The Renegade Row: Another "Weird" Ab Exercise

I've got another "unconventional" ab exercise for you. Although it has a few different names depending on who you listen to, the most popular one seems to be the Renegade Row.

Much like the Pallof Press, the Renegade Row looks nothing like a traditional ab exercise.

Don't be deceived. Your abs, as well as a number of other muscles, have to work very hard to keep your torso stable and rigid. If you think you've got strong core muscles simply because you can do hundreds of crunches, the Renegade Row will give you a harsh reality check.

One of the benefits of exercises like the Paloff Press and Renegade Row is that you're working your "core" muscles WITHOUT flexing your spine.

This is important if you have a healthy spine and want it to stay that way. Repeated spinal flexion (i.e. sit-ups) has been shown to damage spinal discs [1], and may increase the risk of a "bad back" further down the line.

"There are only so many bends in your spinal discs," says Stuart McGill, a professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo.

Inside each disc is a mucus-like nucleus, he says, and "if you keep flexing your spine and bending the disc over and over again, that nucleus slowly breaches the layers and causes a disc bulge, or a disc herniation."

A herniated disc is no fun, and can cause persistent back and leg pain, weakness, and tingling.

Although the guy in the video does a good job of explaining how to do the Renegade Row, here are a few more pointers...

Start with your legs slightly wider than shoulder width apart. If you find the exercise too difficult, move your feet further apart, which serves to increase your stability. As you get stronger, you can move the feet closer together.

Just before lifting your arm off the floor you’ll want to "brace" the abdominals as hard as you can. This involves tightening the abdominal muscles as if you're about to take a punch in the gut.

You don't need to use kettlebells. The Renegade Row can be done using dumbbells, but make sure to use either hex-shaped dumbbells or Powerblocks, so they don't roll out from under you.

In fact, you can do the Renegade Row without dumbbells or kettlebells by simply raising your arm in front of you. Hold it there for a few seconds. Then return to the start position and repeat on the other side.

I had a really hard time finding a video for this exercise, as there were so many that showed people twisting their hips. This is a mistake. Twisting your body makes the Renegade Row a lot less effective, so make sure to keep your hips facing the floor throughout the entire movement.

Finally, you don't need to do a lot of reps. A set of 5 slow and controlled repetitions is better than 10 sloppy ones. Check out the video below for another good example of how the Renegade Row should be done.

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About the Author

Christian Finn holds a master's degree in exercise science, is a certified personal trainer and has been featured on BBC TV and radio, as well as in Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Muscle & Fitness, Fit Pro, Zest and other popular fitness magazines.

If you want better, faster results from the time you spend in the gym, click here now for instant access to his step-by-step muscle-building and fat-burning workout routines.

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References
1. Callaghan JP, McGill SM. (2001). Intervertebral disc herniation: studies on a porcine model exposed to highly repetitive flexion/extension motion with compressive force. Clinical Biomechanics, 16, 28-37