Rows build the back half of your upper body, and they only work when the torso stays still while the arm moves. Learn the hinge and the shoulder-blade pull once and every row variation improves at the same time. Start with the position, then the pull.
Own the hinge first
Set your feet hip-width apart, bend the knees softly, then push the hips back until your torso sits at 45 degrees or lower. Back flat, neck long, weight over the midfoot.
That angle is your anchor: it should not change during the set. If you catch yourself standing up rep by rep, the weight is too heavy or the set has gone on too long. Rest a hand on a bench between sets and let the lower back reset before the next one.
Let the shoulder blade start the pull
Before the arm moves, pull the shoulder blade back and down toward your opposite hip. Then bend the elbow, keeping it close to the body, and think of driving the elbow toward the ceiling or the hip.
The hand is just the end of the chain. If your biceps burn before your back feels anything, the weight is too heavy and the blade never moved — drop the load and refocus.
Pull to the hip, not the chest
For most rows the elbow should finish near your ribs, which puts the hand around hip or lower-rib height. That path keeps the lats and the mid-back doing the work instead of the front of the shoulder.
Squeeze for a beat at the top with the shoulder blade fully back, then lower the weight with control for two seconds. The stretch at the bottom is half the exercise; rushing it throws away half the benefit. Think of the forearm as a hook carrying the weight, not the engine doing the work.
Keep the spine still
Brace your abs before the first rep and keep the trunk quiet throughout. Small, controlled torso drift is fine; jerking, twisting, and bouncing the chest up are not, and they all point at too much weight.
Rest between sets matters more here than in pressing work: take 90 seconds to two minutes. A fresh grip and a braced trunk on set one protect your lower back better than any cue on set five.
Choose variations and progress
Single-arm dumbbell rows with a bench under one hand support your lower back and let you focus on one side at a time. Two-dumbbell bent-over rows raise the difficulty; chest-supported rows remove the hinge entirely.
Start lighter than feels necessary and add reps before load. Log your torso angle and top-set feel in Bulky: when the weight climbs but your chest starts bouncing, the row has quietly become a different exercise, and it is time to reset.