Method, check out the WSBB blog.