Inverted Row

The most underrated back exercise in calisthenics. It builds the mid-back and rear delts that pull-ups miss, and it's the single best stepping stone toward your first pull-up.

Tips

• Set a bar (or rings, or a sturdy table edge) around hip height and hang underneath with a straight body.
• Same plank rules as a push-up: glutes squeezed, abs braced, body rigid from head to heels.
• Pull your chest to the bar by driving the elbows back and squeezing the shoulder blades together.
• Pause for a second at the top with the chest touching — that squeeze is the money.
• Difficulty dial: feet further under the bar = easier, body more horizontal = harder, feet elevated = hardest.

Common Mistakes

• Hips sagging — the body bends at the waist and the row gets shorter and easier. Keep the plank.
• Leading with the chin — poking the head toward the bar instead of pulling the chest. The chest touches, not the face.
• No pause at the top — touch-and-drop reps skip the mid-back squeeze that makes the exercise worth doing.
• Making it too hard too soon — grinding ugly horizontal reps instead of owning clean reps at an angle. Progress the angle, not the ego.