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Breathe In
Breathe in at the bottom, with your arms long, before you start each pull. Fill your belly and brace your abs so your back stays flat in the hinge.
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01
Exercise Type
A compound, upper-body pulling exercise. You hold a hip hinge — torso tipped forward, back flat — and row both dumbbells toward your body, which trains the lats and middle back while your hips, legs and core hold the position still.
Compound
Upper-body pull
Horizontal pull
Free weight
Strength & hypertrophy
- Equipment
- A pair of dumbbells
- Level
- Beginner → Intermediate
- Rep range
- 8–12 reps × 3–4 sets
- Tempo
- 1.5 s up · 1 s squeeze · 2 s down
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02
Starting Position
- Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing each other.
- Bend your knees slightly and push your hips back until your torso is about 30–45° above the floor, keeping your back flat.
- Let the dumbbells hang straight down below your shoulders. Brace your core and look at the floor about a metre in front of your feet.
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03
Movement
- Pull the dumbbells up toward your lower ribs by driving your elbows back, keeping them close to your sides.
- At the top, squeeze your shoulder blades together and hold for about a second.
- Lower the dumbbells under control until your arms are straight again. Your torso and legs stay still the whole time — no jerking or standing up to swing the weight.
Set · 1 s
Pull · 1.5 s
Squeeze · 1 s
Lower · 2 s
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04
End Position
- At the top of the row your elbows have travelled back past your torso, and the dumbbells sit beside your lower ribs.
- Your shoulder blades are pinched together and pulled down, not shrugged up toward your ears.
- Your torso is at the same angle it started at, with your back still flat.
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05
Hand Position
- Use a neutral grip — palms facing each other — and hold each dumbbell in the middle of its handle so it stays balanced.
- Keep your hands roughly under your shoulders, about shoulder-width apart, with your wrists straight rather than curled.
- Grip firmly with your thumbs wrapped around, but think of your hands as hooks: pull with your elbows, not your hands.
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06
Leg Position
- Stand with feet hip-width apart, toes pointing forward, and your weight over the middle of your feet.
- Keep a soft bend in your knees and your hips pushed back, so your hamstrings and glutes help hold the hinge.
- Your legs stay still throughout the set — don’t straighten your knees or bounce to help the dumbbells up.
From the front
Side view
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07
Chest Position
- Tip your torso forward until it is about 30–45° above the floor. The lower you go, the more your back muscles work against gravity.
- Keep your chest “proud” — open, not caved in — so your head, upper back and hips form one straight line.
- Your chest stays at the same height all set. If it rises as you pull, the weight is too heavy.
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08
Breathing
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Hold
Hold that breath as you pull and through the one-second squeeze at the top. Some lifters prefer to breathe out during the pull instead — either is fine as long as your trunk stays braced. If you have high blood pressure or a heart condition, avoid holding your breath.
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Breathe Out
Breathe out slowly as you lower the dumbbells back down, then take a fresh breath with your arms straight before the next rep.
Arms longTop · squeezeArms long
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09
Between Sets
1
Bend your knees and set the dumbbells down with a flat back, or stand up tall while holding them before putting them on the rack.
2
Rest 60–90 seconds, or up to 2 minutes for heavy sets. Stand upright and walk around to take the load off your lower back.
3
Shake out your grip and forearms, roll your shoulders, and run through your hinge and flat-back cues before the next set.
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10
Major Muscles Exercised
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Back
Back · side of the back Latissimus dorsi
Side of the back — pulls the arms back toward the body
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Back
Back · upper back Rhomboids & trapezius
Middle back — squeeze the shoulder blades together
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Back
Back · rear shoulder Rear deltoid
Back of the shoulder — helps drive the elbows back
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11
Minor Muscles Exercised
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Front
Front · upper arm Biceps brachii
Bends the elbow as you pull
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Back
Back · shoulder blade Rotator cuff
Keeps the shoulder joint stable
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Back
Back · either side of the spine Erector spinae
Holds the back flat in the hinge
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Back
Back · thigh Hamstrings
Hold the hips back in the bent-over position
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Front
Front · abdomen Core (abs, obliques)
Brace the trunk so it doesn’t move
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12
Joints
| Joint | Action during the row |
|---|---|
| Shoulder (glenohumeral) | Extension as you pull the elbows back |
| Shoulder girdle (scapulothoracic) | Shoulder blades draw together at the top and spread as you lower |
| Elbow | Flexion as you pull, extension as you lower |
| Hip | Held still in a fixed hinge |
| Spine | Held neutral and still — braced, not rounding |
| Knee & wrist | Held still: knees softly bent, wrists straight |
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13
Closest Variation: Barbell Bent-over Row
The one difference
You pull one barbell with both hands instead of two separate dumbbells.
