One Arm Dumbbell Rows

One arm dumbbell rows are back exercises that help emphasize on your biceps, the upper back, the trap muscles as well as your abdominal muscles. Most people prefer doing the one arm row exercise either with both their knees resting on the floor or while using a flat bench. Knowing the right technique is a must for all those who wish to reap the benefits of proper exercising. If you go ahead and do the exercise without any prior guidance or experience, the chances of you doing the exercises incorrectly may increase, and so shall the possibilities of getting injured in the process.

One Arm Dumbbell Row Technique

In this case we shall opt for the flat bench for this weight training exercise. Here are the steps you'll need to take so as to initiate the workout:

You will firstly need to place your left knee on the flat bench along with your left hand. Place your knee at the end or edge of the bench, while having adequate space to accommodate your shin.

Ensure that you do not bend your back, at any point of time while doing the one arm rows.

Your right leg should be set straight in an inclined position and must remain steady or firm. You must not attempt to bend your knee because that would completely defeat the purpose of this exercise. A fixed knee allows the back to feel the focus of the exercise.

The next step is to lean forward, above the bench, in such a way that your back remains parallel to the floor. Keep your back straight and your shoulders flat.

Remember to tighten up your stomach to as much as you can, while being comfortable and able to breathe freely.

Now grab hold of your dumbbell, pick up a weight that you are the most comfortable with. Pick the dumbbell with your free hand (that being the right one in this case).

Hold the dumbbell with your palm facing inwards, towards your body.

Now, lift the dumbbell up and down in an inclined (arc) manner, in such a way that your elbow is placed next to your ribcage. Much like how you start a lawn mover, or similar to how the old generators and speed boats needed revving up.

Resume from the beginning after you have demarcated your sets clearly. Do not do this exercise for more than 45 minutes at a stretch.

Switch to your right knee, and lift the weight with your left hand and repeat this exercise. Do a set of 5-10 rows, and switch positions again.

Benefits

The benefits of this simple exercise, are rather remarkable as they help attain the classic V-shaped torso. This exercise focuses on the 'Latissimus dorsi' which runs along the entire sides of the torso from beneath the arms. This sharpens the muscles size as well as strengthens them and is an excellent back exercises for mass. The trapezius, rhomboids, and the posterior deltoids are also evenly focused upon, thereby strengthening the entire torso, back, and the shoulders. Not only that, the muscles on the legs also get their fare share of workout and exertion. What makes this exercise even better is that it is fairly simple to perform once you have got a grip of the basic technique.

Some Dos and Don'ts

Most people often end up performing this exercise in the wrong way, which can cause severe damage to your back muscles. Here are some tips which must be followed while doing this exercise:

Never slouch your back, and always try to keep your back straight and flat. This rule applies to almost all back exercise with dumbbells. If you hunch or stand incorrectly, the spine will end up absorbing more than the required amount of load, which is definitely not good news.

While you exercise, look forward, with your chin parallel to the floor. Do not look down as that may spoil your posture and hurt your neck.

Do not try to jerk up the dumbbell with excess force or too much momentum. Instead, let it rise and then fall towards your thighs from the ground up.

Always hold the dumbbell with a firm grip, if you do not you will not be able to focus and your body reflexes will be concentrating on how to avert the fall.

One arm rows using weights, are very easy exercises and are beneficial for toning up the entire upper body and the excess flab on the abdominal area. The midriff becomes stronger as well and so do the arms. Divide the sets between the two arms so that they get exercised uniformly.