Chest coming off the pad
Keep your chest on the pad so the back muscles do the work.
Horizontal pull · Plate-loaded machine
Hammer Strength Iso-Lateral Row
A unilateral plate-loaded, chest-supported row with independent arms. It builds the lats and mid back while removing lower back fatigue. Suits all levels and is especially useful for fixing side-to-side imbalances.
- Primary
- Back
- Secondary
- Biceps
- Starting rep range
- 8–12 reps
- Target effort
- 1.5 reps in reserve
- Progression
- 5 kg jumps
Muscles worked
The lats, rhomboids, and mid traps pull the arms and shoulder blades back. The biceps help bend the elbows; a neutral grip with elbows tucked biases the lats.
How to set up
- Set the seat so the handles line up with your lower chest when arms are straight.
- Load equal plates on both sides.
- Sit with your chest against the pad and feet planted.
- Grab the handles and let the shoulder blades reach forward.
How to do each rep
- Pull the handles back, driving the elbows past your torso.
- Squeeze the shoulder blades together and pause briefly.
- Return slowly until the arms are fully straight and you feel a stretch.
- Train both arms at once, alternate, or do one side at a time.
Common hammer strength iso-lateral row mistakes
Jerking the weight
Pull smoothly and control the return.
Short reps
Let the arms extend fully between reps.
Sets, reps, and progression
Surpass starts the hammer strength iso-lateral row at 8–12 reps with about 1.5 reps in reserve. As a compound lift it usually belongs early in the session, when you are fresh.
Add reps, then add 5-10 lb per side once you hit the top of your range. Single-arm sets allow higher loads per side.
Know what to lift next time
Surpass shows what you lifted last time beside a target for this set, and adjusts it from your reps and RIR. Free on iPhone, no account needed.
Hammer Strength Iso-Lateral Row alternatives
These train the same main muscles. Swap when the equipment is busy, something hurts, or progress has stalled for several weeks.
Questions
Is the iso-lateral row good for lats?
Yes. Driving the elbows back toward your hips with a neutral grip puts the lats to work. Flare the elbows out to bias the upper back.
Iso-lateral row vs. dumbbell row?
Both are unilateral. The machine is chest supported, easier to load, and removes lower back fatigue.