Humble row is a great addition to anyone’s upper body workout. It isolates the back and rear deltoids without requiring the use of the spinal erectors or core muscles to control your movement and can be used with a very high volume to get a serious pump in the shoulders. It’s also a great exercise to superset with front raises or lateral raises to make the shoulders pop.

This niche row variation is a great alternative to standard chest supported dumbbell rows and can be performed with barbells as well. It’s important to start with a light weight to ensure proper form and avoid any excessive swinging or arching of the back that can cause unnecessary strain or injury.

The humble row targets a wide variety of upper body muscles but it’s primarily focused on the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids and trapezius. Including this exercise in your workouts regularly will promote balanced muscle development throughout the entire upper body and help prevent imbalances like rounded shoulders and forward head posture.

Another benefit of this exercise is that it helps promote a strong and stable core by engaging the obliques and quads. Regularly performing this exercise will improve your overall strength and power and can reduce back pain or injuries due to bad posture.

The humble row is also a great way to target the hard-to-train rear deltoids. This muscle is often overlooked with most other rowing movements but the upright position of the humble row allows you to go heavy and really target the muscle. This is especially effective if you pause at the top of each rep to squeeze the traps and add thickness to the shoulders.