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Prone Row Your Way To A Bigger Back
While Improving Your Bench Press!

Everything You Need To Know About The Prone Row

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What Are Prone Rows?

The Prone Row - aka prone db row is a great meat packer for the latissimus dorsi muscles and upper back. As a reliable compound exercise replacement for the Bent Over Row, it's good for preventing the dreaded hunched back, aka 'Dowager's back." Prone Rows are also effective for strengthening muscles that pull the shoulder blades together.

You do this exercise by lying face-down on a flat bench (in the prone position) raised off the floor to give your arms enough room to extend fully without hitting the floor. You can do Prone Rows using a barbell, machine, or a pair of dumbbells.

I'm Psymon H., your online training partner, workout motivator, creator of "Mission Jacked" and the best muscle-building home workout system, "The BIG-Up Training System.” In this exercise tutorial, I will focus on the Prone Dumbbell Row. I'll explain how to perform the db Prone Row and by the end of this tutorial, you'll want to add it to your list of lat dumbbell exercises

How to Do a Prone Row With Dumbbells:

Items Needed: One adjustable flat bench or a flat bench and 2 low platforms or 2 stacks of bumper plates.

The Setup: Place a platform under each end of a flat bench. If you don't have a platform, either use a crate under each end or two stacks of bumper plates instead. The length of your arms will determine the height of the bench station. You must be able to extend your arms at the bottom of the movement.

Prone db row Start Position

Prone db row Finish Position

Proper Technique for Dumbbell Prone Rows:

Cue 1: Lay face down on a raised flat bench, in a fully prone position, or with your thighs pulled back and out of the way. Have two dumbbells placed length wards on the floor directly in line with your lower chest.

Cue 2: Pick up the dumbbells with a neutral grip.

Cue 3: With dumbbells in hand and chest firmly on the bench, retract your shoulder blades by pulling them down and back. This will put you in an altogether stronger position while activating your lat muscles.

Cue 4: Tense your core before rowing the dumbbells in towards your hip area.

Cue 5: Briefly hold this top position before slowly lowering the dumbbells back to the start position.

Cue 6: Repeat for the desired amount of repetitions.

The difficulty with the Prone Row is that the downward force of the dumbbells will glue you to the bench and won't allow for extra torso movement. As the leg muscles and lower back are taken away with this row, it could directly impact the amount of weight you use compared to other row exercises.

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The Dead-stop Prone db Row:

Let's Take The Prone Dumbbell Row - aka prone db row to An Advanced Level By Adding A Dead stop Element:

Prone db row Start Position

By adding a dead-stop element to this movement, you not only make the exercise harder by removing all momentum, but you put more stress on the muscles in question.

Items Needed: one flat bench, two low platforms or stacks of bumper plates and a pair of dumbbells.

Prone db row Finish Position

The prone db row Setup: Place a platform under each end of a flat bench. If you don't have a platform you can use two crates or a couple of stacks of bumper plates instead. You may need to lower your bench to a level where you can grip the dumbbells with extended arms while they are on the floor. Have the dumbbells length wards on the floor on either side of the bench.

Cue 1: Lie face down on the bench with the dumbbells directly underneath you in line with your lower chest.

Cue 2: Using a neutral grip, wrap your fingers around the handles of the dumbbells without lifting them off the floor.

Cue 3: Retract your shoulder blades by pulling them down and back and tense your core.

Cue 4: Without lifting your chest off the bench row the dumbbells in towards your hip area.

Cue 5: Briefly hold the top position while squeezing your back muscles.

Cue 6: Slowly lower the dumbbells to the floor without banging or dropping them. This part of the exercise (the eccentric portion) should take 3-5 seconds to complete.

Cue 7: Repeat for the desired amount of repetitions.

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db Prone Row Muscles Worked

Prone db row Muscles Worked

Prone db row work the muscles of the upper back including...

Mid and lower Trapezius

Rear Delts

Latissimus Dorsi muscle

Rhomboid minor

Rhomboid major

Teres Minor

Teres major

Biceps

Forearms

We call it shoulder extension when you draw the dumbbells level with your ribcage because the upper end of the arm bone crosses the shoulder joint. As you retract your shoulders at the beginning of the exercise, the rhomboid minor, rhomboid major, and the middle fibers of the trapezius muscle make it happen.

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db Prone Row Hand Grip:
Does Different Grips Target Different Areas of The Back?

Prone db row Hand Grip

The short answer to this question is “Yes.” You can use different hand grips and arm positions depending on the area of the back you wish to target. If you place your elbows out wide and away from your body while using an overhand grip (pronated grip), you will target more of the upper back muscles and rear delts.

When you employ an underhand grip and keep your elbows close to your body, you will typically target the middle and lower trap muscles as well as the lower outer lat muscles. A neutral grip is best if you suffer from elbow pain.

Use The Prone Row To Improve Your Bench Press:

Every muscle you use and every exercise you do has its antagonist. Similar to the biceps and Triceps, the back's antagonistic muscle group is the chest. If you want to improve your bench, first improve your prone rows.

While the bench press stimulates the chest, triceps, and shoulders, prone rows work the upper back and activate the mid and upper traps, rear deltoids, and much smaller, stabilizing muscles.

While you're not actively pressing the weight on the bench with your back muscles, they require strength to keep you stable on the bench. If you have no stability, you will lack in bench press technique and overall strength.