How To Do a Chest-Supported Row? What Do You Need To Know About It?

A chest-supported row is a traditional option when trying to develop a strong back. It is one of the most favored exercises as it belongs to a group of low-risk, high-reward workouts.

For longevity in the gym, you may want to opt for those exercises that have lower incidence of risk. You won't injure yourself and need to take time off if you routinely perform low-risk movements. Similar to the bent-over barbell row, the chest-supported row exercise enables you to focus on exercising the great majority of upper-body muscles on the posterior side.

Correct Technique To Do a Chest-Supported Row

The supported row is most frequently used in specific exercise routines that call for significant neuromuscular adaptation and hypertrophy muscle growth in the back muscles. Due to the variety of muscles it activates, it is regarded as a compound movement type exercise.

Chest row is performed on the incline bench. (Image via Unsplash/ Samuel Girven)

It is the sort of row where your chest is supported on a bench, as the name would imply. You can avoid using your back to support the exercise by leaning into a bench with just your upper torso.

Here’s how to perform the chest-supported dumbbell row properly:

Put up a bench with an angle. Aim to maintain an angle between 30 and 45 degrees.
Lay on your torso and chest on it while keeping your feet flat on the ground to maintain a straight body.
With your arms extended straight down towards the floor, hold a dumbbell in each hand.
Raise the dumbbells until your arms are 90 degrees apart.
When you reach the top, pause and tense your shoulder blades.
Slowly return to the starting position by lowering yourself back down.
Aim for 3 sets of 5-8 reps using heavy weights to help develop strength.

Muscles Worked by Chest-Supported Row

The fact that chest-supported rows will work every single back muscle is one of their many advantages. You'll also get a terrific bicep muscle pump because rowing requires arm flexion.

While all the muscles will be affected, you can change the activation of those muscles by varying the width of your grip and the force's angle by utilizing alternative hand grips.

Variations of Chest-Supported Row

Once you get hold of the dumbbell chest-supported row, you can take your workout to a higher level and try these variations:

1) Chest-Supported T-Bar Row

This exercise permits you to focus on training the majority of the upper body muscles that are on the backside.

Because the chest is supported by the bench and one end of the bar pivots to a fixed spot on the floor, this variation requires less work to stabilize the body position during the row.

Chest supported t-bar row helps in getting tapered back. (Image via Unsplash/ Anastase Maragos)

Here’s how to perform a chest-supported T-bar row:

Your feet should be on the platform, and your chest and stomach should be on the angled pad.
The chest support pad on the T-bar row machine should be pushed against your entire sternum in a comfortable posture where your knees are slightly bent.
Start with your arms extended in front of you, grab the bar with a shoulder-width hold, and unrack it.
Squeeze your scapula together and drag your elbows towards your back while holding the bar in either a T-bar row grip or by the barbell itself.
Throughout this workout, make sure your back is absolutely stable and straight.
Straighten your elbows and allow your shoulder blades to move forward as you slowly bring the resistance back to the beginning position.
Don't let your shoulders drop and allow the weight to return to the ground. Throughout, keep it under control.

2) Flat Bench Row

This variation can be done on a regular bench, bench atop boxes, or an elevated bench.

Here’s how to perform the flat bench row:

Lay flat on a rowing bench while holding the bar with your hands facing your feet and a grip that is just broader than shoulder-width.
When the barbell reaches the underside of the bench, pull it towards your upper body.
Then turn the motion around and return to the beginning position.

Chest-supported rows are the way to go if you want to develop your entire back with an activity that emphasizes proper form and is suitable for lifters of all experience levels.