Ring Row

A horizontal pull done hanging under rings or a bar with the feet on the floor. The angle of your body sets the difficulty, which makes it the most scalable pull in the gym and the honest substitute when pull-ups are out of reach.

Standard: A valid rep starts with the arms fully extended and finishes with the rings or bar touching the chest, the body held in one straight line from shoulder to heel throughout.

How to do the Ring Row

1. Set the rings or bar so that with straight arms you hang clear of the floor.
2. Walk the feet forward until your body is at the angle you want, heels down, hips locked out.
3. Squeeze the glutes and brace the midline so the body is one rigid plank.
4. Pull the elbows back past the ribs until the rings touch the chest.
5. Lower under control all the way to straight arms before starting the next rep.

Common faults

• The hips sagging so the rep becomes a shoulder pull with a broken body line.
• Stopping short of the chest, which turns a full pull into a twitch.
• Shrugging the shoulders up to the ears instead of pulling the shoulder blades back.
• Dropping fast to the bottom and bouncing out of the stretch.

Scaling & progressions

• Walk the feet back to raise the body angle: the more upright you are, the easier it gets.
• Bend the knees and plant the feet flat for a shorter lever.
• Elevate the feet on a box to make it harder once flat rows are easy.
• Use a sturdy table edge or a bar in a park frame when no rings are available.