What It Works

The dumbbell single-arm row trains the muscles of the mid-back and lats, along with the rear of the shoulder. Because you work one side at a time, it is easier to keep the torso still and feel the back doing the work.

In everyday life you use this pattern whenever you pull something toward you with one hand — starting a lawnmower, lifting a grocery bag out of a cart, or pulling a suitcase off the floor.

How to Perform

Place one hand and the matching knee on a bench. The other foot stays planted on the floor. Hold a dumbbell in the free hand and let it hang under your shoulder. Keep your back long and your hips square to the bench — no twisting.

Pull the dumbbell toward your hip by driving the elbow back. Squeeze the shoulder blade toward your spine at the top. Lower under control until the arm is long again. Finish the set, then switch sides.

Setup & Movement – Quick Bullets

• One hand and matching knee on the bench
• Back long, hips square — no twist
• Dumbbell hangs under the shoulder
• Pull the elbow toward the hip
• Squeeze the shoulder blade at the top
• Lower under control

Common Mistakes

The most common issues are yanking the weight with the arm instead of the back, rotating the torso, shrugging the shoulder toward the ear, and rounding the lower back.

Watch Out For

• Twisting the torso to finish the pull
• Shrugging the shoulder up
• Rounding the lower back
• Using momentum instead of a controlled pull

Quick Fixes

• Keep the hips and chest facing the bench
• Think “elbow to hip,” not “hand to chest”
• Keep the shoulder down and away from the ear
• Own the lowering phase

Key Cue

Elbow to hip. Shoulder quiet.

The back does the work when the elbow drives back and the shoulder stays down. Your arm is just the handle.

Scaling

Easier: Use a lighter dumbbell or support both the hand and the knee more firmly.

Harder: Slow the lowering phase or add a brief pause at the top.