One of the best deadlifters on the face of the earth is a powerlifter by the name of Cailer Woolam. One of his favorite exercises is somewhat like a deadlift and a bent-over row combined into the same lifting motion. This exercise builds the whole back including the lower back, spinal erectors, lats, teres major and minor, and the trapezius muscles. In addition, it will require a substantial amount of work from the legs including the glutes, hamstrings, and quads. Cailer explains how to perform this exercise in the following video:
Ronnie Coleman has fabulous back development and is massively strong. When going heavy on T-bar rows, he uses both his legs and his back to produce the lifting momentum necessary to pull the weight up to his mid-section. You can watch the way he performs his T-bar rows in the in video below:
Work Your Way Into This Exercise
I want to emphasize two things:
First, it would be best to learn how to do both deadlifts and bent-over rows before trying to combine the two exercises together into a single exercise. Once you have developed the back muscles necessary to perform this movement, start out light and work your way up in weight over a few months. I would not do this movement if you have back issues such as injuries, soreness, or structural weakness that won’t hold up when doing this movement.
Second, don’t ignore other back exercises such as seated pulley rows, lat pulldowns, or bent over rows that are done with very strict form.
If you are looking for an exercise to help your back, try this modified row technique as it has the potential to develop your strength and overall back development. Best of training to you.