Builds a wide, thick back with a deep range of motion.
Row to your hips, not your chest, and keep your torso still.
With a dumbbell hanging from each hand, the lats and upper back pull through a deeper range than a barbell allows, since nothing stops the weights short of a full stretch at the bottom. The biceps assist every pull while the hinged position makes your entire back side hold you in place. It earns its status as a staple because it builds thickness and width in one movement with the simplest equipment in the gym.
Dumbbells allow a longer range of motion, let each arm work independently, and are more forgiving on the lower back at a given effort. The barbell wins for absolute load. Most good programmes use both across a training week.
Hinge until your torso is somewhere between 45 degrees and near parallel to the floor, with a flat back throughout. The more horizontal you get, the more the mid and upper back does, the more upright, the more it drifts toward a shrug.
Toward your hips with the elbows driving up and back, not straight up to your chest. Rowing to the hips keeps the lats in charge, rowing to the chest with flared elbows turns it into a different, more rear-delt flavoured exercise.
