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How to do it
- Place one knee and the same-side hand on a flat bench with your back parallel to the floor.
- Hold a dumbbell in the opposite hand with your arm hanging straight down beneath your shoulder.
- Set a flat back, brace your core, and keep your hips square to the bench.
- Pull the dumbbell up to the side of your ribs by driving your elbow back along your body.
- Squeeze your shoulder blade in toward your spine at the top of the row and pause briefly.
- Lower the dumbbell slowly until your arm is fully extended again, then repeat for reps before switching sides.
Common mistakes
- Rotating the torso to throw the dumbbell up, which turns the row into a swing and offloads the back.
- Pulling with the arm only and letting the elbow flare wide, which trades lat work for rear-shoulder work.
- Rounding the lower back instead of bracing flat, which puts the spine at risk under load.
- Cutting the bottom range short and skipping the lat stretch, where most of the growth stimulus happens.
Muscles worked
Same movement, other equipment
Plans that include the Dumbbell Single Arm Row
Similar exercises
Good to know
- What muscles does the Dumbbell Single Arm Row work?
- Mainly the lats. It also works the biceps.
- What equipment do you need for the Dumbbell Single Arm Row?
- It uses dumbbells. Without it, the Backpack Row and the Band Assisted Pull-Up train the same muscles the same way.
- Is the Dumbbell Single Arm Row good for beginners?
- GymVim rates it beginner.