Kettlebell Gorilla Row
What Is the Kettlebell Gorilla Row?
Kettlebell Gorilla Row is a compound exercise that primarily targets the back and also engages the rear shoulders, biceps, core and the hip muscles that hold the hinge. It is an intermediate-level movement in which you straddle two kettlebells in a wide, deep hip hinge and row them one at a time, while the other hand keeps hold of its bell on the floor.
The name comes from the position: feet wide, hips back, knees bent and both hands reaching down between the legs. Because the non-working hand presses its bell into the floor, each row is partly supported, and many lifters can handle heavier bells and longer sets than in an unsupported two-arm row. That makes it a practical main or accessory row for building the lats and mid-back with kettlebells, at home or in a gym, and it also trains grip strength and the ability to hold a flat-back hinge under load.
Pulling the elbow back toward the hip keeps the emphasis on the lats, while letting the elbow travel wider and higher shifts more of the work to the upper back and rear shoulders. Working one arm at a time also asks the trunk to stop the torso from twisting toward the rowing side. Compared with the Alternating Kettlebell Bent-Over Row, where both bells stay off the floor, the gorilla row puts the bells back down and gives you a support hand; the Dumbbell Renegade Row moves the same pull into a plank and turns it into more of a core drill. Kettlebells suit the gorilla row because their handles sit high off the floor. Dumbbell handles sit much lower and usually need to be raised on plates or a low step.
The gorilla row suits anyone who already hinges well and wants a heavy, back-friendly row. If holding the hinge is the problem, build it first with the Kettlebell Deadlift and Kettlebell Romanian Deadlift, and learn the pull with a bench-supported Dumbbell Single-Arm Bent-Over Row. Thinking about driving the elbow toward the back pocket, rather than lifting the bell with the hand, helps keep the lats doing the work instead of the arms.
Muscles Worked
- Latissimus Dorsi
- Primary
- Rhomboid Major
- High
- Upper Trapezius
- High
- Biceps Brachii
- Medium
- Brachialis
- Medium
- Deltoid
- Medium
- Erector Spinae
- Medium
- External Oblique
- Medium
- Teres Major
- Medium
Instructions
- Place two kettlebells side by side on the floor and stand over them with your feet wider than shoulder width and your toes turned slightly out, so the bells sit between your feet.
- Push your hips back and bend your knees to hinge forward with a flat back until you can grip both handles with straight arms, palms facing each other.
- Brace your core and press both bells lightly into the floor so your shoulders are set before the first rep.
- Keep one hand pressing its bell into the floor and row the other bell toward your hip, leading with the elbow and keeping it close to your side.
- Stop when your elbow passes your torso and the bell is beside your lower ribs, without shrugging or twisting your chest toward that side.
- Lower the bell under control until it touches the floor and the arm is straight again.
- Press that bell into the floor and row the other bell the same way, then keep alternating sides for the set.
- Hold the same hip hinge and square hips and shoulders on every rep, then set both bells down and stand up by driving your hips forward.
Common Mistakes
Rounding the lower back
Reaching for the handles by curving the spine instead of pushing the hips back and bending the knees puts the load on the lower back.
Rising out of the hinge
Letting the chest climb higher with each rep shortens the row and usually means the bells are too heavy.
Twisting the torso
Rotating the chest open toward the rowing side lets the trunk swing the bell up instead of the back pulling it.
Curling with the arm
Pulling the bell up toward the chest with a bent wrist instead of driving the elbow back toward the hip shifts the work from the lats to the biceps.
Shrugging at the top
Lifting the shoulder toward the ear at the top of the rep takes work off the mid-back and can pinch the front of the shoulder.
Letting the support arm go slack
Resting a loose hand on the grounded bell instead of pressing it into the floor gives up the support that makes this row easier on the back.
Injuries
Kettlebell Gorilla Row is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The lower back takes the most strain, because it has to hold the hinge for the whole set, and it is at risk when the spine rounds to reach the handles or the torso starts rising and twisting as fatigue sets in. Shrugging at the top of each rep can irritate the front of the shoulder, and curling the bell up with the arm loads the biceps and elbow more than the back.
Set the hinge before the first rep and keep it: hips back, knees bent, back flat and core braced. Press the non-working hand firmly into its bell, since that support is what takes pressure off the lower back. Choose bells you can row without your chest climbing or your hips rotating, and lower each bell to the floor under control rather than dropping it.
If you cannot reach the handles without rounding, raise both bells on a low step or a stack of plates so you do not have to hinge as deep. A bench-supported Dumbbell Single-Arm Bent-Over Row or a chest-supported Dumbbell Incline Row removes most of the lower-back demand. Once the gorilla row is solid, progress with heavier bells, a pause at the top or a slower lowering phase.
Stop the set if you feel sharp or worsening pain in the lower back, pain that travels into the buttock or leg, pinching at the front of the shoulder, or numbness or tingling in the arm or hand. If your back fatigues to the point that you can no longer hold a flat hinge, end the set there.
- Primary Focus
- Back
- Equipment
- Kettlebell
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Alternative Exercises
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Why is it called a gorilla row?
The wide stance, deep hip hinge and hands reaching down between the legs to the bells look like a gorilla's posture. The name describes the position, not a special pulling technique.
- Q: How is the gorilla row different from a bent-over row?
In a two-arm Barbell Bent-Over Row you hold the whole load off the floor for the entire set. In the gorilla row you work one arm at a time and the other hand presses its bell into the floor, so the lower back gets support and a short break as each bell touches down.
- Q: Does the gorilla row work your core?
Yes, mainly by making the trunk resist twisting while one arm pulls. A study of resistance-trained men comparing free-weight, cable and machine rows found that rowing one arm at a time activated the external obliques more than rowing with both arms in every version tested.
- Q: Can you do gorilla rows with dumbbells?
Yes, but dumbbell handles sit much closer to the floor than kettlebell handles, so most people have to round their back to reach them. Raise the dumbbells on plates or a low step so you can grip them with a flat back.
- Q: How heavy should the kettlebells be?
Pick a pair you can row for 8 to 12 reps per side without your chest rising or your hips twisting. Your ability to hold the hinge usually limits the load before your pulling strength does.
- Q: Should the kettlebell touch the floor on every rep?
Yes. Setting each bell down softly before switching sides gives the back a full stretch at the bottom and lets you reset your position, but it should be a controlled touch, not a drop.