Dumbbell Rows At Home
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Dumbbell Rows are a great complimentary exercise to go along with pull-ups, as they work a whole lot of muscles in your back. Here is how to do them at home with just a chair and a dumbbell.
What Makes Dumbbell Rows Great
Dumbbell Rows are a compound exercise that not only works the lats, those big back muscles that wrap around your back, they also involve the trapezius, the rotatory cuff, the rhomboids – basically your entire upper back. Additionally, they also work the biceps and forearms a bit.
How To Do Them
All you need is a solid chair, on which you rest the knee and hand of one side of your body. The free hand grabs the dumbbell and, with a straight back, you pull the dumbbell to your side:
As said in the video, it is key to not move your back when you do the exercise. I have seen people do dumbbell rows where the entire thing looked more like a hip exercise.
If You Don’t Have A Dumbbell
If you don’t have a dumbbell, you can of course substitute it with anything you can move in that fashion and that provides enough resistance. For a smaller weight, use a bottle filled with sand, if you need some serious weight, try a gas canister.
9 Comments
I would suggest advancing to front lever rows as they only require pullup bar and work every muscle in the back + biceps and forearms.
Yep, when basic back strength is in place, those are a very interesting alternative!
Well if you plan on doing them, advance to straddle front lever hold.
Here’s an article.
http://www.dragondoor.com/articles/building-an-olympic-body-through-bodyweight-conditioning/default.aspx
Then you should have enough strength to do them.
For a more detailed progression buy Building the Gymnastic Body by Christoper Sommer.
That was a very interesting read! Thank you, Pargie!
“I have seen people do dumbbell rows where the entire thing looked more like a hip exercise.”
Like Kroc Rows?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0UJdXoBHM4
Is that a one-handed deadlift? 😉
Well it’s a row and deadlift, but it was one the exercises that got Matt Kroc to 810 deadlift and so it works. Jim Wendler lists it as an assistance work in his 5/3/1 book.
Also.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF8Fpssobvc
When you have an exercise where you alternate arms, would you still take breaks? Or will the dormant arm have already taken enough of a rest while the other arm was lifting?
I would train the left arm, then the right and then take a 1 minute rest.