Single Arm Bench Rows
A dumbbell single arm bench row is a unilateral “pull” exercise designed to target your back and lats. This exercise is great for building a strong back and improving grip strength.
How to get set up:
- Same hand and knee are placed on the bench. Hip is stacked over knee. Shoulder stacked over wrist. Other foot is out wide to the side, slight bend in the knee and parallel to the knee on the bench. (This helps keep the hips in line)
- Back in a neutral position, core is tight.
- Grip dumbbell. Big exhale as you pull the dumbbell towards the hip. Squeeze the shoulder blade. Inhale and control dumbbell back down until arm is straight.
Check out the video below for a visual on what a single arm row looks like!
Common mistakes:
- Elbow comes up too high and rotation from spine is added to complete movement
- Elbow flares out and wrist curls in at the end of movement
- Knee on bench is too far forward
- Back is rounded and head is dropped
- Dipping down during lowering of weight, rotating back and using momentum to lift the weight
If a single arm bench row is too challenging, then you could modify by doing a single arm banded row from either a seated or standing position.