Exercise Profile
- Target Muscle Group
- Exercise TypeStrength
- Equipment RequiredDumbbell
- MechanicsCompound
- Force TypePull (Bilateral)
- Experience LevelBeginner
- Secondary Muscles
Biceps, Lats, Shoulders
Target Muscle Group
Upper Back
Neutral Grip Chest Supported Dumbbell Row Overview
The chest supported dumbbell row is a variation of the dumbbell bent over row and an exercise used to build back muscle and strength.
The back is a muscle group that requires a fair amount of variation. So, experiment with several different angles and hand positions to maximize your back muscle growth.
Rows are a foundational movement pattern and are very important to train for balanced muscle growth and strength. So, experiment until you find a rowing variation that you enjoy and work on it.
The chest supported dumbbell row can be performed during your back workouts, upper body workouts, pull workouts, and full body workouts.
Neutral Grip Chest Supported Dumbbell Row Instructions
- Position an adjustable incline bench at 45 degrees and lie prone on the bench.
- Grab a dumbbell in each hand utilizing a neutral grip and then begin the movement by driving the elbows behind the body while retracting the shoulder blades.
- Pull the dumbbells towards your body until the elbows are at (or just past) the midline and then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position under control.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Neutral Grip Chest Supported Dumbbell Row Tips
- Experiment with head position and see which option (looking forward vs. packing the neck) works better for you.
- Keep some tone through your abdominals as you pull the dumbbells into your body to ensure you don’t arch excessively through your spine.
- Don’t allow momentum to dictate the movement, control the dumbbells throughout the entirety of each rep.
- If you feel your biceps being overused and your back remaining under active, consider utilizing a false grip (i.e. don’t wrap the thumb around the dumbbell).
- As you pull the dumbbells towards your body, don’t hyperextend the thoracic spine by pull your entire upper torso off the bench. You can extend slightly but don’t make it too drastic.
- Some feel more comfortable with bending their knees and positioning them on the bottom pad whereas if you have longer legs than you may want to extend your legs and plant your feet flat on the floor.
- Don’t allow the head to jut forward as you pull.
- Similarly, ensure the shoulder blade moves on the rib cage. Don’t lock the shoulder blade down and just move through the glenohumeral joint.
20 Comments
Are there any alternatives to this exercise that only uses body weight or dumbbells besides standing bent over dumbbell rows?
Hey Trye - you can try a renegade row: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/exercises/renegade-row
I feel like my chest gets crushed from the weight every time I do this. Is there any way to stop that? Thanks
I find this a big issue for women too.
Hi, any way to do this without a bench? I dont have one :(
Hey Bence - you can do standing bent over dumbbell rows.
My bench is much smaller. I only have support up to my upper abdomen. It that acceptable?
Hey Sam - the bench needs to support your chest
Can you do this exercise on a flat bench?
Hey Aryan - yes, however, the flat bench may be too short and will not allow you to fully extend your arms
what's the angle of the bench? (+is the small adjustable section of the bench necessary? if so, what angle should it be adjusted to?)
I have the same question on the 'Incline Dumbbell Bench Press' in this link(what bench angel is needed for that exercise?) https://www.muscleandstrength.com/exercises/incline-dumbbell-bench-press...
Hey Tom - the bench is at a 45-degree angle in both this exercise and the Incline Dumbbell Bench Press video. And no, there is not a need for the small adjustable section of the bench. Hope that helps!
Hey, is it ok to do this with feet on the ground ?, actually I incline my flat bench so it won't be to keep legs like that.
That's perfectly okay to perform these with feet on the ground.
is there any substitute for chest supported dumbbell row can i do it on flat bench???
Hey Vikas
There is an alternative, here's the link!
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/exercises/bent-over-dumbbell-row.html
What angle is best for this? 30°? Or 45°?
Great question David
I like to alternate the angle every so often. I get a better contraction in my upper back with a 45° angel, and I feel a better contraction in my mid-back with the 30° angel. Try both and see which you can feel better.
I don't have a bench at my home what would you recommend ive been doing incline and decline pushups to sub for these is that ok or what would you work?
I'm no expert but, I think u just need to bend over to simulate the position