Upper back thickness just epitomizes raw power...this row variation helps BUILD that size and power.
It hits middle traps and upper traps, as well as Teres Major and Rhomboids, using the muscles of the legs and lower back (and some technique) to help power the weight up.
Your upper back muscles LOVE heavy weights and powerful movements like this.
This is NOT a beginner exercise...it's for intermediate to advanced lifters.
I've got 155 lbs on the bar. You want a heavy enough weight that you can't do a normal strict row with it. You CAN use grip assistance (I chose not to here in order to also work grip strength).
This is similar to Kroc Rows only done with a barbell instead of a dumbbell, and performed a bit differently to take advantage of the benefits a barbell gives you.
I recommend bumper plates. If you don't have bumpers, mats under the plates can work.
Don't set your knee on a bench. You're going to be freestanding to allow for the "hitching" needed to maximize the loading.
Grip the bar in the middle...you'll have to adjust if the bar tilts on the first rep.
The first part of the row is like a bent-over deadlift. The idea is to get the bar off the ground and moving up with power.
IMPORTANT! Get a STRETCH on the upper back at the start.
As when doing a deadlift, don't "pop" the bar off the ground. Here, though, you're not going to pull a bend into the bar... you're going to pull a STRETCH into the upper back.
THEN use your legs and posterior chain to power it off the ground.
Continue pulling the bar up, turning it INTO a row on the way up.
As you get the bar ALMOST all the way up, dip your torso down a bit with a small downward "hitch" to get the bar a bit higher relative to your body. This allows you to get the weight higher up in the range of motion.
Lower the bar the ground (don't drop it but don't try and lower it slowly, either). Set the bar down on the floor and reset for each rep.
Using a barbell like this allows you to use heavier loads than likely your gym has available for dumbbells.
You can do this exercise with your other hand on your knee to stabilize the core more, or moving freely.
Here's what that looks like (free hand).
This exercise will blow up your upper back, especially the traps.
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