Dumbbell row setup
Place one knee and one hand on a flat bench. The opposite foot rests on the floor for support. Reach down with the free hand and grip a dumbbell. Set the back parallel to the floor, hips square.
The supported position takes the lower back out of the equation, letting the lat do the work.
The row
Pull the dumbbell up toward the hip, driving the elbow back and up along the side of the torso. The dumbbell finishes near the lower ribs at the top of the rep. Squeeze the shoulder blade, hold for a count.
Lower under control until the arm is fully extended. Don’t let the shoulder roll forward at the bottom.
Common faults
Twisting the torso: rotating the spine to add range or load. Fix: keep hips square, the torso doesn’t rotate during the row.
Pulling too high (toward shoulder): turns the row into a rear-delt-dominant exercise. Fix: pull toward the hip, not the armpit.
Using bicep dominance: arm pulls before the lat engages. Fix: think “elbow back, not hand up.” Initiate from the lat.
Programming
The dumbbell row scales from beginner to intermediate well. It exposes side-to-side imbalance and lets the lifter focus on each side independently.
For pulling balance: prescribe 2-3x the volume of horizontal pulling that you prescribe of horizontal pressing (bench press). Most general-population lifters under-row.
For strength: 3-5 sets of 5-8 reps at RPE 7-8.
For hypertrophy: 3-4 sets of 8-15 reps at RPE 7-9.
When to swap
Lifters with grip endurance limitations on heavy sets can use straps after grip fatigue becomes the limit (usually around the 8-rep mark on heavy work).
Lifters with lower-back fatigue from compound lifts elsewhere in the session benefit from chest- supported row as a fully-supported alternative.