Unleash your inner beast and transform your body with the bear plank

A bear plank that incorporates dumbbell rows is a ferocious exercise that blends the isometric core stabilisation benefits of a bear plank with the anti-rotation and upper-body strength-building benefits of dumbbell rows.

It’s like wrestling a bear for serious strength gains, but way safer and way more effective! We explain how to perform this powerful exercise to get those gains roaring!

Targeted Muscles: This challenging but incredibly effective exercise develops functional strength and sculpts your core, back, and shoulders.

• Core: Obliques, transverse abdominis
• Back: Lats, rhomboids
• Shoulders: Anterior and posterior deltoids
• Arms: Biceps

How to do it

Start on all fours in a quadruped position, with your hands shoulder-width apart and the dumbbells directly underneath your shoulders.

Hold the dumbbells with a neutral grip, with your palms facing each other. Position your knees directly under your hips to form a 90-degree angle.

Row one dumbbell up towards your chest by driving your elbow back. Pause briefly at the top, keeping your arm close to your side. Slowly lower the dumbbell back down under control. Repeat the row on the other arm.

Check your form:

• Core: Engage your core to pull your navel towards your spine and maintain a flat back.
• Head and neck: Keep your head and neck in a neutral position with your chin down and gaze cast towards the floor.
• Back: Maintain a neutral spine throughout the exercise, avoiding any arching or sagging in your lower back.
• Hips: Keep your hips square throughout the exercise. Do not let them drop or rotate.
• Legs: Keep your knees bent at 90-degrees and directly below your hips. Keep your toes in contact with the floor.

Checkpoints:

• Do not rotate or twist your hips or shoulders during each row.
• Do not allow your hips to drop during the exercise.
• Engage your back muscles to perform the rows, not just your biceps.
• Choose a challenging weight, but it should allow you to maintain proper form

Bear plank benefits

• Supercharged core strength: The bear plank is a potent core exercise that improves core stabilisation while the added rows intensify the engagement and adds an anti-rotation element for a more comprehensive functional core exercise.
• Upper body muscle development: The rowing motion targets your back, shoulder and bicep muscles, building a more defined upper body.
• Improved posture: The row targets your upper back muscles, which are responsible for pulling your shoulders back and down to promote a more upright posture while the isometric plank strengthens your stabiliser muscles to improve posture.
• Functional strength and coordination: This functional exercise mimics real-world pulling movements, enhancing your overall functional strength and coordination.
• Metabolic boost: This complex compound exercise combines two moves into one high-intensity exercise to boost your metabolism when included in a full-body workout.

The bear plank with dumbbell rows is a versatile exercise that you can incorporate into various workout routines. It’s a great way to add some intensity to your core workouts and challenge your upper body strength.