#TipTuesday: Tips for the Dumbbell Row! | Exercise.com Learn: Your Fitness Business Resource

#TipTuesday: Tips for the Dumbbell Row!

Tyler Spraul is the director of UX and the head trainer for Exercise.com. He has his Bachelor of Science degree in pre-medicine and is an NSCA-certified strength and conditioning specialist. He is a former All-American soccer player and still coaches soccer today. In his free time, he enjoys reading, learning, and living the dad life. He has been featured in Shape, Healthline, HuffPost, Women's...

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UPDATED: Aug 25, 2020

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In the past, we’ve talked about our love-hate relationship with squats and even deadbugs. We love them, but doing them wrong is way too easy. Today, we’re adding another one to our love-hate list: the one-arm dumbbell row.

No, we’re not kidding. If you think we’re crazy, we’ve brought in trainer extraordinaire Dean Somerset to explain how the dumbbell row should actually be done.

Check out Dean’s video below and check off how many steps you’ve been doing wrong all this time:

Here’s a checklist of Dean’s tips:

  • Set your legs far apart – When you move into position for this exercise, you should place the leg that stands on the ground wider than you probably feel is necessary. Fight the urge to position your leg straight down and close to the bench. Instead, bend your kee and angle it outward to create a wide stance.
  • Straighten your spine – To reduce strain on your neck and shoulders, straighten your spine, from the head to the lower back, and keep it straight throughout the exercise. You may be tempted to drop your head to your chest or keep it raised like you own the place. But don’t. If you do, you definitely won’t own the gym.
  • Think about your shoulders – When doing the row the correct way, your shoulders should be pulled tightly down and back. The down and back position of the shoulders ensures that your lat will be worked. If you shrug your shoulders upward, like many people tend to do, you will be working the upper trap, which defeats the purpose of the exercise.
  • Think about your upper arm – Do not let your upper arm drop down and forward when you row. If this downward and forward movement happens, all the pressure is focused on the shoulders instead of your lat. Remember that the lat is the goal of this exercise.

How many of those steps have you been doing correctly? If you scored all of them, congrats! If not, maybe it’s time to start thinking about training with Dean Somerset.

Train With Dean Somerset!

Dean is a personal trainer, author, international speaker, and expert in high tensile strength training, not to mention injury and medical dysfunction management. Dean is a trustworthy guy when it comes to all things fitness and health!

Dean’s High Tensile Strength training program teaches you how to handle stressors so that you can be stronger, more stable, more flexible, and more powerful.

Plus, you’ll receive all the good stuff like monthly workout plans, an exercise video library, and weekly follow-ups with Dean!

You can become a gold-level member of the program for just or go big and become a platinum member. Whichever route you choose, these programs won’t disappoint!

Click here to join Dean Somerset’s High Tensile Strength training program!

Video credit: dean somerset

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