Is this the same as a Meadows row?

No. A Meadows row is done standing perpendicular to the bar in a staggered stance with an overhand grip on the sleeve, and the elbow flares out more, which shifts extra work to the upper back and rear deltoids. Here you stand square with the bar running alongside your body and drive the elbow toward your hip, which keeps the lats as the main mover.

How much of the weight am I actually lifting?

Less than the total weight of the bar and plates, because the anchored end carries part of it. That makes landmine loads hard to compare with dumbbell rows, so track progress by the plates you add on this exercise rather than matching numbers from other rows.

Why row one arm at a time?

Working one side at a time helps you spot and even out strength differences between sides, and your trunk has to resist being pulled into a twist. A study on resistance-trained men found that rowing with one arm activated the external obliques far more than rowing with both arms, across free-weight, cable and machine rows.

Should I use lifting straps?

Holding the thick end of the bar is a real forearm challenge, and grip often gives out before the back does on heavy sets. Straps are fine on those sets when you want your back to be the limit, while leaving them off on lighter sets keeps building grip strength.

How does it compare with a dumbbell single-arm row?

Both train the same one-arm pull. The landmine guides the bar along a fixed arc and is easy to load heavy, while the Dumbbell Single-Arm Bent-Over Row lets your arm choose its own path and uses a bench for support, so many lifters rotate between the two.

Landmine Single-Arm Bent-Over Row

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

Landmine Single-Arm Bent-Over Row is a compound exercise that primarily targets the back and also engages the rear shoulders, the biceps and the muscles that hold your torso in a hip hinge. It is a beginner-level movement that pairs a one-arm row with a landmine, a barbell anchored at one end so the loaded end travels in a short, guided arc.

In this version you stand square beside the loaded end of the bar, with the bar running alongside your working side and the anchor behind you. You hinge until your torso is close to parallel with the floor, brace your free hand on your knee and row the end of the bar up toward your hip. Because the bar is pinned at the far end, it follows the same path every rep instead of swinging like a dumbbell, which makes the movement easy to groove and easy to load heavier by adding plates.

The lats do most of the work as the elbow travels back toward the hip, while the rhomboids, middle trapezius and rear deltoids pull the shoulder blade in at the top. Keeping the elbow close to your side and aiming it at the hip keeps the focus on the lats; letting it drift wider and pulling higher toward the chest moves more of the work to the upper back and rear deltoids. The biceps and forearms work throughout, and holding the thick end of the bar adds a real grip challenge.

Working one side at a time helps you spot and even out strength differences between sides, and the braced hand lets you pull hard without needing a bench. The exercise suits anyone building a bigger, stronger back, and it fits well as a main or accessory row in a pull or upper-body session. If holding the hinge is what limits you, the Landmine Bench-Supported Single-Arm Row supports your torso on a bench, and the Landmine Romanian Deadlift is a good way to build the hinge position first.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

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

Instructions

Anchor one end of a barbell in a landmine and load the free end with plates, leaving enough of the sleeve outside the plate to grip.
Stand beside the loaded end facing away from the anchor, with the bar running alongside your working side and your feet parallel and about hip-width apart.
Hinge at your hips with your knees softly bent until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor, keeping your back flat.
Rest your free hand on the knee of your non-working side for support.
Grip the end of the bar outside the plate with your palm facing your body, and let your arm hang straight.
Brace your core and pull your elbow up and back toward your hip, keeping your upper arm close to your side.
Squeeze your shoulder blade toward your spine at the top, with your hand beside your hip and your chest still facing the floor.
Lower the bar under control until your arm is straight again, letting your shoulder blade glide forward without your torso twisting.
Complete your reps, then switch sides.

Common Mistakes

Rounding the lower back
Letting the spine round as you hinge or as the set gets heavy shifts strain onto the lower back instead of the lats.
Twisting the torso
Rotating the chest open to heave the bar up turns the row into a trunk twist and takes work away from the back.
Jerking the weight
Using a hip pop or leg drive to swing the bar up cuts the work of the back and puts extra stress on the lower back.
Shrugging the shoulder
Pulling the shoulder up toward the ear instead of back lets the upper trapezius take over and crowds the front of the shoulder.
Cutting the range short
Stopping before the arm is straight at the bottom or before the elbow reaches the torso at the top leaves much of the lat's range untrained.
Pulling with the arm
Curling the bar up with the biceps instead of driving the elbow back toward the hip moves the work away from the back.

Injuries

Landmine Single-Arm Bent-Over Row is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The landmine fixes the path of the bar and your free hand on the knee takes some of the load off your trunk, but the lower back still has to hold the hinge for the whole set, and the shoulder of the working arm takes stress at the top of each rep.

The lower back is most at risk when the spine rounds as you set up or as the set gets heavy, or when the torso twists to heave the bar up. Hinge from the hips with a flat back, brace before every rep and keep your chest facing the floor. At the shoulder, stop when your elbow is just past your torso and pull the shoulder blade back rather than up; shrugging or letting the shoulder roll forward at the top crowds the front of the joint. Lower the bar under control rather than letting it drop, which protects both the shoulder and the elbow.

If holding the hinge bothers your lower back, switch to the Landmine Bench-Supported Single-Arm Row or a chest-supported Dumbbell Incline Row, which take most of the trunk demand away. Once your form is consistent, progress by adding plates, pausing at the top of each rep or moving to the two-arm Barbell Bent-Over Row.

Stop the set if you feel sharp or pinching pain at the front of the shoulder, lower back pain that does not settle when you stand up, or numbness or tingling down the arm.

Overview

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

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is this the same as a Meadows row?: No. A Meadows row is done standing perpendicular to the bar in a staggered stance with an overhand grip on the sleeve, and the elbow flares out more, which shifts extra work to the upper back and rear deltoids. Here you stand square with the bar running alongside your body and drive the elbow toward your hip, which keeps the lats as the main mover.
Q: How much of the weight am I actually lifting?: Less than the total weight of the bar and plates, because the anchored end carries part of it. That makes landmine loads hard to compare with dumbbell rows, so track progress by the plates you add on this exercise rather than matching numbers from other rows.
Q: Why row one arm at a time?: Working one side at a time helps you spot and even out strength differences between sides, and your trunk has to resist being pulled into a twist. A study on resistance-trained men found that rowing with one arm activated the external obliques far more than rowing with both arms, across free-weight, cable and machine rows.
Q: Should I use lifting straps?: Holding the thick end of the bar is a real forearm challenge, and grip often gives out before the back does on heavy sets. Straps are fine on those sets when you want your back to be the limit, while leaving them off on lighter sets keeps building grip strength.
Q: How does it compare with a dumbbell single-arm row?: Both train the same one-arm pull. The landmine guides the bar along a fixed arc and is easy to load heavy, while the Dumbbell Single-Arm Bent-Over Row lets your arm choose its own path and uses a bench for support, so many lifters rotate between the two.