Derek Lunsford kicked off 2025 with a stunning victory at the Arnold Classic, and with his sights now firmly set on reclaiming his Mr Olympia crown, the man-mountain us building his back even better, with some insanely heavy T-Bar Rows.
“It’s a great day to get better, start your week off right,” wrote Lunsford in a recent message for his 1.4 million Instagram fans. “Do something today that brings you closer to your goals.” For this gigantic bodybuilder, the goal is clear: reclaim the Mr Olympia title that he lost to Samson Dauda in 2024. To do that, he’s building his best ever back with T-Br Rows.
What are T-Bar Rows?
This exercise is a compound movement and is executed on a plate loaded machine. You’ll stand on a platform and place your legs either side of the bar. There are handles on each side of the bar, making a “T” shape. To perform a rep, you’ll grip the handles and lift the bar towards your groin then bring it back down in a controlled manner.
Derek Lunsford Crushing the T-Bar Row
In his video, Lunsford can be seen repping with 12 plates, each weighing 20 kilograms. (44.09 pounds). That’s a whopping total of 120 kilograms (264.5 pounds). The bodybuilder completes 12 solid reps in the clip, seriously impressing his followers. “Best back in the IFBB,” wrote one fan. “Great video showing those fire hose size traps,” wrote another.
The T-Bar row is an amazing mass builder because it works the aforementioned traps, but also the posterior deltoid for wider shoulders and the latissimus dorsi for spreading those wings. To try this move for yourself, follow Lunsford’s lofty example and concentrate on driving the elbows backwards as you lift. In short, T-Bar rows are simple to perform and considered one of the safer exercises due to the ease of loading and the support you get in making a vertical movement from the machine itself.
As always, start out with a light weight and master your form, then slowly increase the weight and build to 3 sets of 8-12 reps at around 80% of your top weight for muscle building. Another great way to use the T-bar row is as a finisher, going for burnout at the very end of your workout. However you prefer to apply the T-bar row to your workouts, be more like Lunsford and give it your all.
