Renegade Row

Learn renegade row form and setup, keep the hips square while rowing from a plank, and choose sets, reps, and dumbbell load that match your anti-rotation control.

Quick answer: Hold a plank with your hands on two dumbbells, brace your core to keep your hips square, and row one dumbbell to your ribs at a time without letting your torso rotate.

Two hex or flat-topped dumbbells and floor space intermediate Upper Back, Lats, Core, Shoulders

How to Do It

  1. Place two dumbbells on the floor slightly wider than shoulder width and set up in a high plank with a hand on each dumbbell.
  2. Set your feet wide enough to create a stable base, and brace your core so your hips stay square to the floor.
  3. Row one dumbbell toward your ribs by driving the elbow up and back, without letting that side of the torso rotate up.
  4. Lower the dumbbell under control and place it back down, then repeat on the other side.
  5. Keep the plank position rigid throughout, resetting your brace between reps if needed.

Technique

  1. Choose dumbbells you can row with minimal hip rotation; the plank stability requirement matters more than the load moved.
  2. Set the feet wide enough for a stable base without removing the anti-rotation challenge that defines the exercise.
  3. Keep the head in line with the spine and avoid craning to watch the moving dumbbell.

Key Cues

  • Hips stay square to the floor.
  • Row with the elbow, not the shoulder.
  • If the torso rotates, reduce the load or widen the stance.

Common Mistakes

  • Letting the hips rotate toward the working arm as it rows.
  • Widening the feet so far that the exercise becomes an easy floor row instead of a stability challenge.
  • Using dumbbells that are too heavy to control, which forces rotation to complete the rep.
  • Sagging the hips toward the floor during the plank hold.

The renegade row combines a horizontal dumbbell row with a plank hold, requiring the trunk to resist rotation while one arm rows and the other supports the body. It trains the back and core together rather than isolating either one.

Compare this guide with the inverted row if you want a horizontal pull without the added plank-stability demand, or the dumbbell row for a bench-supported single-arm option. For broader programming context, see the pull movement pattern and upper-back hub.

Setup and Base Position

Place two dumbbells on the floor slightly wider than shoulder width, ideally with a flat top or hex shape that will not roll. Set up in a high plank with one hand on each dumbbell, arms extended and shoulders stacked over the wrists. Walk the feet back to a distance that lets you hold a straight line from ankles to shoulders.

Foot width is the main variable that controls difficulty. A wider stance creates a more stable base and reduces the anti-rotation demand, which is a reasonable starting point. A narrower stance increases the stability challenge and should only be used once the wider version is well controlled.

How to Do the Renegade Row

Brace your core and glutes before the first rep, as though preparing to hold a plank while someone tries to roll you over. Row one dumbbell toward your ribs by driving the elbow up and back, keeping the resting hand pressed firmly into the other dumbbell for support.

The key checkpoint is the hips: they should stay square to the floor throughout the row, not rotate up toward the working side. If the hips twist to help complete the rep, the load is too heavy for the current stability level, or the stance needs to widen. Lower the dumbbell under control, replace it on the floor, and reset the brace before rowing the other side.

Muscles Worked and Programming

The lats and upper back drive the rowing arm, while the shoulders and triceps support the plank position on the resting arm. The obliques, rectus abdominis, and deep trunk stabilizers work isometrically throughout the set to resist rotation, making the renegade row a combined pulling and anti-rotation core exercise.

For general strength and stability work, use three to four sets of five to eight controlled reps per side, choosing a load that allows every rep to finish without hip rotation. Progress the exercise by narrowing the stance or elevating the feet before increasing dumbbell weight, since stability control is the primary limiting factor rather than raw pulling strength.

The inverted row trains a related horizontal-pull pattern without the plank-stability component, which is useful when isolating the back is the priority. The chest-supported dumbbell row removes the core-stability demand entirely for lifters who want to focus purely on the pull.

Stop the exercise if it produces sharp or unusual pain, and seek qualified advice for persistent symptoms or a diagnosed condition. This guide explains exercise technique and loading choices; it does not diagnose or treat an injury.

Regressions

  • Renegade row from the knees: Drop to a kneeling plank position to reduce the lever length and stability demand while learning the anti-rotation pattern.
  • Dumbbell row: Use a bench-supported single-arm row when the combined plank-and-row demand is currently too difficult to control.

Progressions

  • Feet-elevated renegade row: Raise the feet onto a low box once the standard plank position is stable, increasing the anti-rotation and shoulder-stability demand.

Alternatives

  • Inverted row: Choose the inverted row when you want a straight-body horizontal pull without the added push-up-plank stability component.
  • Chest-supported dumbbell row: Use a bench-supported row when you want to isolate the pulling muscles without a core-stability demand.
  • Plank: Build baseline anti-rotation and anti-extension core control before adding the rowing component.

References

  1. National Strength and Conditioning Association. Anaerobic and Muscle Endurance Development: Lifting Guidelines. National Strength and Conditioning Association (2017)Back to claim
  2. Brad S Currier, Alysha C D'Souza, Maria A Fiatarone Singh, Caroline V Lowisz, Eric S Rawson, Brad J Schoenfeld, Abbie E Smith-Ryan, Jeremy P Steen, Gwendolyn A Thomas, N Travis Triplett, Tyrone A Washington, Timothy J Werner, Stuart M Phillips. American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical Performance in Healthy Adults: An Overview of Reviews. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (2026)Back to claim
  3. Deborah Riebe, Barry A Franklin, Paul D Thompson, Carol E Garber, George P Whitfield, Melissa Magal, Linda S Pescatello. Updating ACSM's Recommendations for Exercise Preparticipation Health Screening. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (2015)Back to claim

See our exercise methodology for how this evidence is applied and its limits.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does the renegade row work?
The renegade row trains the upper back and lats through the rowing motion, while the core, obliques, and shoulders work isometrically to resist rotation and keep the plank position stable.
How heavy should renegade row dumbbells be?
Choose a load light enough that you can row each side without the hips or shoulders rotating. The exercise trains anti-rotation control as much as pulling strength, so a lighter, well-controlled load is more useful than a heavier one that forces the torso to twist.
Is the renegade row a core exercise or a back exercise?
Both. The rowing arm trains the upper back and lats, while the supporting arm and trunk work isometrically as an anti-rotation core exercise, similar to a plank with an added row.
What is a good renegade row alternative?
The inverted row trains a similar horizontal-pull pattern without the plank-stability demand, while the chest-supported dumbbell row isolates the back muscles when core fatigue, rather than back strength, is the limiting factor.