Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Row With Palms In

What it is

This exercise strengthens your entire back, particularly targeting your middle back muscles. You perform it by hinging at your hips with dumbbells in hand, then pulling them towards your torso. It also engages your biceps and latissimus dorsi as secondary muscles.

Technique tips

• Maintain a straight, stable back throughout the entire movement.
• Keep your head in a neutral position, avoiding neck strain.
• Pull the dumbbells by squeezing your shoulder blades together.
• Exhale as you pull up, and inhale slowly on the way down.
• Avoid using momentum; keep your torso stationary during the pull.
• Control the weight on the eccentric portion of the lift.

How to track your progress

Log the weight and reps of each set. Straddly turns every set into an estimated one-rep max, so a heavier single and a strong set of eight both count as progress, and it flags a personal record the moment you beat your best.