How is this different from the Dumbbell Single-Arm Bent-Over Row?

The pull is the same, but the Dumbbell Single-Arm Bent-Over Row puts a knee and a hand on a bench, while here you stand and brace one hand on your knee, so your hips, legs and lower back hold the position for the whole set. The kettlebell also hangs below the handle instead of sitting in your hand, so it has to be kept from swinging.

Which leg goes forward?

The leg on the side of your free hand. With the kettlebell in your right hand, step your right foot back and rest your left hand on your bent left knee, which leaves the bell a clear path up past your hip.

Does the single-arm kettlebell row work the core?

Yes, as a secondary job. A study on trained men comparing a free-weight bent-over row, a seated cable row and a machine row found that the two-arm versions produced only about 40% of the external oblique activity of the same rows done one arm at a time. Standing with only a hand on your knee leaves your trunk to resist that twist, but it is still a back exercise first and does not replace core training.

Should the kettlebell touch the floor between reps?

Not in the version shown, where the arm straightens and the bell stops just above the floor so the back stays loaded from rep to rep. Setting it down for a moment each rep is a valid dead-stop variation, as long as your back stays flat while you reach it.

What if the next kettlebell is too big a jump?

Kettlebells usually go up in 4 kg steps, so at the lighter sizes the next bell can be a third heavier. Add reps, add a set, or pause for a second at the top of each rep until every rep of the set is clean, then move up.

Is Kettlebell Single-Arm Bent-Over Row suitable for beginners?

Yes, if you can already hold a flat-back hinge. If your lower back tires before your back muscles do, start with the chest-supported Dumbbell Incline Row and come back to the standing version once the hinge holds.

Kettlebell Single-Arm Bent-Over Row

What Is the Kettlebell Single-Arm Bent-Over Row?

Kettlebell Single-Arm Bent-Over Row is a compound exercise that primarily targets the back and also engages the rear shoulders, biceps and forearms. It is a beginner-level movement done standing in a staggered stance, with the free hand braced on the front knee and the kettlebell rowed from arm's length up to the hip.

The pull itself is the same one described for the Dumbbell Single-Arm Bent-Over Row: the elbow drives back past the ribs and the weight finishes beside the hip. What changes is the setup. With no bench under a knee and a hand, only the hand on the knee takes part of your weight, so the hips, legs and lower back hold the hinge for the whole set, and the trunk has to stop the one-sided load from twisting you toward the bell. That makes it a row you can do anywhere with a single kettlebell, and a natural horizontal pull for home and kettlebell-only training.

The kettlebell also behaves differently from a dumbbell. Its weight hangs below the handle instead of sitting in your hand, so a rushed lowering lets it swing, and keeping it quiet is part of the work for the grip and the shoulder. Kettlebells also usually come in 4 kg steps, and going from a 12 kg to a 16 kg bell is a third more weight, so most people add reps, sets or a pause at the top before they move up a size.

Keeping the elbow close to your side and finishing at the hip keeps the emphasis on the lats, while letting the elbow travel wider toward the lower ribs shifts more of the work to the rear deltoid, rhomboids and middle traps. The exercise suits anyone who can already hold a flat-back hinge. If the lower back tires before the back muscles do, build the hinge with the Kettlebell Deadlift and row with the torso supported, on the Dumbbell Single-Arm Bent-Over Row or the chest-supported Dumbbell Incline Row, until the standing position holds.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Latissimus Dorsi: Primary
Rhomboid Major: High
Teres Major: High
Upper Trapezius: High
Biceps Brachii: Medium
Brachioradialis: Medium
Deltoid: Medium
Erector Spinae: Medium
Lower Trapezius: Medium
External Oblique: Low

Instructions

Set a kettlebell on the floor and stand beside it.
Step the leg on your working side well back, keeping it nearly straight, and bend your front knee.
Hinge forward at the hips with a flat back until your torso is roughly 45 degrees to the floor, and brace your free hand on your front knee.
Take the kettlebell handle in your working hand with your palm facing in.
Let the kettlebell hang at arm's length under your shoulder, with your neck in line with your spine and your hips and shoulders square to the floor.
Pull the kettlebell up toward your hip, leading with the elbow and keeping your upper arm close to your side.
Finish with the bell beside your hip, your elbow back past your torso and your shoulder blade drawn back, without turning your chest toward the bell or shrugging.
Lower the kettlebell under control until your arm is straight again, stopping it under your shoulder so it does not swing.
Complete all your reps, then set the bell down, switch your stance and hands, and repeat on the other side.

