Chest Supported Dumbbell Row

A step-by-step form guide from the Ægir Iron exercise library: how to do the lift, what to watch for, and the muscles it trains.

HOW TO PERFORM

Set an adjustable bench to a 30 to 45 degree angle.
Lie face down with the chest supported and the chin just above the top of the pad. You can also slide up the bench so more of you is off it.
Plant the feet firmly on the floor, on a bumper plate if they do not reach.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip, palms facing each other.
Drive the elbows back toward the pockets, squeezing the shoulder blades together at the top.
Lower the weights slowly and under control back to the start.

Rowing to the hip rather than to the armpit is what keeps it on the lats. High and wide turns it into an upper-back row, which is fine but is a different exercise.
The torso stays still. If the shoulders are twisting up to help the weight, it is heavier than the back can row on its own.
With the chest supported there is no way to cheat with the hips, which is the point: it is the strictest row there is and the weight will be lighter than a bent-over row.

This guide covers these exercises in the Ægir Iron library:

Log it in Ægir Iron to track your PRs and estimated 1RM, and to see the sets each muscle gets every week. Free for individual lifters.