Are you ready to learn a new exercise and add it to your 7-days a week workout schedule. This underhand dumbbell row targets a variety of muscle groups in your body, specifically your biceps. It will give you a lot of benefits and is easy to perform.
You will find everything about the underhand dumbbell row below.
Let’s dive right in!
What is the Underhand Dumbbell Row?
The underhand dumbbell row is a slightly advanced variation of the dumbbell row; it involves bending over a little bit and rowing the dumbbells using an underhand grip.
This activates a lot of your muscle areas; your back muscles, biceps, triceps and much more.
The underhand dumbbell row is a workout used to help increase the definition and focus on contracting the middle muscles of your back and can also hit the upper or lower lats if done at a particular angle without losing your form.
How To Do the Underhand Dumbbell Row?
To do the underhand dumbbell row, you will of course need dumbbells. If you are unsure which one to add to your home gym setup, here are some insights on the best places to buy dumbbells.
Here is how to do this exercise:
Step 1: Simply lean forward a little bit ( about 45 degrees) while standing, hold both the dumbbells at your knee level using an underhand grip, and row the dumbbells, just like in the example video below.
Step 2: Make sure that you keep your back and shoulders in the same position as in the video, this is important to work all the muscles correctly.
To take the full benefit of this exercise you should complete it in 3-4 sets, each with 10-12 reps. This means you should row the dumbbells 10-12 times and then rest for about 45 seconds and then row it again 10-12 times and so on totaling 3 or 4 times.
Tip: Men can start this workout using 20-25 lbs. of weights. While women can choose dumbbells around 17 lbs and start with single set training as beginners.
Even as a seasoned gym rat, you can consider trying 1 set to failure by increasing the reps. However, while this can help shock your muscles and help a big deal as far as muscle growth, you still need to do it with moderation…
…Start off by doing sets to failure three times a week or every other day. Hitting failure when working out 6 days a week, for instance, might do you more harm than good.
Space it out to allow ample time for muscle recovery.
Personally, I throw a bit of using Theragun before or after my workout sessions, especially when I’m doing this alongside a combination of other arm workouts like chest press, bench press, hammer strength chest press, dumbbell pullover, etc.
But this is optional. I just find it to help ease the soreness and shorten the recovery time. You don’t have to use Theragun particularly either, I have also tried Medmassager and the Vybes Percussion massager and both are great too.
Just go with what works best for your needs.
Benefits of Doing the Underhand Dumbbell Row Exercise
Doing any kind of exercise is a benefit; moving your body helps with blood circulation, blood pressure and much more, on top of that you brush off the laziness that comes with sitting around doing nothing.
This benefit is compounded when the exercise is easy to perform like doing the underhand dumbbell row exercise.
This exercise will improve the strength of your back, and your arms, including your biceps and shoulders. If you have an ordinary job, chances are you sit at your desk all day long and don’t move that much.
This is a great exercise to help you get out the energy that you need.
A simple 5-10 minute workout routine will go a long way in combating the negative effects that come with a modern way of living.
The good news is that you can do this workout with cheap dumbbells in the comfort of your basement gym.
If you get bored with this one workout, you can always spruce things up with other dumbbell workouts for the arms, like the rear delt fly, seated tricep press, or even the dumbbell floor press.
With these and the ones we’ve mentioned above, you will hardly ever run out of options.
Doing the underhand dumbbell row exercise will help greatly with that. You will move your body, exercise your muscles, be active, and all in the span of 10-15 minutes.
Underhand Dumbbell Row Alternative Exercises
There are of course other variations of this exercise, in fact, the underhand dumbbell row exercise is itself a variation of the dumbbell row. The dumbbell row includes a variety of other exercises that target various areas of the body and that can be performed more easily than other exercises, examples are:
1. Dumbbell Bent Over Row
This alternative exercise is very similar to the underhand dumbbell row exercise. The difference is you hold them with a neutral grip rather than an underhand grip like shown here
This exercise targets your back and arms and shoulders just as the underhand exercise did, ideally you want to do this exercise in 3-4 sets with 8-10 reps each.
2. Seated Row with Dumbbells
Another alternative exercise is the seated dumbbell row. This exercise is very similar to the rear delt row.
You are bent over at a less downward angle here; start the exercise by sitting on an edge where you can hold the dumbbells with a neutral grip to your sides.
Lean forward towards your hips and move the dumbbells to the level of your abs and then towards the ground and then back you the level of your abs, like this:
This exercise targets the upper back, shoulders, and building core strength. And ideally, you would want to do it in 3-4 sets each with 8-12 reps.
3. One Arm Dumbbell Row
And finally, this alternative exercise will help you a lot with your arms. It allows you to focus on one arm dumbbell rows. This exercise is performed by placing yourself on a bench in the following manner; put your leg on top of the bench and also put your arm on the bench as shown here.
And using your other arm pull the dumbbell up and down as shown.
Be careful not to move your back, resting arm, or leg while doing the exercise, and stay stationary.
You would want to do this exercise in 3-4 sets, each with 6-8 reps for both arms.
Finally, you’re done with the underhand dumbbell row and you own a set of dumbbells, you don’t have to worry about what muscle group to work after chest day, or leg day for instance.
Any of these exercises should help keep you fit, build some of the most used arm muscles, and flow over to other parts like shoulders, core, chest and back, too.
Related Readings;
- Is It Ok to Work Arms After Chest Day?
- Cable Crunches How To Guide
- Underhand Front Raise
- Standing Oblique Crunches
- Reverse Curls vs. Hammer Curls vs. Regular Curls
- Do Pull Ups Work Abs?
Ben Mayz
Hi there! I'm Ben, main author and chief editor at Fitlifefanatics.com. I have been obsessed with Strength Training and Fitness for 18 years now.
My passion for living a happy fit lifestyle is what made me realize that fitness is what I wanted for my future.
I went on to earn my Masters in Sports Training & Biomechanics.
My passion for Strength training & fitness and my love of helping others is what made me start Fitlifefanatics.
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