Demonstration
Watch the Form Demo
Technique
How to Do the Single Arm Dumbbell Row
- Place your left knee and left hand on a bench, right foot planted on the floor.
- Hold a dumbbell in your right hand, arm hanging straight down, back flat and level.
- Row the dumbbell up toward your hip, driving the elbow back past your ribs.
- Squeeze the lat and shoulder blade at the top for a beat.
- Lower under control until the arm hangs fully stretched.
- Finish the set, then mirror the setup for the other side.
Anatomy
Muscles Worked
Do This
Form Cues
- Set one knee and one hand on the bench with the back flat and level.
- Row the dumbbell toward your hip, not straight up to the shoulder.
- Let the arm hang fully at the bottom to stretch the lat.
- Keep your shoulders and hips square to the floor. The dumbbell moves, the torso does not.
Avoid This
Common Mistakes
- Rotating the torso to lift heavier weight.
- Rowing with the elbow flared wide.
- Letting the lower back round as the set gets hard.
- Yanking the weight with torso rotation, which hides the imbalance this exercise exists to fix.
More to Explore
Variations & Related Exercises
Variations of this lift
Bent Over Dumbbell Row
Single Arm Seated Cable Row
Seated Cable Row
Trains the same muscles
Assisted Chin-Up
Assisted Machine Pull-Up
Barbell Deadlift
Barbell Rack Pull
Barbell Shrug
Barbell Upright Row
Put It Into Practice
Workouts Featuring This Lift
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