How to do the Bilateral Dumbbell Row
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
- Push your hips back and lower your torso, keeping your back relatively straight.
- Pull the weights up towards your ribs, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
Full technique — 7 steps
- Stand with feet about hip-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
- Hinge at the hips until your torso is inclined forward, keeping your spine neutral and knees slightly bent.
- Let the dumbbells hang below your shoulders with arms straight and palms facing each other.
- Tighten your stomach and set your shoulders down away from your ears before rowing.
- Pull both dumbbells toward your lower ribs or upper abdomen, driving elbows back close to your sides.
- Reach the top when your elbows pass your torso without letting your chest rise or shoulders shrug.
- Lower the dumbbells back under your shoulders until your elbows are fully extended, keeping the torso position fixed.
Common mistakes
- Standing up during each rep
- Shrugging instead of rowing
- Pulling dumbbells toward the chest
- Rounding the lower back
- Jerking the weights with momentum
Form cues
- Row toward lower ribs
- Keep torso angle fixed
- Drive elbows behind you
- Let arms fully hang
- Keep shoulders out of ears