What that changes — compared with the bent-over dumbbell row
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Load you can lift
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Both arms share one bar, so most people can row noticeably more weight.
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Main muscle emphasis
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The usual overhand grip with elbows wider shifts more work to the upper back and rear shoulders.
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Range of motion
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The bar stops when it touches your torso, so the elbows can’t travel as far back.
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Balance & stability demand
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One bar is easier to steady than two dumbbells, and the arms can’t move independently.
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Joint & spine stress
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The heavier load means more strain on the lower back in the hinge.
About the same: grip demand, difficulty to learn.
Role: Lateral· Similar difficulty
Choose the barbell bent-over row if…
- ✓You want to row the heaviest weights for strength
- ✓You train in a gym with barbells and plates
- ✓Your lower back is strong and used to hinging
Stick with the bent-over dumbbell row if…
- ✓You want a longer range of motion
- ✓One side of your back is weaker than the other
- ✓Your shoulders prefer a palms-facing grip, or you train at home
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14
All Variations at a Glance
Each variation changes one thing about the bent-over dumbbell row. Read down a column to see what changes, how hard it is, and what that does — every effect is compared with the regular bent-over dumbbell row.
↑ more than the bent-over dumbbell row
↓ less
= about the same
Scroll sideways to see all 6 variations →
| Closest ↑ above Barbell Bent-over Row | Single-Arm Dumbbell Row | Chest-Supported Dumbbell Row | Wide-Elbow Dumbbell Row | Underhand Dumbbell Row | Dead-Stop Dumbbell Row | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What changes | Equipment: two dumbbells → one barbell | Support: free-standing hinge → hand and knee on a bench, one arm at a time | Support: hinge → lying chest-down on an incline bench | Grip: palms facing → palms facing back, elbows out wide | Grip: palms facing → palms facing forward | Tempo: continuous → each rep starts from the floor |
| Role | Lateral· Similar difficulty | Regression· Easier | Regression· Easier | Lateral· Similar difficulty | Lateral· Similar difficulty | Lateral· Similar difficulty |
| Load you can lift | ↑ | ↑ per arm | = | ↓ | = | ↑ |
| Main muscle emphasis | ↑ upper back | ↑ lats | ↑ middle back | ↑ rear delts & upper back | ↑ biceps & lower lats | = |
| Range of motion | ↓ | ↑ | = | ↓ | = / ↑ | ↑ |
| Balance & stability demand | ↓ | ↓ | ↓↓ | = | = | = |
| Joint & spine stress | ↑ lower back | ↓↓ lower back | ↓↓ lower back | ↑ shoulders | ↑ elbows, wrists | ↑ lower back |
| Grip demand | = | = | = | = | = | ↑ |
| Difficulty to learn | = | ↓ | ↓↓ | = | = | ↑ |
| Equipment | Barbell, plates | Dumbbell, flat bench | Dumbbells, incline bench | Dumbbells | Dumbbells | Dumbbells |
Arrows are estimates based on how each change alters the movement, not measured values.
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15
Alternates
Different exercises that train the back — useful when you want variety, need to spare your lower back or are working toward pull-ups. They are not versions of the bent-over row itself.
Seated Cable Row
Seated upright, pulling a cable handle to your waist; the back is supported by your legs and a footplate.
Best for: Steady tension, easy to learn
Cable row machine
Chest-Supported Machine Row
A machine with a chest pad, so the lower back does no work at all.
Best for: Heavy rows without back strain
Row machine
Inverted Row
Hanging under a bar with your body straight, pulling your chest up to it.
Best for: Bodyweight training
Bar or rings
Lat Pulldown
A vertical pull: you pull a bar down to your upper chest while seated.
Best for: Back width, building toward pull-ups
Cable machine
View guide →
Pull-up
A vertical bodyweight pull, lifting yourself until your chin clears the bar.
Best for: Upper-body pulling strength
Pull-up bar
Start light so you can keep your back flat and your torso still. Stop if you feel sharp pain in the lower back, shoulders or elbows.