One-Arm Dumbbell Row

The supported position lets you row heavy without loading your lower back, and training one side at a time fixes the strength imbalances almost everyone has.

Tips

• Set up with one hand and one knee on the bench, back flat like a table, eyes down.
• Start each rep from a full stretch — let the dumbbell pull your shoulder blade forward, then start the pull by driving the blade back.
• Row to your hip, not your armpit — the elbow skims your side and stops at your torso.
• Pause a full second at the top with the shoulder blade squeezed. That squeeze is the exercise.
• Do your weaker side first, then match those reps with the strong side.

Common Mistakes

• Twisting the torso — rotating to hoist the weight turns a lat row into a momentum contest.
• Yanking with the biceps — if your arm tires before your back, you're pulling with the hand instead of the elbow.
• Cutting the stretch — keeping the shoulder shrugged tight the whole set skips half the range that builds the lat.
• Rowing to the shoulder — high elbow flared out shifts the load off the lats onto the rear delt and traps.