Exercise guide
Cambered-Bar Lying Row
- Intermediate
- Compound
- Rep-based
- Back
- Shoulders
- Upper arms
The cambered-bar lying row utilizes an EZ bar and an elevated bench to provide a deeper range of motion than a standard barbell, maximizing the contraction of the lats, traps, and rear delts while eliminating momentum.
Reviewed by the Crucible Fit team · Updated June 2026
Muscles worked
Setup
- Elevate a flat bench on sturdy blocks or use a dedicated seal row bench high enough to allow full arm extension.
- Place the cambered bar on the floor directly underneath the bench, aligned with your mid-chest.
- Lie face down on the bench with your legs straight and toes braced against the floor or the bench supports for stability.
- Grasp the cambered bar with a wide, overhand grip on the outer curves, ensuring your shoulders are directly over the bar.
How to do it
- Exhale and pull the bar toward the underside of the bench by driving your elbows back and upward toward the ceiling.
- Pull until the camber of the bar passes the level of the bench, allowing your shoulder blades to retract fully.
- Squeeze your upper back muscles at the peak of the movement for a one-second pause.
- Inhale and lower the bar under control to the starting position, maintaining a slight bend in the elbows at the bottom to keep tension.
Form checklist
- Keep your chest in constant contact with the bench to prevent using momentum.
- Maintain a neutral spine by tucking your chin slightly rather than looking up.
- Drive the movement with your elbows, not your biceps, to ensure back engagement.
- Avoid shrugging your shoulders toward your ears during the pull.
Pro tips
- Think about pulling the bar 'through' the bench; the cambered shape is specifically designed to let you reach a deeper peak contraction than a straight bar.
- Focus on a full protraction of the shoulder blades at the bottom to get a deep stretch in the lats and rhomboids.
Make it harder
- Implement a 3-second eccentric (lowering) phase to increase time under tension.
- Add a 2-second isometric hold at the top of each rep where the bar is closest to the bench.
Frequently asked
- What muscles does the cambered-bar lying row work?
- The cambered-bar lying row primarily targets the lats and trapezius, and also works the abs and obliques as secondary muscles.
- What equipment do you need for the cambered-bar lying row?
- The cambered-bar lying row uses ez barbell.
- Is the cambered-bar lying row good for beginners?
- The cambered-bar lying row is rated intermediate. Build a base with simpler variations first, then progress to it with light load and strict form.