Exercise Tutorial: Renegade Row
Table of Contents
What Is a Renegade Row
The Renegade Row is one of the few all-in-one exercises that demand a precise balance of strength between the anterior and posterior sides of the body. This means that you should perform the Renegade Row often in order to succeed in upholding half your body weight and performing a row with each repetition.
If you are experiencing difficulty, it can potentially be for two reasons. Either your core muscles is weak and requires strengthening exercises, or you’re using momentum instead of strict form in your training. Due to the Renegade Row’s strict form, it will be very difficult to cheat your way through it.
How to Do a Renegade Row
Quality wins over quantity and this is true for the Renegade Row. A few Renegade Rows done properly are better than many Renegade Rows done incorrectly. This is because they are surprisingly hard to do. When the Renegade Row is executed properly, your body will reap the rewards. Follow these steps to perform the Renegade Row:
Take a pair of dumbbells and assume a push-up position, grasping the dumbbells below in a straight-arm locked position.
Keep your body straight, and your hips parallel with the floor.
To aid in preventing the torso from rotating, spread your legs wider than your shoulders and as you progress, bring your feet in closer.
Pull or row one dumbbell toward your hip, while the other arm stays in a straight and locked position.
Perform each repetition in a slow and controlled movement.
Return the dumbbell on the floor and repeat with the other arm.
Renegade Row Form
When performing the Renegade Row, keeping the body in a straight line from the crown of your head to your ankles is very important. Practice maintaining a good posture, which translates to chest out, shoulders back, stomach in, hips parallel, and use the balls on your feet to stay tall.
As a general rule of thumb, keep the rotation of the torso to a minimum (especially during the concentric lifting phases of the rows), although some upper back rotation is permitted when lifting heavier loads. Try to keep the rotation solely in the upper back.
It’s tough, but not impossible and it’s very rewarding!
Renegade Row Muscles Worked
The following muscles are activated during the Renegade Row,
Forearms
Renegade Row Benefits
Core Stability
Because the Renegade Row requires full body awareness and control to keep from losing your balance, they act as a phenomenal core-focused exercise, even if they’re primarily for the upper back.
Unilateral Balance and Strength
By nature, due to one arm being in motion while the other works to uphold the body, Renegade Rows are unilaterally challenging. Unilateral movements increase muscle awareness, activation, and hypertrophic gains, all of which are perfect for beginner to intermediate lifters.
Targets Both Appearance and Function
Just like plank variations, Renegade Rows help improve and strengthen core stability while also working just enough to sculpt the abdominal muscles.
Anti-Rotation
There are few exercises that allow for anti-rotation and anti-extension and the Renegade Row is one the best exercises to challenge both. Critical for maximum spinal health, injury prevention, and daily functional tasks, the anti-rotation nature of renegade rows can help improve function and lessen the risk of low back pain.
Improve Your Upper Body Strength
The Renegade Row requires single-arm strength to perform a row, this challenges your upper back, biceps, lats, rear deltoids, grip, and forearms, while the other arm supports your body and keeps it stable. When done continuously, this level of fatigue will result in increased muscle growth and overall full-body strength.
Address Core Symmetry
Although there are loads of exercises that can effectively sculpt the core (like planks and leg raises). Most of them are bilateral movements, meaning that one side can ultimately dominate the movement. This can result in one side being stronger or weaker than the other and possibly posing a muscular imbalance issue. Renegade Rows are unilateral, which means each side of the body is given full focus and placed under equal tension, resulting in symmetrical strength.
Needs Little Equipment
A great benefit of the Renegade Row is that it requires almost no equipment. All you need is a pair of dumbbells and you’re ready to work your core, upper body, and hips flexors. It can also be done with bodyweight: Perform a row with your elbow flexed at a 90-degree angle and pull the elbow up, stop at torso level and place the arm back down. Repeat on the other arm.
Enhances Breathing Patterns
Renegade Rows represent peak proper breathing patterns due to the fact that you have to maintain intra-abdominal pressure throughout the exercise
Renegade Row Variations
Kettlebell Renegade Row
The Kettlebell Renegade Row is the same as the Renegade Row with dumbbells, just using a kettlebell. Be sure to maintain the same form described earlier in the article to ensure that you are performing the exercise correctly. You will have an overhand grip on the kettlebell when you perform the exercise.
Renegade Row Push-Up
The Renegade Row Push-up adds a push up to the movement in between rows. This makes the exercise even better at engaging the muscles of the entire body. Perform the Renegade Row as usual. After performing a row on one arm, perform a full push-up and then perform the row on the other arm. Keep rotating between row, push-up, row, push-up until you are finished your reps.
Alternating Renegade Row
The Alternating Renegade Row is when you alternate performing a row on each arm, instead of performing all of the rows on one arm. For example, perform a row on your right side, and for the next rep, perform the row on the left side. Continue to alternate between the right and left side until you are finished your reps.
Renegade Row Push Up
The renegade row push-up is performed by starting in a high plank position, then performing a push-up. Once you're back in the initial position, that is when you perform the row.
This can be done by alternating between a push-up and a row, or by performing a push-up followed by two rows. The person can decide what they want to do.
Renegade Row Crossfit
The renegade row is also used in CrossFit. The only issue is that many people refer to it as "Renegade Rd., CrossFit," but it's essentially the same movement. It just incorporates the intensity of a CrossFit workout, depending on the workout of the day.
Renegade Row on Bench
If you're still finding the standard renegade row challenging, you can begin with a modified version involving a bench. Progress by increasing sets and reps, with more rest time in between. Once you're ready, you can move on to the standard renegade row, or you may choose to continue with the modified version.
Renegade Row Alternative
There are a couple of alternatives that could be used for the renegade row, and these include:
Renegade Row Progression
There are several progressions that can help you when it comes to performing the renegade row.
First, you could start with a dumbbell row to get a feel for the movement. Second, as a progression, you can try a plank. Another progression is to do a one-arm plank, which involves getting into a tripod position. Lastly, the final step is to perform the row once you're in a tripod position.
When it comes to sets and reps, if this is your first time doing the exercise and you don't feel very confident, start by doing 1-2 sets with 2-8 reps on each side to build up strength, balance, and flexibility.
The renegade row can be done either at home or at a gym. You don't necessarily need dumbbells; many things can be used besides fitness equipment. For example, you can use books.
The Difference Between the Bent Over Row vs. Renegade Row
The key difference between the two exercises is that the bent-over row requires the person performing the exercise to be standing up. Alternatively, it can be modified by using an incline bench for support. On the other hand, the renegade row involves an anti-rotational movement while performing row exercises.
