Bent Over Two-Dumbbell RowMuscles Worked
The bent over two-dumbbell row works your upper back, particularly the rhomboids and mid traps, with your lats, biceps and rear delts assisting. Holding a dumbbell in each hand lets each arm follow its own natural path and makes both sides carry an equal share of the load.
PrimaryUpper Back
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Level
- Beginner
- Type
- Compound
- Force
- Pull
How to do it
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing in and your feet about hip width apart.
- Soften your knees and hinge forward at the hips until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor, keeping your back flat.
- Let the dumbbells hang straight down under your shoulders and brace your core.
- Row both dumbbells up toward your lower ribs, elbows close to your body, and squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top.
- Lower the weights slowly to full arm extension while keeping your torso still.
Form tips
- Keep your torso angle fixed throughout; rising up as you pull means the dumbbells are too heavy.
- Lead with your elbows and keep your wrists straight so your back does the pulling.
- Keep your neck neutral by looking at the floor slightly ahead of your feet.
Why it made the list
No. 5 of 12
Best Upper Back Exercises
Two-arm dumbbell row for bilateral work. Great for building thickness across the entire mid-back.
More upper back exercises
See it on your own body map
Log your Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Row sets in KasMaker and watch your upper back, biceps, lats, and shoulders fill in on the map, weighted by how much you did. Logging and the body map are free on iPhone.
