Exercise
Renegade Row
The Renegade Row is a challenging full-body exercise that builds back strength while improving core stability and balance.
Renegade Row
The Renegade Row combines a plank position with alternating dumbbell rows, making it a powerful exercise for developing upper-body strength and core control at the same time. By pulling one dumbbell at a time while stabilizing your body, you challenge your back, arms, shoulders, and core with every repetition.
What sets the Renegade Row apart is the demand it places on stability. Your core and hips must stay steady to prevent rotation, which helps improve balance, coordination, and overall body control. This makes the exercise especially effective for athletes and anyone looking to build strength that carries over to real-world movement and sports performance.
Commonly used in strength training, HIIT, and functional workouts, the Renegade Row can be adjusted by changing weight, stance width, or tempo. When performed with control and proper form, it delivers an efficient full-body stimulus that supports strength development, posture, and core resilience.
How to Perform the Renegade Row
- Assume a push-up position with feet hip-width apart, placing your hands on two dumbbells positioned directly under your shoulders.
- Engage your core and squeeze your glutes to maintain a straight line from your head to your heels, ensuring your hips don't sag or pike up.
- Shift your weight slightly to your left side while maintaining your plank position, keeping your body as stable as possible throughout the movement.
- Row the right dumbbell up toward your hip, keeping your elbow close to your body and your wrist straight throughout the movement.
- At the top of the movement, squeeze your right shoulder blade toward your spine, maintaining tension in your back muscles.
- Lower the dumbbell back to the floor with control, fully extending your arm without allowing your torso to rotate.
- Shift your weight to the right side and repeat the rowing motion with your left arm, maintaining the same rigid plank position.
- Continue alternating sides for the desired number of repetitions, exhaling as you pull the weight up and inhaling as you lower it down.
Important information
- Keep your hips and shoulders square to the floor throughout the exercise, resisting the urge to rotate your torso as you lift.
- If you feel strain in your lower back, widen your stance or use lighter weights until your core strength improves.
- Focus on pulling with your back muscles rather than your arms by initiating the movement from your shoulder blade.
- Maintain a neutral neck position by looking at a spot on the floor about a foot in front of you rather than looking up or down.
FAQ - Renegade Row
The Renegade Row primarily targets your latissimus dorsi (lats) while significantly engaging your triceps and anterior deltoids. Your core muscles work isometrically throughout the movement as they resist rotation, making this a true full-body compound exercise.
Beginners can perform the exercise with knees on the ground or using elevated handles for stability. To increase difficulty, advanced lifters can add weight, increase time under tension, or elevate feet on an unstable surface like a BOSU ball.
The three most common errors are rotating the hips during the row, allowing the lower back to sag, and using momentum instead of controlled pulling. Focus on keeping your body parallel to the floor with hips square throughout the entire movement.
For optimal results, incorporate Renegade Rows 1-2 times weekly, typically on upper body or full-body training days. Allow 48-72 hours between sessions that include this exercise to ensure proper recovery of the working muscles.
While Renegade Rows can strengthen core stabilizers that support the lower back, those with existing back conditions should start with modified versions and focus on perfect form. Consider consulting a physical therapist before adding this exercise if you have chronic back pain or injuries.
Renegade Row
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