Chest-Supported Dumbbell Row

At a glance

Main muscle

Back

Also works

Rear delts and biceps

Equipment

Dumbbell

Rep range in Mitta

8 to 12 reps

Skill level

Beginner

How tiring

Low

Weight step in Mitta

2 kg

How to do it

1. Lie on an incline bench (30–45°).
2. Let your arms hang fully.
3. Elbows toward your hips.

Pick a weight you can lift for 8 to 12 reps with good form, and stop each set with a few reps left in the tank.

Watch a demo by Renaissance Periodization on YouTube

Why rating A

The chest-supported principle with just a bench and dumbbells.

Mitta rates every exercise from S to C, based on research where it exists and on how the exercise loads the muscle. When Mitta builds your plan it picks from S, A and B exercises and prefers ones that load the muscle at long length. C exercises are never picked automatically, but you can still choose them yourself.

Alternatives

These train the same muscle. Use one if you lack the equipment, if this exercise does not feel right, or for some variety.

• Chest-Supported Machine Row · Machine · rating S
• Dumbbell Row · Dumbbell · rating A
• Seal Row · Barbell · rating A

Keep learning

• What is progressive overload, and how do you do it?
• How many sets per muscle per week?
• What is RIR, and how do you estimate it?
• One-rep max calculator: your max from any hard set of the chest-supported dumbbell row.