Targeting your rhomboids (which retract, elevate, and rotate the shoulder blades), traps, lats, and posterior deltoids, this single-arm exercise makes you focus on just one side of your body at a time. That means you have the opportunity to notice any major muscle imbalances (a red flag: it feels significantly easier to power through your reps on your right side than your left) and tweak your workouts going forward to correct them. Pro tip: to target the biceps, rotate your arms so your palms face forward, then row the dumbbells up to your hip crease.
- Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, a soft bend in your knees, and a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, your palms facing toward one another. Engage your core by bracing as if someone is about to punch you in the stomach.
- Hinge forward from your hips to lower your chest until it's roughly parallel to the floor. Gaze down at the floor. Allow your arms to hang directly below your shoulders.
- Keep your spine neutral and core engaged. On an exhale, pull the right dumbbell up to your ribcage, sending your elbow straight behind you. Imagine squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- On an inhale, slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position. That's one rep. Repeat on the left side.
- Note: if you need more stability, you can step one leg back about two to three foot-lengths behind the other, as shown. Row the arm that's on the same side as your stepped-back leg, complete all your reps for one side, then switch both legs and arms.
Do 8 reps total (4 on each side) in Round 1. Each round after, take away 2 reps.
