How many sets and reps of the kettlebell gorilla row should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Think in time under the hinge, not reps alone: three sets of 10 total rows, five per side, works out to roughly 30 to 40 seconds of holding the position, which is a fair starting dose. If your back position goes before your arms do, cut to 6 total rows and build from there. Two sessions a week is plenty.

What can I do instead of the kettlebell gorilla row without kettlebells?

Dumbbells stood on their ends give the closest handle height, though round-headed ones roll and are not worth the trouble. Two sandbags or gym bags with handles suit the alternating pattern well. With no weights, an inverted row under a table trains the pull and a Romanian deadlift covers the hinge separately.

What is the kettlebell gorilla row good for?

It trains the lats and mid-back while the hips, hamstrings, and erectors hold an isometric hinge, so it builds posterior-chain endurance alongside pulling strength. It is a poor choice for maximum back size, because your hinge endurance runs out before the lats have had enough. Leave it off days when you have already deadlifted heavy.

Intermediate

Kettlebell Gorilla Row

Holding a hinge over two kettlebells set between the feet, you row one bell while the other stays anchored on the ground, alternating sides with rhythm. The sustained hinge loads the posterior chain isometrically while each row builds the lats and mid-back, and the counterbalancing bell teaches you to resist rotation. It is a potent, athletic back builder that also demands honest hip and grip endurance.

Equipment: Kettlebells
Body part: Back, Lats
Type: Functional, Strength
Browse by muscle: Latissimus Dorsi, Trapezius Middle, Trapezius Lower
Browse by movement: Horizontal Pull

How to do it

1
Set two kettlebells on the floor just inside shoulder-width and stand over them.
2
Push the hips back into a flat-backed hinge and grip both handles.
3
Brace the trunk and keep the torso roughly parallel to the floor.
4
Row one bell up to the hip while the other stays planted on the ground.
5
Lower it back down and immediately row the opposite bell.
6
Alternate for the prescribed reps while holding the hinge steady throughout.

Tips

Keep both hips level; do not let the pulling side hike or the torso twist open.
Drive the elbow toward the hip to load the lat rather than shrugging the weight up.
Hold the hinge with a braced, neutral spine for every rep instead of standing up between pulls.

Variations

Common mistakes

The torso rides up toward 45 degrees as the set goes on, and the row shortens into a shrug because the bell no longer has far to travel.
Looking up at a mirror to check the position extends the neck and drags the upper back with it, which is not the flat spine the hinge needs.
Bells get placed too far apart, which widens the stance past what the hips can hinge from, and the low back takes up the slack.
The hands grip hard from rep one, so the forearms burn out and the set ends with the back barely worked.
The knees straighten as the hips tire, turning the hinge into a stiff-legged hold and pulling the hamstrings into a stretch they cannot brace from.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the kettlebell gorilla row should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Think in time under the hinge, not reps alone: three sets of 10 total rows, five per side, works out to roughly 30 to 40 seconds of holding the position, which is a fair starting dose. If your back position goes before your arms do, cut to 6 total rows and build from there. Two sessions a week is plenty.
What can I do instead of the kettlebell gorilla row without kettlebells?: Dumbbells stood on their ends give the closest handle height, though round-headed ones roll and are not worth the trouble. Two sandbags or gym bags with handles suit the alternating pattern well. With no weights, an inverted row under a table trains the pull and a Romanian deadlift covers the hinge separately.
What is the kettlebell gorilla row good for?: It trains the lats and mid-back while the hips, hamstrings, and erectors hold an isometric hinge, so it builds posterior-chain endurance alongside pulling strength. It is a poor choice for maximum back size, because your hinge endurance runs out before the lats have had enough. Leave it off days when you have already deadlifted heavy.

Related exercises

Other movements among FitRay's 2,000+ exercises that load the same target muscle — same equipment and level first.

All Back exercises