Suspension Row
This article introduces one of our favourite upper body pulling exercises for boxing.
In this article you will learn about
- The effectiveness of the suspension row for boxing performance
- How to perform this movement effectively
- Avoiding common mistakes when performing this exercise.
The suspension row is the one of our foundational upper body exercises for boxers. It can be performed in strength sessions, and as part of a circuit, due to a number of key benefits.
Benefits of the Suspension Row
- Develops upper body strength, particularly the lats, biceps and shoulders.
- Demanding on core and posterior chain strength.
- Requires effective scapula retraction, which promotes use of the rotator cuff and posterior shoulder muscles.
- Improves the function and reduces the likelihood of injury for the shoulder.
- Requires balance and co-ordination, whilst being beneficial to posture and shoulder mobility.
- Easy to set up and the technique is quickly learned – meaning boxers can show decent progress in a short amount of time.
How to perform the suspension row
- With the arms straight but shoulders retracted, create tension through the core to make sure the bodyline is straight.
- Pull the body up, leading with the chest and keeping glutes tense.
- Twist the hands and keep the elbows in towards the ribcage.
- Slowly lower down back to the start position and go straight into the next rep.
- Walk the feet in or out to change the difficulty of the movement.
Common mistakes
When performing this movement, we often see some common mistakes, which can reduce the effectiveness of the exercise.
- Poor scapula control – Letting the shoulders shrug forwards at the bottom of the movement occurs when the athlete doesn’t pull their shoulders back and together throughout. Encouraging the athlete to maintain their shoulder position by pinching the shoulder blades back at the bottom of the movement can help improve performance and shoulder health.
- Pausing – Pausing at the bottom of the movement reduces the effect of the stretch reflex of the upper back muscles. Boxers should look to develop a controlled bounce out of the bottom of the movement to help punching performance for bringing the hands back to the chin, and deceleration at the end range of punches.
- Poor hip control – Letting the hips drop at the bottom of the movement often occurs, due to insufficient glute activation. This results in a loss of posture and reduces the effectiveness of the exercise. Encourage an athlete to squeeze their glutes to lift their hips towards the ceiling, maintaining a straight line from head to heels throughout the movement.
Want to learn more about strength training for boxing performance? Boxing Science members can now access an exercise library of over 60 exercises engineered for Boxing performance, plus video workshops from the worlds leading experts in sport science for Boxing.
