Single-Arm Dumbbell Row

The single-arm dumbbell row is performed with one hand and knee braced on a flat bench, torso roughly parallel to the floor, dumbbell hanging from the working arm. The pull drives the elbow toward the hip — not behind it — and the dumbbell toward the lower ribs.

Loading can be quite heavy relative to barbell rows. Because the torso is braced on the bench and the spine is unloaded, many lifters can handle substantially more per side than they could on a barbell row of any variation. This makes it a high-stimulus option for back development.

The unilateral nature reveals and addresses side-to-side strength imbalances. If you notice one side lagging, start each set with the weaker side and match reps on the stronger side rather than compensating by adding extra sets.

• Pull the elbow toward the hip, not straight up — keep it close to the body
• Row to the lower ribs, not the upper chest
• Let the shoulder blade retract fully at the top of each rep
• Control the descent — a controlled lowering doubles the time under tension

• Rotating the torso to add momentum — a slight natural rotation is fine; a full body twist defeats the purpose
• Rowing too high — pulling to the chest shortens the lat's range of motion; lower ribs is the target
• Shortening the range of motion at the bottom — let the dumbbell stretch down to engage the lats fully

• barbell row→
• cable row→
• lat pulldown→