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How To Perform The Chest-Supported Dumbbell Row Iso

ByMike Collins

The Chest-Supported Dumbbell Row Iso is a great exercise for a lifter training the entire upper and mid-back, as well as building strength in the biceps brachii.

Dumbbell rows (or barbell rows) are one of the best exercises for building big, thick back muscles.

Benefits of Dumbbell Rows For Your Back Muscles

* Improves core stability.

* Develops the muscles of the upper back, middle back and arms.

* The hands can be placed at different angles to increase muscle engagement.

The main benefit is that you can work each side on its own, this allows you to overload one side more than the other allowing a better imbalance and this will allow you to develop one side more than the other.

The row exercise can be performed in a static way (with static contraction), where the trunk muscles (mainly the lower back) are stressed and also in movement, when combined with hip movement or leg drive.

The bench should be set at a high enough incline to where your arms can hang without the dumbbells touching the floor.

It’s important to keep a neutral spine when lifting weights on both sides at the same time.

You can use these either for strength training with heavy loads or hypertrophy weight and perform burn sets.

This movement doesn’t require lower-back stability and will prevent hunching.

Someone recently coming off a lengthy injury layoff should consider if this is the right move for their recovery.

At the top of the movement hold and squeeze for a second before turning to full extension/starting position.

When the chest is supported, this diagonal position provides excellent activation of the latissimus dorsi and at the same time takes a lot of the stress out of the lower back.

As the flat bench row is generally performed with the barbell and overhand grip, performing the incline bench row with dumbbells and a neutral grip will optimize your training.

Anywhere from 8-12 reps is great for building muscle, 4-6 reps are ideal for strength, and 1-5 reps may be useful for explosiveness/power when performed at a high speed.

Chest-Supported Dumbbell Row Iso Exercise

Exercise instructional video.

  • Keep your ribs down, abs tight and tailbone tucked between your knees.
  • Pull the weights back, finishing with your shoulder blade locked inward and down.
  • Don’t let your shoulder capsule shift forward at the finish of the movement.

Instruction courtesy of Precision Nutrition. Fitness Pros- If you’re interested in becoming a Certified Nutrition Coach, they’re top notch!