What equipment do you need for the dumbbell chest supported row?

You need dumbbell and incline bench to do the dumbbell chest supported row.

What is a good dumbbell chest supported row?

For men, a good dumbbell chest supported row is about a 102.5 lb estimated one-rep max, the Gold (intermediate) standard in Kovo. Beginners start near 40 lb and elite lifters pass 182.5 lb. For women, the standards run from about 20 lb to 92.5 lb. The tier table above lists every rank from Bronze to Champion.

Back · Dumbbell

Dumbbell Chest Supported Row

How to do the dumbbell chest supported row, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.

Equipment: Dumbbell
Difficulty: Intermediate
Logged as: Weighted reps
Movement: Horizontal Row
Mechanic: Compound

Find more:Back exercises Dumbbell exercises

How to do it

Lie face down on an incline bench with dumbbells hanging beneath your shoulders. Row the dumbbells toward your hips, squeezing your shoulder blades, then lower with control.

1Feel your mid-back and lats working as you row from a supported position
2Keep your chest glued to the bench and squeeze at the top
3Maintain a neutral wrist and steady tempo

Common mistakes

Avoid pulling with just your biceps or shrugging your shoulders
Do not lift your chest off the bench to gain momentum
Avoid swinging the dumbbells

Muscles worked

The dumbbell chest supported row mainly works the lats and mid traps, with the biceps, forearms, and rear delts assisting.

LatsPrimary
Mid TrapsPrimary
BicepsSupport
ForearmsSupport
Rear DeltsSupport
Upper TrapsMinor
Lower TrapsMinor
Upper AbsMinor

Dumbbell Chest Supported Row strength standards

See how your dumbbell chest supported row ranks, from Bronze to Champion. These are the same standards the Kovo app uses to rank your lifts.

Bronzee1RM40 lb
Silvere1RM67.5 lb
Golde1RM102.5 lb
Platinume1RM140 lb
Diamonde1RM162.5 lb
Champione1RM182.5 lb

Find your rank

Enter your best set. We estimate your 1RM and match it to a tier.

Weight (lb)Reps

Kovo tracks this rank automatically as you train, across every lift, and levels you up as you get stronger.

Kovo programs the dumbbell chest supported row for you and tracks it every session.

We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.

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More back exercises

See all back exercises →

Last reviewed April 2026.