The Two Important Motions:
If someone is looking to enhance their back workouts, the single arm, or one-arm dumbbell row is a great exercise. When an athlete is looking to enhance the size of their back, they generally need two types of movements, either pulling or rowing.
Pulling can include motions such as a pull-ups or lateral pulldowns. A row is where you pull against resistance from a certain position in front of your body into your torso. Besides the dumbbell row, some other rowing exercises include a standing barbell row. It is beneficial to incorporate both motions in your routine.
Demonstration of the Single Arm Dumbbell Row:
Before we get into more detail on the benefits of the dumbbell row, check out our trainer tip which demonstrates how to perform the exercise.
The Exercise Explained:
By watching the above video, the position of the person performing the exercise is important. Our trainer, John, stressed how there needs to be bend at the hips while one knee and the same side hand lie on a flat surface. As this happens, the spine remains in a neutral position, which can be accomplished by sticking the chest out.
When in the right position, the weight gets pulled toward the hip. As this happens, the arm gets bent and the shoulder pulled upward. At the peak of the exercise, the elbow is pointed to the sky and the shoulder blades are squeezed.
Other Considerations:
It is common for the shoulder to fall out of alignment. Allow your shoulder to go back on the ascent and down on the descent. Also, the elbow should star inside of a 90 degree angle as the dumbbell gets raised. As the dumbbell goes up and down from the hip, there should always be full contraction of the weight.