Dumbbell Bent-Over Scapula Row

Perform the Dumbbell Bent-Over Scapula Row to strengthen your upper back and improve posture.

  1. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
  2. Bend at the hips, keeping your back straight and torso parallel to the ground.
  3. Pull the dumbbells towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  4. Lower the weights back to the starting position and repeat.

How to perform the Dumbbell Bent-Over Scapula Row

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Dumbbell Bent-Over Scapula Row using your dumbbell.
  2. Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your rotator cuff.
  3. Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.

Coaching cues

  • Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
  • Drive force through your rotator cuff rather than momentum.
  • Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and losing positional control.
  • Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
  • Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.

Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.

Build a free routine

Stage exercises here, then sign up to save them as a real Fitly routine — synced to web and mobile.

View staged routine (0)

Related exercises

0 exercises staged Save your routine — sign up free.