Okay, so today I hit the gym, and I was thinking, “Dumbbell rows or barbell rows?” I’ve been trying to switch things up lately, so I decided to really focus on both and see which one felt better.
Warm-up
First, I did my usual warm-up. A few minutes on the treadmill, you know, get the blood flowing. Then some dynamic stretches – arm circles, leg swings, the whole shebang. Gotta make sure those muscles are ready to go.
Barbell Rows
I started with barbell rows. Loaded up a decent amount of weight – not too heavy, not too light. Just enough to feel the burn, but still maintain good form.
I Grabed the barbell and did these:
- Stance: Feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent.
- Grip: Overhand, a little wider than shoulder-width.
- The Pull: Bent over, back straight, and pulled the bar up towards my lower chest. Squeezed my shoulder blades together at the top.
- The Lower: Controlled it back down, nice and slow.
Did about 3 sets of 8 reps. Felt pretty good, solid engagement in my back. The thing with barbell rows is, you can really load up the weight, which is great for building overall strength.
Dumbbell Rows
Next up, dumbbell rows. I used a flat bench for support.
I Placed one knee and hand on that flat bench, and did these:
- Positioning: One knee and hand on the bench, other foot flat on the floor. Back flat, parallel to the ground.
- The Grab: Picked up a dumbbell with my free hand.
- The Pull: Pulled the dumbbell up towards my chest, keeping my elbow close to my body. Again, really squeezed those back muscles at the top.
- The Lower: Lowered it back down slowly, getting a good stretch at the bottom.
I did 3 sets of 10 reps on each side. Dumbbell rows, I feel like I get a better range of motion, and I can really focus on each side of my back independently. It’s good for addressing any imbalances.
Cool-down
Finished up with some static stretches, holding each one for about 30 seconds. Focused on my back, lats, and shoulders. Gotta help those muscles recover, you know?
Which one is better?
Honestly, I can’t really say which I like “better.” They both felt great and worked different areas. I love the heavy lifting feeling of barbell row, but I also appreciate the range of motion when I am doing dumbbell row.
It is likely that I will continue to use them both regularly.