Common Mistakes

Twisting to finish the rep
Opening the chest and back hip toward the kettlebell to get it up lets the trunk do the lifting and twists the lower back while it is loaded.
Letting the bell swing
Dropping the kettlebell quickly lets it swing under you, pulls the shoulder forward and turns the next rep into a heave.
Rounding to reach the bell
Letting the lower back round at the bottom puts the spine in a loaded, bent position with only a hand on the knee to hold you up.
Rowing with the arm
Pulling with the hand and biceps instead of driving the elbow back past the ribs leaves the back muscles doing very little of the work.
Shrugging at the top
Hiking the shoulder toward the ear as the bell comes up moves the work into the upper traps and neck instead of drawing the shoulder blade back.
Standing too upright
Hinging only a little so the torso stays close to vertical shortens the row and turns it into something closer to a shrug.

Injuries

Kettlebell Single-Arm Bent-Over Row is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The loads are modest and the kettlebell can be set down at any point in the set, but with only a hand on the knee for support, the lower back holds the hinged position for the whole set, which a bench would otherwise do for it.

The lower back is the main strain point. Rounding at the bottom to let the kettlebell hang lower, or opening the chest and back hip toward the bell to finish a rep that is too heavy, puts the spine under a bend or a twist while it is loaded. The front of the shoulder is the other: letting the bell drop fast and swing drags the shoulder forward and down, and yanking it back out of that position with each rep is what leaves it sore.

Brace the free hand firmly on the front knee, keep the hips and shoulders square to the floor, and lower the kettlebell slowly enough that it stops under your shoulder instead of swinging. Pick the bell up and set it down with a flat-back hinge, not by reaching down with a rounded back. If the lower back gives out before the back muscles do, row with the torso supported on the Dumbbell Single-Arm Bent-Over Row or the Dumbbell Incline Row. To progress, add reps, sets or a one-second pause at the top before moving up to the next bell.

Stop the set straight away if you feel sharp pain in the lower back or the shoulder, or any numbness or tingling running down the arm, and do not train through either.

Overview

Primary Focus: Back
Equipment: Kettlebell
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Beginner

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How is this different from the Dumbbell Single-Arm Bent-Over Row?: The pull is the same, but the Dumbbell Single-Arm Bent-Over Row puts a knee and a hand on a bench, while here you stand and brace one hand on your knee, so your hips, legs and lower back hold the position for the whole set. The kettlebell also hangs below the handle instead of sitting in your hand, so it has to be kept from swinging.
Q: Which leg goes forward?: The leg on the side of your free hand. With the kettlebell in your right hand, step your right foot back and rest your left hand on your bent left knee, which leaves the bell a clear path up past your hip.
Q: Does the single-arm kettlebell row work the core?: Yes, as a secondary job. A study on trained men comparing a free-weight bent-over row, a seated cable row and a machine row found that the two-arm versions produced only about 40% of the external oblique activity of the same rows done one arm at a time. Standing with only a hand on your knee leaves your trunk to resist that twist, but it is still a back exercise first and does not replace core training.
Q: Should the kettlebell touch the floor between reps?: Not in the version shown, where the arm straightens and the bell stops just above the floor so the back stays loaded from rep to rep. Setting it down for a moment each rep is a valid dead-stop variation, as long as your back stays flat while you reach it.
Q: What if the next kettlebell is too big a jump?: Kettlebells usually go up in 4 kg steps, so at the lighter sizes the next bell can be a third heavier. Add reps, add a set, or pause for a second at the top of each rep until every rep of the set is clean, then move up.
Q: Is Kettlebell Single-Arm Bent-Over Row suitable for beginners?: Yes, if you can already hold a flat-back hinge. If your lower back tires before your back muscles do, start with the chest-supported Dumbbell Incline Row and come back to the standing version once the hinge holds.