Chest-Supported Incline Dumbbell Row
At a glance
- Equipment
- Pair of dumbbells + incline bench
- Suggested reps
- 3–4 sets of 8–12 reps
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Common mistakes
You lift your chest off the pad to get the dumbbells higher, which sneaks the lower back into a movement that exists to keep it out.
You row with the biceps, curling the bells to the shoulders instead of driving the elbows back past the ribs.
You cut the bottom short and never let the shoulder blades spread into a full stretch between reps.
You go as heavy as a bent-over row and lose the squeeze that makes the supported version worth doing.
What to focus on
Glue your chest to the pad for the whole set and let it be the anchor that isolates the upper back.
Lead with the elbows toward your back pockets and finish by pinching the shoulder blades together for a beat.
Lower slowly until the shoulder blades fully separate, so every rep travels the whole range.
Related strength moves
Sources & further reading
- 1.Free-standing rows load the lumbar erectors heavily along with the lats — the chest pad removes that spine-extension demand so the pull is all upper back — J. Strength & Conditioning Research (2009), Fenwick & McGill