Strength discipline · Weights
Bent-over dumbbell row
Bent-over dumbbell row is a strength discipline in BYOH, trained with weights and building back and arms. Its ladder runs from 10 reps at BW/10 at Level 1 to 10 reps at BW/3.5 at Level 9, and Level 10 is the world record.
The ten levels
BYOH measures a discipline in ten cleared levels. Level 9 is a genuine feat; Level 10 is the standing world record, which is there to be looked at rather than reached.
Bent-over dumbbell row starts at Level 1 with 10 reps at BW/10. Level 5 asks for 10 reps at BW/6, and Level 9 - the last level a person can train towards - 10 reps at BW/3.5. The largest single jump is from Level 8 to Level 9, 10 reps at BW/4 to 10 reps at BW/3.5.
| Level | Target |
|---|---|
| 1 | 10 reps at BW/10 |
| 2 | 10 reps at BW/9 |
| 3 | 10 reps at BW/8 |
| 4 | 10 reps at BW/7 |
| 5 | 10 reps at BW/6 |
| 6 | 10 reps at BW/5 |
| 7 | 10 reps at BW/4.5 |
| 8 | 10 reps at BW/4 |
| 9 | 10 reps at BW/3.5 |
| 10 · Legend | Provisional legend benchmark |
The load is a fraction of your own bodyweight — BW÷10, BW÷9, BW÷8, BW÷7, BW÷6, BW÷5, BW÷4.5, BW÷4, BW÷3.5 across the ten levels — so the kilograms follow the hero rather than the table. For a female hero the upper body reference is 0.60 of that.
The record past Level 9
Bent-over dumbbell row — Awaiting a governed record format.
BYOH uses a provisional final gate until a comparable governed record format is selected. This is a provisional benchmark rather than a governed record.
How it is done
- With a dumbbell in each hand (palms facing your torso), bend your knees slightly and bring your torso forward by bending at the waist; as you bend make sure to keep your back straight until it is almost parallel to the floor. Tip: Make sure that you keep the head up. The weights should hang directly in front of you as your arms hang perpendicular to the floor and your torso. This is your starting position.
- While keeping the torso stationary, lift the dumbbells to your side (as you breathe out), keeping the elbows close to the body (do not exert any force with the forearm other than holding the weights). On the top contracted position, squeeze the back muscles and hold for a second.
- Slowly lower the weight again to the starting position as you inhale.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Movement guidance and imagery from the public-domain Free Exercise DB. BYOH adds the level thresholds.
How the attempt is judged
A level only means something if two heroes clearing it have done the same thing. These are the rules BYOH counts an attempt by — they are the rules of a game, not coaching.
- What counts as one
- One repetition is the dumbbells pulled to the ribs and lowered to straight arms, torso still.
- The set
- One unbroken set with both dumbbells. You may pause holding the weights at the start position; setting either down ends the set.
- What you need
- Hips pushed back, back flat, dumbbells hanging. The load is the combined weight of both dumbbells: your bodyweight divided by the level's figure, and BYOH scales that for a female hero's reference.
- What ends it
- Standing up to swing the weight, or resting them on the floor between repetitions, voids the set.
What it builds
Bent-over dumbbell row feeds Back and Arms in a hero’s record, working middle back, biceps, lats, shoulders.
- Horizontal pull
- Posterior support
- Biceps
- Grip & forearms
Bent-over dumbbell row is one of 32 strength disciplines. It shares its weights requirement with 10 other strength disciplines. Back is also built by inverted row and superman hold, and a broad attribute needs several of them rather than one taken far.
Quests that ask for it
- Touch IronDiscipline · Level 1
- The Iron PathDiscipline · Level 3
- Forged TogetherDiscipline · Level 5
- The Walking ArmouryDiscipline · Level 7
Put it on a record
BYOH turns these levels into a hero: what you clear becomes attributes, quests and a character that grows with your training. It is free, and in open alpha.
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