Tip: Do the Aipa Row

The Row Iso Drag Curl (Aipa Row)

The row is a great back exercise. The drag curl is a great biceps exercise. Let's combine them.

• Do a reverse-grip barbell row, pulling the bar towards your lower chest.
• Hold the bar against your lower chest and stand straight up as if you were performing the good morning exercise.
• At the top of the movement, keep your shoulders back and the bar against your body. You should be at the top position of a drag curl.
• Hinge your hips back to the row position, still keeping the bar against you.
• Now lower the bar back to the starting position and repeat.
• Note: You can also do this exercise with an overhand grip, but scale the weight accordingly because your forearms and grip will be challenged.

The Benefits

The Aipa row can be used for several purposes:

• As an accessory lift to improve your deadlift
• To improve your posture
• To build slabs of muscle on your upper back
• To trigger new biceps growth
• To increase grip strength
• To strengthen the lower back

Sets and Reps

This exercise is a good way to add more volume to your back training. In fact, it's best to keep the load on the bar light to moderate according to your drag curl weight. If you think you can go heavy on these, you'll be quickly humbled. Stick with 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps and keep your form tight.