How to do a proper single arm dumbbell row

The single arm dumbbell row trains the big pulling muscles of your back: the latissimus dorsi down the sides, the muscles between and around your shoulder blades, and the rear shoulder, along with the biceps as helpers. What makes it special is not the muscles it hits, which most rows share, but three practical advantages.

• One side at a time. Each arm works independently, so a stronger side cannot carry a weaker one. That evens out left to right differences a barbell row quietly papers over.
• A longer range. With one arm free you can let the dumbbell travel further down at the bottom and reach further back at the top than a bar allows, which loads the muscle across a fuller stretch.
• A supported spine. Bracing a hand and knee on a bench takes load off your lower back, so you can chase your back muscles hard without your spine being the limit. Research on rowing variations found the bent-over barbell row placed the largest load on the lower back, while more supported rows spared it, which is one reason a supported single arm row is a friendlier choice for many people.

Most bad rows are lost before the weight moves, in a sloppy setup. Get your position solid and the rep almost coaches itself.

1. Build a stable base. The classic version puts one knee and the same-side hand on a bench, with the other foot planted on the floor. You can also hinge over with both feet down and one hand braced on a rack or heavy dumbbell. Either way, you want a solid three-point base.
2. Set a flat, neutral back. Your torso should be roughly parallel to the floor with your spine in its natural line, not rounded and not overarched. Think of your back as a sturdy tabletop the whole set.
3. Square your hips and shoulders. Both hips level, both shoulders level, facing the floor. If one hip is hiked up you will end up twisting to move the weight.
4. Let the dumbbell hang and reach down. Arm straight, and let your shoulder blade travel forward slightly so you feel a stretch through your lat. That reach is your true starting point, not an arm held stiff and high.

The single biggest fix for most people is to stop thinking about the hand and start thinking about the elbow. Your hand is just a hook holding the dumbbell. The muscles of your back move your elbow, so that is what you drive.

Pull by driving your elbow up and back toward your hip, letting your shoulder blade slide back and in toward your spine as you go. Aim the dumbbell for the area between your lower ribs and your hip, not straight up to your shoulder. At the top, pause for a beat and squeeze your back as if you were trying to pinch that shoulder blade toward the other one. Then lower slowly, all the way back down, letting the shoulder blade travel forward again into that stretch. That full trip, deep stretch at the bottom to a hard squeeze at the top, is the rep.

Almost every one of these traces back to one root cause: the weight is heavier than your back can move on its own, so the rest of you pitches in. If in doubt, go lighter and make the muscle work harder. A dumbbell you can row cleanly through a full range beats a heavier one you have to throw.

The single arm dumbbell row slots into almost any back or pull day. It pairs nicely after a bigger movement like a pull-up or a barbell row, as a way to chase each side hard with strict form once the heavy compound work is done.

• Sets and reps: 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps per arm suits muscle growth. If you want it heavier and more strength focused, 6 to 8 clean reps works too.
• Tempo: control the lower over about 2 seconds, pause and squeeze at the top, then repeat. Slow enough that you never need to swing.
• Start with your weaker side, and match the stronger side to whatever the weaker one can do with good form. That is how you close a left to right gap instead of widening it.
• Progress by adding a rep or a small jump in weight only once every rep is clean and controlled through the full range.