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Prone Floor Row

beginner · pull_horizontal

Setup

Lie face down on a padded surface — a workout mat, a yoga mat or a carpeted floor — so your forehead and hips are not pressed against a hard surface. Bend your elbows to about 90 degrees out to the sides in a W shape, palms down near your shoulders. Stretch both legs out straight behind you, together or hip-width apart, and gently squeeze your glutes so the hips stay down on the floor.

Execution

  1. Draw both shoulder blades down and together before you lift anything.
  2. Exhale and lift your elbows and forearms a few centimeters off the floor by squeezing the shoulder blades, chest staying on or just above the floor.
  3. Hold one beat at the top, elbows pointing back rather than up toward your ears.
  4. Inhale and lower the elbows slowly over 2 seconds, touching down before the next rep.
  5. Do 10-15 reps, then lower all the way down to rest, relaxing the shoulders fully before you stand up.
  6. If your neck or lower back starts to ache, stop the set right there and roll onto your back to rest instead of finishing the count.

Breathing

Exhale as you lift, inhale as you lower. The load here is light, but the same rule applies: exhale on the effort. If you have high blood pressure, heart disease, a hernia or are pregnant, breathe steadily without holding your breath, and you can drop to 8-10 reps a set.

Quick cues

  • Squeeze the blades before you lift.
  • Elbows back, not up high.
  • Eyes on the mat, neck neutral.
  • Hold one second at the top.
  • Lower slow, touch down, then rise.

Common faults

  • Fault: Shrugging the shoulders up toward the ears instead of pulling the blades down

    Fix: Set the shoulders down away from the ears before every rep, imagining tucking both shoulder blades into your back pockets.

  • Fault: Craning the neck up to gain height instead of lifting from the upper back

    Fix: Keep your eyes on the mat and lift only a few centimeters, adding hold time instead of chasing more height.

  • Fault: The hips and legs lifting off the floor for momentum

    Fix: Press the hip bones gently into the floor and keep the glutes lightly braced for the whole set so the legs stay out of it.

  • Fault: Bouncing up and down with no pause at the top

    Fix: Count one full second at the top of every rep before lowering.

Equipment

bodyweight, mat

Muscle groups

back, shoulders