Bent-Over Row

LatsDumbbells

The bent-over dumbbell row builds your lats and mid-back, strengthening your upper back and posture.

How to do it

1Stand tall with feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent, holding a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing each other.

2Hinge at your hips until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor, maintaining a neutral flat back.

3Row the dumbbells up toward your hips, pulling elbows back and squeezing your shoulder blades together.

4Pause for a moment at the top position to feel your back muscles contract fully.

5Lower the weights slowly back down to full arm extension without rounding your shoulders at the bottom.

Common mistakes

Rounding your lower back under load, putting your spine in a vulnerable position.

Using body momentum to jerk the weights up instead of pulling with back muscles.

Shrugging your shoulders up toward your ears instead of pulling your elbows back.

Going too heavy, which leads to partial reps and poor muscle contraction.

Breathing

Exhale as you row the weights up toward your hips, inhale as you lower them smoothly back down.

Make it harder or easier

To scale down: Support one knee and hand on a bench to stabilize your core and lower back.

To level up: Increase weight or use a 3-second lowering tempo to intensify the eccentric phase.

For a bigger pull challenge: Hold a 1-2 second squeeze at the top of every rep.

This is general guidance, not a medical opinion. Listen to your body: if it hurts, stop. If you have an injury or a chronic condition, talk to a doctor first.