Horizontal pull exercise
Chest-Supported Row
Build upper-back strength with the spine completely unloaded.
- Equipment
- Dumbbells, incline bench
- Sides
- Both sides together
- Positions
- All positions
- Tempo
- 30X1
Setup
Incline bench set to around 45 degrees, chest on the pad, dumbbells or a barbell hanging below.
How to do it
- Keep your chest on the pad for every single rep - that contact is what removes the spinal load and makes this different from a barbell row.
- Pull to your ribs, squeeze briefly, then control the weight down.
- Do 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps.
Coaching cues
- Chest stays on the pad, always
- Pull to the ribs, squeeze, control down
- No lower-back involvement at all
Common mistakes
- Lifting the chest off the pad to cheat the last reps
- Using momentum rather than pulling
Sets and reps by goal
| Goal | Load | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | Heavy dumbbells | 3 to 4 | 6 to 8 | 2 min |
| Size | Moderate dumbbells | 3 to 4 | 10 to 15 | 90 sec |
Tempo 30X1: Take 3 seconds to lower it, no pause, lift it as fast as you can, hold for 1 second at the end of the lift.
Related exercises
- Seated Cable RowAdd safe, high-volume horizontal pulling.
- Barbell RowBuild upper-back and pulling strength to balance heavy pressing.
- Single-Arm Dumbbell RowAdd upper-back pulling volume without loading the spine.
- Bench PressBuild maximal upper-body pressing strength.
- Incline Bench PressBuild pressing strength and shoulder-girdle mass at an upward angle.
- Dumbbell Bench PressBuild pressing strength with more range and less shoulder stress than a barbell.