Dumbbell Rear Delt Row
Also known as: Rear Delt Dumbbell Row, One-Arm Dumbbell Rear Delt Row, Single-Arm Rear Delt Row
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Description
Brace one knee and hand on a flat bench and row a single dumbbell with an overhand grip, elbow flared out to the side, to build your rear delts. The back of the shoulder does most of the work; the middle and lower traps between your shoulder blades and the side delt help out. The setup matches the classic one-arm row, but the elbow travels wide and the dumbbell goes to your chest line instead of your hip, which shifts the load from the lats to the rear delts. It's worth adding if you press a lot, your shoulders tend to roll forward, or flyes bother your elbows.
How to Perform
- To work your right arm, rest your left knee and shin on a flat bench, knee under your hip, foot hanging off the end.
- Plant your left hand flat on the bench just ahead of your shoulder, arm straight.
- Set your right foot on the floor beside the bench, a little back, knee soft. Flat back, torso about parallel to the floor, eyes on the bench just past your hand.
- Pick up the dumbbell with an overhand grip: handle across your body, palm facing your feet, knuckles toward your head.
- Let the arm hang straight under the shoulder.
- Lead with the elbow, driving it up and out to the side, away from your ribs. The forearm stays vertical and the dumbbell rises beside the bench toward your chest line, not your hip.
- Stop when your upper arm is level with your back and the elbow is bent about 90°. Pull the shoulder blade toward your spine without shrugging and hold for 1–2 seconds.
- Lower over about 2 seconds to a straight arm, letting the shoulder blade slide forward a little so you feel a stretch across the back of the shoulder.
- Finish all your reps on the right, then mirror the setup and do the same number with your left arm.
What Muscles Work
Primary Muscle:
Secondary Muscles:
Tips
- Do 2–4 sets of 10–20 reps per arm, taking the last reps close to failure; sets of 8–10 are about as heavy as this lift needs to go.
- Add reps first: once both arms reach 20 in every set with the elbow wide and a 1-second hold, move to the next dumbbell, usually 1–2 kg heavier.
- With light dumbbells, each step up is a big jump. If the heavier one drops you below your range, stay with the old one and add a rep per session or stretch the top hold to 2–3 seconds.
- Start with about half the weight you use for a regular one-arm dumbbell row.
- The work belongs in the back of the working shoulder and between the shoulder blade and spine. Lat burning along your side means the elbow has drifted to your ribs; a tight neck means you're shrugging. If the front of the shoulder pinches at the top, bring the elbow in to about 45° from your ribs and stop at torso height.
- Substitutes: Dumbbell Seated Bent Over High Row (both arms at once, seated), Barbell Rear Delt Row (heavier, but you hold the hip hinge yourself), Cable Face Pull (cable tension, no hinge) and Barbell Incline Wide Grip Row (chest on an incline bench, no lower-back load).
Common Mistakes
- Tucking the elbow along your ribs and pulling the dumbbell to your hip. That's a regular lat row; point the elbow out to the side and aim the dumbbell at your chest line.
- Twisting your torso open to get the dumbbell higher. Keep hips and shoulders square to the floor and stop at back level; if you can't, the dumbbell is too heavy.
- Shrugging the working shoulder toward your ear at the top. Think “elbow out”, not “elbow to the ear”, and pull the shoulder blade back toward your spine, not up.
- Curling the weight up: the hand drifts toward your shoulder and the elbow angle closes well below 90°. Let the forearm hang vertical and move the elbow, not the hand.
- Driving the elbow far above your back so the shoulder rolls forward and pinches at the front. Stop when the upper arm is level with your torso and hold there.
- A sloppy base, with the knee or hand out of line and the back sagging. Set knee under hip and hand under shoulder before the first rep, and reset when you switch sides.
Recommended Exercises
Explore exercises related to Dumbbell Rear Delt Row for shoulders training and similar movement patterns.
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