Single-Arm Kettlebell Row
Trains the Rhomboids and Middle Trapezius.
- Equipment
- Kettlebells and either a flat bench or an adjustable bench
- Mechanic
- Compound
- Force
- Pull
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
- Set a kettlebell on the floor beside a bench.
- Put one hand and the same-side knee on the bench, with the other foot on the floor.
- Take the kettlebell in the free hand and let it hang at arm's length.
- Set your back flat and your shoulders level with each other.
- Pull the kettlebell to your ribs, driving the elbow back and letting the shoulder blade travel with it.
- Lower under control until the arm is straight and the shoulder blade has reached forward again.
Common mistakes
- Rotating the torso to lift the bell higher. The shoulders stay level; turning the trunk adds height that comes from the spine and takes the shoulder blade out of the movement.
- Pulling the elbow out to the side. To the ribs and back along the body is the path; out to the side turns it into a rear delt row at a weight chosen for a lat.
- Letting the bell swing at the bottom. A kettlebell hangs below the hand rather than in it, which makes a swing easier to start and harder to stop than with a dumbbell.
- Bracing on a locked supporting arm. A soft elbow on the bench keeps the shoulder of the supporting side from taking the whole weight of the torso for the length of the set.