Matt Kroc - The Inventor Of The "Kroc Row"
A favorite movement, mentioned frequently on this blog, is the deadlift.
The deadlift is an amazing movement that, done correctly, builds tremendous strength and power in the body.
However, at some point during your lifting, you’re going to encounter a sticking point …
Some people have trouble from the bottom, others at the knees, and some have trouble locking it out.
Today we’re going to work on locking out your deadlift.
How To Improve Your Deadlift Lockout
There are plenty of “conventional” ways of working on locking out your deadlift, most of it primarily being heavy rack work.
An unconventional way comes from Matt “Kroc” Kroczaleski. While not a standard way of working the deadlift, it has given powerlifters and gym rats alike great gains in muscular strength and power, and been a great addition to my own deadlifting.
The great part about Kroc Rows is that they are so SIMPLE:
- Pick a heavy dumbbell
- Snarl
- Do 1 set of one-armed rows for 20-40 reps
Simple, right?
The idea is to build muscle and power in your upper back and grip–and it WORKS.
How To Choose The Right Weight For Kroc Rows …
You’ll use a fairly heavy dumbbell for the main work, but FIRST, do a warmup with a light dumbbell for a few sets of 10-20 reps.
As you can see the rep range is fairly wide. Use a 60 lb dumbbell for 40 agonizing reps, or a 75 lb dumbbell for a heavier 20 reps. Add in straps to get extra reps!
All you have to do is one set, but if your grip gives out before your arm and back does, and you have no straps, then split it into two or three sets! But always remember: HIGH REPS!
Below is a video of Krocman himself, half crocodile, half man, half piranha, doing 225lb Rows …
Why The Kroc Row Works …
The muscular POWER this movement builds in your upper body and back seem to be a crucial component in being able to lock out the deadlift.
Do this movement twice a week, with your upper body or back work, and test your deadlift after 2-3 months. Get ready to lock it out.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
1/2 + 1/2 + 1/2 – that means he is a 1.5x man? LOL!
Anyway – I have a pretty strong back – can chin with 100lbs at 180lbs BW, but DB rows are a weak link for me – right now doing 75lbs for sets of 5…
Good thing you shared the video so we can see his biomechanically optimized form.
Good stuff dude!
@ Yavor: haha, yea it’s something my friend says, I think it’s hilarious.
He’s definitely the guy to watch to see how it’s done!
the guy in the video has terrible form. keeps swinging his body with each rep. should lower the weight cause he obviously can't lift that with correct form.
Its meant to be a "cheating" movement with heavier weights than you would ever use for a strict one arm row.
He did with 225 pounds what I did with 15. Give him a break.
So matt lets see you try it