Renegade Rows - Exercise Database

Pulling is such an important exercise motion.

And most women (and men for that fact) don't have enough pulling movements in their workouts.

In FWW LIVE and Habit... pulling exercises are tough to incorporate.

When you only have dumbbells and kettlebells avaIlable with... no pull up bar... no rig with a bar...

There really aren't many pulling exercise options... we make it work through!

I'd say renegade rows are probably my favorite pulling exercise.

Let's break these down because they are so much more than just another row exercise.

Renegade Rows Exercise Breakdown

Kindal in the start position for kettlebell renegade rows and you can see how her arm cannot fully lock out.

Kindal in the start position for dumbbell renegade rows and you can easily see how her arm fully extends for full range of motion.

I am going to break this down using a dumbbell.

You can use kettlebells... but it's not as efficient. There are two reasons kettlebells are not the best for renegade rows:

First... they are very tall so the range of motion is severely limited.

Second... If you're using anything below a 44lb kettlebell the base is so small, there is a real risk of the bell tipping over.

If you're pressing down on the bell and it tips over... that is dangerous for your wrists.

Try to sick with dumbbells!

If you have any questions... ask in the YouTube comments .

Kindal at the start of a single side dumbbell renegade row. Engaged body and locked out legs.

Kindal pulling the dumbbell all the way up to the top of the row. Her body engaged more with a tight core and locked out legs.

Kindal at the start of alternating dumbbell renegade rows. Two dumbbells and a engaged locked out body that is ready to move.

Kindal at the the top of the alternating renegade row pull. Same position with the only difference being her not rowing arm is on a dumbbell.

Step 1

Get In the top of a pushup plank.

Put your weak hand/arm on the handle of the dumbbell. I recommend you start with at least a 25lb. You want the weight to be challenging enough to engage your entire body when you pull it up.

Try your best to keep your feet together. Even I fail at this one quite a bit.

Step 2

Lock the arm that's on the ground out hard.

Brace your core and lock your legs so you're actively flexing them.

Press into the ground with the arm that does not have the weight. This creates engagement and leverage.

Pull hard on the dumbbell so row it as high as you can.

Let your body twist a little... but don't open it up all the way.

Step 3

Lower the weight with control.

Don't just let it plop down hard. This can be dangerous for your wrist.

Then just repeat the pulling motion and fatigue your muscles out.

One of the factors that make this exercise so good is total body engagement.

When you row the weight up...

Your core will light up to balance the body
Your legs will light up to help your core

This added engagement makes the renegade row great for increased strength and control. Plus you can use this to your advantage with some modifications.

Kindal at the start position of a kettlebell renegade row. You can see the limited range of motion she will have but her body remains engaged and locked out.

Kindal pulls the kettlebell to the top of the renegade row. Her body is locked out and she is pushing into the ground with her other arm.

Kindal pulling the kettlebell up for alternating kettlebell renegade rows. You can see how balancing on one kettlebell can be dangerous if you lose balance.

Renegade Rows Tips

Feet

With your feet close together... you'll create more imbalance and you'll be forced to use the rest of your body.

If you separate your feet... you'll have more balance and your legs will be easier to engage and flex.

As you go heavier you'll naturally feel your stance get wider to support the heavier weight.

Hips Down

Especially as you go heavier... you're hips will start to raise up so you can lean into your feet more and gain more leverage.

Just pay attention to this and feel yourself when you're hips begin to raise up. Push them back down by squeezing your butt and locking your legs out more.

Renegade Rows Modifications

There are two modifications that I'll highlight here.

Alternating Renegade Rows

Kindal at the start of kettlebell renegade rows. Notice how she is balancing over her kettlebells and they are a little closer together.

Kindal pulling the kettlebell and notice how she has to balance overthe other kettlebell and keep her body really tight.

Step 1

Both hands will be on the weight for this version.

Use lighter weights because you won't have as good of a grip on the ground as you'll see soon.

Get into the top of pushup plank with both hands holding onto light dumbbells.

Kettlebells will not work for this modification.

Step 2

Take a little wider stance with your feet... you'll need it for better balance.

All you're going to do is row one weight up and down...

Then row the other weight.

Because you're using a lighter weight you should be able to row at a faster pace.

This will make this modification a higher rep exercise.

Renegade Row Pushups

Everything stays the same... you're just going to toss in a pushup after each row.

Checkout these posts to master your pushups:

But... what's great about these versions is...

You can always toss in additional pushups if you want to work on certain aspects of the exercise.

For example... rather than only one pushup after reach row:

Do 6 rows - 3 per side - then do one pushup
Do 3 pushups after each row
Do 4 rows - 2 per side - followed by 2 pushups

You can see there are many combinations and it all depends on the workout design and it's goal.

This is why you should join FWW LIVE or Habit because I take care of designing workouts for you through a range of different goals.

Let's Workout Together And Get Strong!

The renegade row is a favorite of mine because there really are not that many pulling exercises available to us without box gym equipment.

But that's okay too...

We don't need a to get fancy to take advance of simple pulls like the renegade row.

If you want to learn how to use more fun exercises like this and have them put into fully - custom - designed workouts...

You have to learn about my two fitness programs.

The first is Fit Women's Weekly LIVE.

This is my private online strength training studio . Its my high touch program where I:

Design daily workouts for my members
Design a daily coaching session based on my member's needs
LIVE stream every workout so you can workout LIVE with me
Record every workout so you can do them on your schedule
Plus I am available every day for my members when they need help

This is a more high touch program even compared to hiring a one-on-one trainer.

Then there's Habit.

This is my more DIY program. I've designed and programed 30 day strength programs that focus on a specific style of training like:

Kettlebell arm and upper body strength
Quad strength and power
Strong kettlebell metabolic training

Every workout is recorded and I workout with you rep for rep... they aren't LIVE streamed.

Go checkout some of my back catalog of programs and buy one. You'll love the concept.

Let me know if you have any questions about renegade rows. You can ask in the YouTube comments or message me on one of my social accounts.

Finally... make sure to follow my social accounts. I put out new content daily to help you get strong and fit.