Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Row With Palms In
Also works: Biceps · Lats
The bent-over dumbbell row done with the palms turned to face each other and the intent shifted to squeezing the shoulder blades together. The neutral grip keeps the shoulders in a comfortable position and lets the elbows travel further back, which puts more of the work on the rhomboids and mid-traps than on the lats.
Own the movement
Set up first, then execute. Every cue below is something you can check on your next set.
Before the first rep
- Hold the dumbbells so the handles run front to back, thumbs forward, the same grip you would hold a suitcase with.
- Hinge to roughly parallel and let the dumbbells hang under your shoulders — a centimetre or two outside your thighs, not touching them.
- Before the first rep, pull your shoulder blades apart deliberately so you have somewhere to retract from.
- Aim your elbows at the wall behind you, not at the ceiling. That line is what the neutral grip buys you.
- Brace once and hold it — the trunk angle you start with is the one you finish the set with.
Every rep
Breathing & tempo — Exhale through the pull, inhale on the descent, keeping a light brace throughout. One second up, one second held at the top, two seconds down.
Sets, reps & load
Where to start, and what to change when it stops being hard.
Start with 6-10 kg dumbbells — lighter than you would use for a lat-focused row, because the finishing position is harder to hold. Progress when you can hold a one-second squeeze on every rep of every set. If the squeeze disappears past rep eight, the weight is deciding your technique.
What goes wrong
The errors that show up most often, and the cue that fixes each one.
Drop the weight and start each rep with a deliberate blade squeeze before the elbow bends. Add a one-second hold at the top so you cannot skip it.
Check the handles are still running front to back at the top of every rep. If they rotate, the load has outgrown the position — go lighter and keep the grip honest.
Pause one second at the bottom with arms dead straight and start from a stop. If nothing moves, the weight is too heavy for this variation.
Load it as an accessory. Use 10-15 reps with a controlled squeeze and let the barbell row carry your heavy work.
Why bother
Grip changes where the elbow can go. With the palms facing each other the humerus sits in a naturally externally rotated position, so the elbow can travel back past your ribs without the shoulder pinching. That extra travel is exactly the range in which the shoulder blades retract, which is why this version feels like mid-back work and a pronated row feels like lat work.
Be honest about the size of the difference: it is a grip and a cue, not a different exercise. Both hit the same muscles, and the palms-in version simply nudges the emphasis a few percent toward retraction and away from the lats, while being kinder to cranky shoulders and wrists.
Where it fits
Use it as the mid-back accessory after your heavy pull, three or four sets of 10-15 with a deliberate squeeze. It pairs well with a lat-dominant vertical pull in the same session, since they divide the back between them rather than duplicating it. Two sessions a week is plenty.
If this one isn't it
No kit, too hard, or too easy — here's where to go instead.
Same job, different kit
Start here instead
When this gets easy
Asked and answered
Is a neutral grip better if my shoulder hurts on rows?
Usually, yes. Pronating the hand internally rotates the humerus, and an internally rotated shoulder rowing under load is where impingement complaints tend to show up. Neutral leaves the joint in a more open position and lets the elbow pass your ribs without the pinch. If it still hurts with palms in, the problem is the bent-over position or the load, not the grip, and you should move to a chest-supported row.
Does the neutral grip work the biceps less?
No — it works them differently. A neutral grip recruits the brachialis and brachioradialis more than the biceps brachii, so the arms still contribute. If you want the arms out of a row entirely, that is not achievable; the best you can do is lead with the elbows rather than the hands.
Should I use this or a cable row for mid-back work?
A cable row holds tension at the fully contracted position better, because the resistance keeps pulling forward when the dumbbells stop resisting near your ribs. If you have a cable stack, use it for retraction work. If you have dumbbells and a floor, this does the job.
How wide should my elbows be?
Around 30-45 degrees from the torso. Tighter turns it into a lat row; wider than 60 degrees and you are doing a bent-over rear-delt row with the shoulder blades along for the ride. Aim the elbow at a point just behind your hip.