Dumbbell Lat Workout: 5 Exercises and a Simple Workout Plan

Yes, you can train your lats with dumbbells. The lats pull your upper arm down and back toward your body, and every dumbbell row does exactly that.

Rows are the backbone of a dumbbell lat workout. If you also have a pull-up bar or a pulldown machine, add a vertical pull as well, because dumbbells cannot give you one.

The five exercises below are all variations of that same pull, so the form cues carry over from one to the next. If you have other equipment, the lat exercise guide covers it.

Dumbbell Lat Exercises

1. One-Arm Dumbbell Row

The one-arm row is the simplest dumbbell lat exercise. With one hand and one knee on a bench, the bench carries your torso, so you can concentrate on pulling. Y

ou train one side at a time, which shows up any strength gap between your arms. The one-arm dumbbell row guide goes into more detail.

1. Put your left hand and left knee on a flat bench, with your hand under your shoulder and your knee under your hip. Plant your right foot on the floor.
2. Hold a dumbbell in your right hand with your palm facing in and your arm hanging straight down. Keep your back flat and your head in line with your spine.
3. Pull your elbow back toward your hip, close to your side, until the dumbbell is near your lower ribs. Keep your torso still.
4. Pause briefly, then lower the dumbbell slowly until your arm is straight again.
5. Finish all reps, then switch sides.

Do not twist your shoulders toward the dumbbell to lift it higher. If you have to twist, the weight is too heavy.

2. Bent-Over Dumbbell Row

The bent-over row trains both lats at once and also works the rest of the upper back. Nothing supports your torso, so your lower back and hips have to hold the hinged position.

In a lab comparison of three rowing exercises, the standing bent-over row produced the largest load on the lumbar spine (Fenwick et al., 2009). That is a good reason to pick a weight you can hold your position with.

1. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing each other.
2. Soften your knees and hinge forward at your hips with a flat back until your torso is leaning well forward.
3. Let your arms hang straight down, with the dumbbells in front of your knees.
4. Pull your elbows back and up, close to your sides, until the dumbbells reach your lower ribs.
5. Lower the dumbbells slowly back to the start.

Keep your neck in line with your spine and do not swing your torso up and down to move the weights.

3. Chest-Supported Dumbbell Row

Lying face down on an incline bench takes your lower back out of the job, and it removes momentum.

That makes it a good choice when you want strict reps or your lower back is tired. The chest-supported row guide covers variations.

1. Set an incline bench to about 30 to 45 degrees.
2. Lie face down with your chest against the pad and your feet on the floor. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing each other, and let them hang below your shoulders.
3. Pull your elbows up and back, close to your body, until the dumbbells are beside your ribs.
4. Pause briefly, then lower the dumbbells slowly until your arms are straight.

Keep your chest on the pad and do not arch your upper back as you pull. Choose a weight that lets you pause at the top.

Variation: Dumbbell Seal Row

The seal row is the same pull on a flat bench that is high enough for the dumbbells to hang without touching the floor.

You lie face down, let your arms hang straight, and row the dumbbells up to the sides of the bench. Your body is fully supported, so there is very little room to use momentum.

4. Renegade Row

The renegade row is a plank with a row added. Your core and shoulders work hard to stop your hips from twisting while one arm rows, so it is a core-and-back exercise more than a pure lat exercise.

ecause the plank is the hard part, use lighter dumbbells than you would for a regular row and save it for when your rows already feel solid. The renegade row guide has more detail.

1. Get into a plank position with a dumbbell in each hand under your shoulders. Hexagonal dumbbells that do not roll are the safest choice. Set your feet a little wider than hip-width for balance.
2. Squeeze your glutes and brace your core so your hips stay level.
3. Row one dumbbell up to the side of your chest, keeping your elbow close to your body.
4. Lower it to the floor under control, then row with the other arm. That is one rep.

If your hips twist or sag, lower the weight, widen your feet or do the rows from your knees.

5. Dumbbell Pullover

The dumbbell pullover is a classic back move, but the research does not support it as a main lat exercise. In the barbell pullover the pecs were emphasised over the lats (Marchetti and Uchida, 2011), and a 2026 review of lat EMG reached the same conclusion (Di Fonza et al., 2026).

Your lats still help, because the arm is moving back toward your body, so think of it as a chest-and-lats exercise that finishes a session, not the move you build it around. The pullover machine guide explains what the research shows in more detail.

1. Lie on a flat bench with your feet flat on the floor. Hold one dumbbell upright with both hands, with your arms extended over your chest.
2. Lower the dumbbell in an arc behind your head, keeping your arms nearly straight, until you feel a stretch in your shoulders and chest.
3. Pull the dumbbell back along the same arc until it is over your chest again.

Stop the lowering phase where your shoulders feel comfortable. If you feel pinching or sharp tension, shorten the range.

