Chest-Supported Row (T-Bar)
A machine-based pulling exercise that targets the upper back and lats while keeping the chest stabilized against a pad. It effectively isolates back muscles by removing momentum and reducing stress on the lower back.
Iridium prioritizes this exercise when your 7-day workout history indicates accumulated fatigue in the lower back, allowing you to target the lats and rhomboids without spinal loading limitation. The system tracks this volume against your Maximum Adaptive Volume landmarks for the upper back while excluding the lower back from the fatigue calculation. This high stability allows Iridium to safely prescribe higher RPE targets to drive hypertrophy compared to unsupported rowing variations.
Form Cues
- Press your chest firmly against the pad throughout the set
- Initiate the movement by retracting your shoulder blades
- Drive your elbows back behind your torso
- Squeeze your back muscles hard at the peak contraction
- Lower the weight with control to fully lengthen the lats
- Don't lift your chest off the pad to pull the weight further
- Don't use momentum or jerk the weight to start the rep
- Don't shrug your shoulders up toward your ears
- Don't let the weight drop quickly without tension
Common Mistakes
- Hyperextending the lower back
- Using too much biceps instead of back
- Shortening the range of motion
- Leading with the head/craning neck forward
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily targets the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, and middle trapezius, developing back width and thickness. By removing the need to stabilize the lower back, it allows for greater isolation of these muscles while recruiting the rear deltoids and biceps for assistance.
Primary
Secondary
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