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Renegade Row Burpee

The renegade row burpee bolts a pair of renegade rows onto the floor phase of a dumbbell burpee, so each rep pairs a chest-to-floor push with two hard back rows. Holding a plank on the handles while you row one bell at a time forces the obliques and trunk to fight rotation, giving you pulling, pushing, and anti-rotation work in one movement. It is a demanding conditioning piece that rounds out the burpee's usual push bias with real back and core volume.

Equipment
Dumbbell
Body part
Chest, Lats
Type
Cardio, Strength
Muscles worked
Target
Latissimus Dorsi, Pectoralis Major Sternocostal, Rectus Femoris
Secondary
Trapezius Middle, Deltoid Posterior, Biceps Brachii Long Head, Triceps Brachii Lateral Head, Abdominal External Oblique, Vastus Lateralis
Tertiary
Gluteus Maximus, Upper Rectus Abdominals, Erector Spinae, Deltoid Anterior

How to do it

  1. 1

    Set up in a plank with your hands on two dumbbells just outside shoulder width.

  2. 2

    Lower your chest between the bells for a push-up, then press back to the plank.

  3. 3

    Row the right dumbbell to your ribs and set it down without letting the hips twist.

  4. 4

    Row the left dumbbell the same way and return it to the floor.

  5. 5

    Hop your feet to the handles and stand tall with the dumbbells.

  6. 6

    Lower back to the plank and repeat the sequence.

Tips

  • Widen the feet in the plank to lock the hips level while you row each side.
  • Pull the dumbbell to the hip with the elbow tight, driving through the lat rather than the arm.
  • Keep the push-up honest with a full chest-to-floor rep before the rows begin.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The dumbbell gets dropped after each row and skids forward, which leaves the supporting hand holding an unstable base for the next rep; place it quietly and it stays put.
  • Coming back down into the plank turns into a drop, and the wrists absorb the whole landing on two dumbbells that are free to roll.
  • One side gets rowed hard while the second row is little more than a lift; count reps per arm and let the weaker side set the load.
  • The order gets flipped so both rows come before the push-up, which puts the press at the point where the shoulders are least able to do it well.
  • Your neck cranes around to watch the rowing dumbbell, dropping the head below the line of the spine for the whole set.

Frequently asked

How many renegade row burpees should you do, and what do you need first?
Hold a 45-second plank on the dumbbells without your hips shifting, and own a clean chest-to-floor push-up, before you add the rows and the stand. Then start at three rounds of five reps, which is five push-ups and ten rows, with 90 seconds of rest and bells around 10 kilos. Move to sets of eight before you add weight. Fifteen to twenty-five reps in a session is plenty; past that the hips start twisting and the movement stops being what it is.
What can I use instead of dumbbells for the renegade row burpee?
Kettlebells work if they are heavy enough not to tip, and the handles give a friendlier grip for the row. With no weights, do a burpee and then a set of inverted rows under a table or on a suspension trainer; you keep the push and pull pairing and lose only the anti-rotation part. A band anchored low and pulled from a plank position brings that anti-rotation demand back. Two full water jugs with handles will stand in for a light pair of bells.
What is the renegade row burpee good for, and who should avoid it?
It fixes the burpee's push-heavy bias by adding real back and anti-rotation work, so one movement covers pulling, pushing and trunk stability, which helps when time or equipment is short. It is a poor way to build back strength, since holding the plank caps the row weight long before the lats are challenged. Avoid it if your plank breaks down under load, if a shoulder complains about bearing weight on one arm, and in circuits scored for speed, where the rows are the first thing to fall apart.

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