Chest Supported Dumbbell Row
The chest-supported dumbbell row is a row done lying face down on an incline bench, pulling a dumbbell in each hand up towards your torso. With your chest resting on the pad, it works the lats, mid-back and rear shoulders without your low back holding you in position, which makes it a strict and widely used back builder.
Also called: Chest Supported DB Row, Incline Bench Dumbbell Row, Incline Chest-Supported Row, Prone Incline Dumbbell Row · Equipment: dumbbell · Pattern: pull
Step by step
- Set an adjustable bench to an incline of about 30–45° and pick up a dumbbell in each hand.
- Lie face down with your chest and upper stomach on the pad and your chin just clear of the top edge. Plant your feet on the floor or the bench frame.
- Let the dumbbells hang straight down under your shoulders with your palms facing each other and your arms fully straight.
- Pull the dumbbells up and back by driving your elbows towards your hips, keeping your chest on the pad.
- Row until your elbows are just behind your torso, and squeeze your shoulder blades together for a moment.
- Return the dumbbells under control, taking about two seconds, until your arms are straight and you feel a stretch across your upper back.
- After the last rep, set the dumbbells down on the floor beside the bench before you get up.
- Drive your elbows towards your hips
- Chest stays glued to the pad
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together
- Arms fully straight at the bottom
- Shoulders away from your ears
- Two seconds back to straight arms
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Latissimus dorsi | Prime mover | C |
| Trapezius: middle | Prime mover | C |
| Rhomboids | Secondary | C |
| Posterior deltoid | Secondary | C |
| Biceps brachii | Secondary | C |
| Brachialis | Secondary | C |
| Trapezius: lower | Secondary | D |
| Forearm flexors | Stabiliser | D |
| Erector spinae | Stabiliser | C |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Chest lifting off the pad
Fix: Keep your chest in contact with the pad for every rep.
Pulling with the hands
Fix: Let your hands act as hooks and drive your elbows towards your hips.
Shrugging towards the ears
Fix: Keep your shoulders down as you squeeze your shoulder blades together.
Cutting the stretch short
Fix: Let your arms straighten fully and your shoulder blades spread at the bottom.
Bouncing out of the bottom
Fix: Take about two seconds to return the dumbbells, then pull smoothly.
Craning the head up
Fix: Keep your chin just clear of the bench and your neck long.
What the research says
Muscle growth · first choiceRehab & prehab · first choiceGeneral fitness · first choiceEndurance · first choiceStrengthFat loss & conditioning
- Load by goal — Research comparing loads finds maximal strength favours heavier loads, while muscle growth is similar across a wide range of loads when sets are taken close to failure.
- Effort — Studies show sets that finish a few reps short of failure capture most of the growth benefit, and true failure adds only a small extra return. With the chest supported, many lifters find it easier to keep strict form near the end of a set.
- Volume and frequency — Research links more weekly sets for a muscle to more growth, with diminishing returns. Around 10 or more hard sets a week has been associated with more growth than fewer than 5, and training a muscle about twice a week is a common way to spread that volume.
- Rest — In trained lifters, rests of about 3 minutes between sets have produced greater strength and size gains than 1-minute rests, largely because they let each set carry more load.
- Grip and elbow path — Palms facing in with elbows close to your sides, and palms facing back with elbows wider, are both common. No study has compared them for growth in this row.
Swap it mid-workout
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the chest supported dumbbell row in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.