How is this different from a dumbbell row on a bench?

The bench support is the same as in the Dumbbell Single-Arm Bent-Over Row. The difference is the bar: its far end is fixed in the pivot, so the weight follows an arc instead of moving freely, and the thick sleeve asks more of your grip.

Is this the same as a Meadows row?

It borrows the Meadows row's overhand grip on the sleeve and the bar running across your body, but the Meadows row is done standing in a staggered hinge. Kneeling on the bench takes away the lower-back and balance demand, so more of the effort goes into the row itself.

How much weight am I actually lifting?

Less than the bar and plates added together, because the pivot carries part of the bar's weight. The number on the plates does not compare directly with a dumbbell, so track progress by the plates you load on this setup.

Should I use lifting straps?

If your grip gives out on the thick sleeve before your back is tired, straps let you finish the set with the back doing the work. Train grip separately rather than letting it cap the row.

Should the bar finish at my hip or my chest?

Finishing with the hand beside your chest and the elbow above your back spreads the work across the upper back and rear shoulder, while driving the elbow back toward your hip with the upper arm close to your side keeps more of it in the lats. Pick one path and keep it for the whole set.

Landmine Bench-Supported Single-Arm Row

What Is the Landmine Bench-Supported Single-Arm Row?

Landmine Bench-Supported Single-Arm 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 in which you kneel with one knee and one hand on a flat bench and row the loaded end of a barbell, anchored at the floor in a landmine, with your free hand.

The bar runs out from the side of the bench at roughly a right angle to your body, and you hold its thick sleeve at the very end, past the plate. Because the other end is fixed in the pivot, the bar end travels along an arc instead of moving freely the way a dumbbell does, which makes the path easy to repeat from rep to rep. The bench takes part of your weight and holds the torso level, so the lower back is not holding a standing hinge while you pull. That makes it a useful accessory row after a main lift when the goal is back size or one-arm pulling strength without more lower-back fatigue. The overhand grip on the sleeve and the bar crossing your body are the same as in the standing Meadows row; this version swaps the staggered-stance hinge for the bench.

The lats do most of the work, with the rhomboids, trapezius, teres major and rear deltoid drawing the shoulder blade back as the hand rises toward the chest. Driving the elbow back toward the hip keeps more of the load in the lats, while letting it travel up to finish beside the chest spreads it across the upper back and rear shoulder. The thick sleeve also makes the grip and forearms work hard. The standing Landmine Single-Arm Bent-Over Row adds the lower-back and balance demand the bench removes, the Dumbbell Single-Arm Bent-Over Row uses the same bench support with a free weight, and the T-Bar Row loads both arms on a landmine at once.

The supported setup suits beginners learning to row, lifters whose lower back tires in standing rows, and anyone working on a side-to-side difference in pulling strength. If you cannot hold a flat, level back or your grip gives out before your back, use a smaller plate, add lifting straps, or build the pattern first with a light Dumbbell Single-Arm Bent-Over Row.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

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

Instructions

Load a plate on the free end of a barbell set in a landmine, and place a flat bench so the bar runs out from one side of it at roughly a right angle, with the loaded end beside the front of the bench.
Kneel with the knee farther from the bar on the back of the bench, and put the same-side hand flat on the front of the bench under your shoulder, arm straight.
Plant your other foot on the floor beside the front of the bench, knee slightly bent.
Reach down with your free hand and grip the end of the sleeve, outside the plate, with an overhand grip.
Set your back flat and close to parallel with the floor, hips level, and keep your head in line with your spine, eyes on the floor.
Let the bar end hang at arm's length under your shoulder.
Row the bar end up along its arc, driving your elbow up and back until your hand is beside your chest and your elbow is above your back.
Squeeze the shoulder blade toward your spine at the top without turning your chest toward the bar.
Lower the bar end under control until your arm is straight again.
Complete all your reps, then set up on the other side of the bar with the opposite knee and hand on the bench and repeat.

Common Mistakes

Twisting to finish the rep
Turning the chest toward the bar at the top is how a load that is too heavy gets moved, and it rotates the lower back while it is loaded.
Pushing off the bench
Shoving through the supporting hand to help the bar up turns the row into a whole-body heave and hides how much the working side can really pull.
Rowing with the hand
Curling the bar up with the biceps instead of driving the elbow leaves the back muscles doing less of the work.
Losing the flat back
Letting the back round or the hips sag between reps puts the spine in the position the bench is there to keep it out of.
Cutting the bottom short
Stopping before the arm is straight shortens the range the back works through and turns each rep into a partial.
Letting the sleeve slide into the fingers
As the grip tires, the thick sleeve rolls toward the fingertips and the forearm gives out before the back, so keep it deep in the palm or use straps.

Injuries

Landmine Bench-Supported Single-Arm Row is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The bench takes part of your weight and fixes the torso, and the pivot guides the bar along a set path, so the lower back is not holding a loaded hinge the way it is in a standing row.

The lower back is the main strain point when the position breaks down. Letting the back round at the bottom, or letting the working-side hip drop and then twisting up to finish each rep, turns a braced position into a twisted one under load. The front of the shoulder is the other: letting a heavy bar drag the shoulder forward at the bottom and then yanking it back out of that position is what leaves it sore. Keep the hips level, lower under control, and use a load you can row without turning your chest toward the bar. If the supporting wrist aches, rest on a fist or grip the edge of the bench instead of a flat hand.

The thick sleeve tires the grip quickly, and a grip that is slipping invites jerky reps, so use straps or a smaller plate rather than fighting it. Set up so the plate clears the bench and your planted foot as it rises and falls. To make it easier, use a light Dumbbell Single-Arm Bent-Over Row; once you row well here, the standing Landmine Single-Arm Bent-Over Row adds the lower-back and balance work back in. Stop if you feel sharp pain in the lower back or shoulder, or numbness or tingling down the arm.

Overview

Primary Focus: Back
Equipment: Barbell, landmine, and bench
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Beginner

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How is this different from a dumbbell row on a bench?: The bench support is the same as in the Dumbbell Single-Arm Bent-Over Row. The difference is the bar: its far end is fixed in the pivot, so the weight follows an arc instead of moving freely, and the thick sleeve asks more of your grip.
Q: Is this the same as a Meadows row?: It borrows the Meadows row's overhand grip on the sleeve and the bar running across your body, but the Meadows row is done standing in a staggered hinge. Kneeling on the bench takes away the lower-back and balance demand, so more of the effort goes into the row itself.
Q: How much weight am I actually lifting?: Less than the bar and plates added together, because the pivot carries part of the bar's weight. The number on the plates does not compare directly with a dumbbell, so track progress by the plates you load on this setup.
Q: Should I use lifting straps?: If your grip gives out on the thick sleeve before your back is tired, straps let you finish the set with the back doing the work. Train grip separately rather than letting it cap the row.
Q: Should the bar finish at my hip or my chest?: Finishing with the hand beside your chest and the elbow above your back spreads the work across the upper back and rear shoulder, while driving the elbow back toward your hip with the upper arm close to your side keeps more of it in the lats. Pick one path and keep it for the whole set.