How to Get More From Dumbbell Rows

• Keep your elbow close to your body. In the seated row, a lower shoulder-abduction angle (elbow nearer your torso) was linked with higher lat activity (Di Fonza et al., 2026). That finding comes from the seated cable row, but it fits the cue to drive your elbow toward your hip.
• Support your torso when you can. A bench or chest pad lets you put your effort into the pull and spares your lower back.
• Lower slowly and get a stretch. Let your arm straighten fully at the bottom so your shoulder blade can reach forward, then pull again.
• Choose a weight that lets you control every rep. The last reps should be hard, but your torso should stay still.

Keep in mind that EMG measures how active a muscle is in one session. It does not tell you how much a muscle will grow, so use it as a guide and not a guarantee.

Dumbbell Lat Workout: Sets and Reps

The American College of Sports Medicine’s 2026 position stand reviewed the resistance-training research (Currier et al., 2026). For muscle growth it reported:

• At least 10 sets per muscle group per week produced more growth than lower volumes. A meta-regression cited in the position stand showed diminishing returns beyond roughly 18 to 20 weekly sets, and the authors note the exact number cannot be pinned down.
• Growth did not differ between light and heavy loads (30% to 100% of your one-rep max), and training to failure was not necessary.
• With weekly volume equal, training a muscle once a week or more than five times a week gave similar growth.

For dumbbell lat work, that means aiming for at least 10 sets a week across your row variations, split over two sessions. A practical rep range is 8 to 15 reps per set. When you can finish every set at the top of the range with controlled form, move up to the next pair of dumbbells.

Sample Dumbbell Lat Workouts

Do either plan twice a week with a day or more between sessions. Both give you 12 row sets a week, which is above the 10-set minimum.

Beginner Plan (About 12 Sets a Week)

Exercise	Sets	Reps
One-arm dumbbell row	3	8-12 per side
Chest-supported dumbbell row	3	10-12

If you do not have an incline bench, swap the chest-supported row for the bent-over row.

Intermediate Plan (12 Row Sets a Week Plus Finishers)

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Bent-over dumbbell row	3	8-12
One-arm dumbbell row	3	10-12 per side
Renegade row	2	6-8 per side
Dumbbell pullover	2	10-12

Pair this with a vertical pull (pull-ups or pulldowns) on another day if you have access to one. See the lat exercises you can do at home for options without a bench or machine.

Dumbbell Lat Exercise Alternatives

• With cables: the cable row.
• With your bodyweight: pull-ups and chin-ups.
• With bands or no equipment: resistance band lat exercises and lat exercises at home.
• More options: the 12 lat exercises guide.

Dumbbell Lat Exercise FAQ

Can you train your lats with dumbbells?

Yes. Rows move your arm down and back toward your hip, which is the lats’ main job. Dumbbells do not give you a vertical pull from overhead, so add pull-ups or pulldowns if you can.

Do dumbbell rows work the lats?

Yes. Rows also work the rhomboids, the middle and lower trapezius, the rear shoulders and the biceps. The lats are a primary muscle for pulling your upper arm down and back.

What is the best dumbbell exercise for lats?

The one-arm row and the chest-supported row are the easiest to perform with a strict pull, so they are a good place to start. Use the exercise you can do well and progress with more weight or reps over time.

Is the dumbbell deadlift a lat exercise?

Not really. The deadlift is a good back-and-legs exercise, but in a deadlift your arms hold the weight instead of pulling it, and pulling the arm down and back is the lats’ main job. For lat growth, choose a row.

How many sets and reps should I do?

Aim for at least 10 sets a week across your rows, in 8 to 15 reps per set, split over two sessions.

Can I train my lats with dumbbells at home without a bench?

Yes. Do one-arm rows with your free hand on a sturdy chair or table, bent-over rows, and renegade rows on the floor.

References

1. Currier BS, D’Souza AC, Singh MAF, et al. American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Resistance training prescription for muscle function, hypertrophy, and physical performance in healthy adults: an overview of reviews. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2026;58(4):851-872. PubMed
2. Di Fonza D, Di Claudio G, Colantuono G, et al. Electromyographic analysis of latissimus dorsi activation during common resistance training exercises: a narrative review. J Funct Morphol Kinesiol. 2026;11(3):315. PubMed
3. Fenwick CM, Brown SH, McGill SM. Comparison of different rowing exercises: trunk muscle activation and lumbar spine motion, load, and stiffness. J Strength Cond Res. 2009;23(5):1408-1417. PubMed
4. Marchetti PH, Uchida MC. Effects of the pullover exercise on the pectoralis major and latissimus dorsi muscles as evaluated by EMG. J Appl Biomech. 2011;27(4):380-384. PubMed
5. StatPearls. Anatomy, Back, Extrinsic Muscles. NCBI Bookshelf. NCBI Bookshelf