Upper back exercise
Renegade RowHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Upper back, Abs
- Also works
- Lats, Triceps
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
How do you do the Renegade Row?
- Set up in a high plank on two dumbbells, hands under your shoulders.
- Step your feet wider than your hips and brace your body straight.
- Push into one dumbbell and row the other to your hip.
- Lower it with control and set it down quietly.
- Repeat on the other side; keep alternating.
Cues
- Hips square to the floor.
- Push the floor away with your support arm.
- Elbow to your hip, close to your side.
Common mistakes
- Twisting your hips to lift: widen your feet or use lighter dumbbells.
- Hips sagging: squeeze your glutes and brace your stomach.
- Dropping the dumbbell: lower it all the way under control.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
Two hex dumbbells on the floor about shoulder width apart, handles parallel to the body. High plank on the dumbbells: neutral grip, hands directly under the shoulders, arms straight. Feet wider than the hips (about 50 cm apart), on the balls of the feet. Body one straight line from head to heels, glutes and stomach braced, neck long, gaze at the floor just ahead of the hands.
The movement
The working hand rises in a near-vertical line to the hip. Before each row the body shifts very slightly over the support hand; the hips do not turn or tip. Feet stay planted; the body line holds throughout.
End position
Working dumbbell beside the lower ribs / hip, forearm close to vertical. Elbow tucked close to the side and just above the line of the back: elbow flexion about 90°, upper arm about 25° past the trunk line. Support arm straight, pushing the floor away. Hips and shoulders still square to the floor. Pause 0.3 s.
Tempo
Each side: row 1 s / pause 0.3 s / lower 1.2 s / set down 0.3 s.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell spacing | shoulder width | 0.9–1.1 × | |
| Feet apart | 50 cm | 40–60 cm (wider than the hips) | |
| Hip flexion (sag or pike) | 0° | under 10° either way | |
| Pelvis rotation during a row | 0° | under 10° | |
| Side shift of the pelvis | 2 cm | 0–5 cm | |
| Support elbow | straight | 0–5° | |
| Working elbow out from the side (top view) | 10° | 0–20° | |
| Dumbbell at the top | beside the lower ribs | lower ribs to hip |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Renegade Row is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
