10 Best Bodyweight Squatting Row Alternatives for Home Training

The Bodyweight Squatting Row is done standing. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Cable Squat Row (With Rope Attachment). Five harder versions, among them the Bodyweight Squatting Row (With Towel) and the Squat To Overhead Reach With Twist, are listed below as progressions rather than swaps.

Bodyweight Squatting RowWatch the Bodyweight Squatting Row

Each substitute is scored on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. Read how we rank alternatives

How to Do the Bodyweight Squatting Row

The steps for the Bodyweight Squatting Row itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Lats, with biceps, shoulders · Bodyweight · Beginner · Compound

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding onto a sturdy object or suspension trainer with your arms extended.
  2. Lower your body into a squat position, keeping your back straight and your knees behind your toes.
  3. From the squat position, pull your body up towards the object or suspension trainer, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your body back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

The 10 Best Bodyweight Squatting Row Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Bodyweight Squatting Row on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Cards with a "How to perform it" link open to show the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page. Harder versions are tagged as progressions and kept out of the top spot even when they score higher.

  1. Cable Squat Row (With Rope Attachment)Play demonstration

    1. Cable Squat Row (With Rope Attachment)

    85% match

    Lats · Intermediate · Compound

    A good swap when you have a cable machine to work with, and it still works the lats.

    • Cable
    How to perform it
    1. Attach a rope to a cable machine at waist height.
    2. Stand facing the cable machine with your feet shoulder-width apart.
    3. Bend your knees and lower your body into a squat position, keeping your back straight and chest up.
    4. Grasp the rope with an overhand grip, with your hands shoulder-width apart.
    5. Engage your core and pull the rope towards your body, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
    6. Keep your elbows close to your body and continue pulling until your hands reach your chest.
    7. Pause for a moment at the top of the movement, then slowly release the rope and extend your arms back to the starting position.
    8. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: lats, the same as the Bodyweight Squatting Row
    • Equipment: a cable, not bodyweight only
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Bodyweight Squatting Row
  2. Bodyweight Squatting Row (With Towel)Play demonstration

    Progression

    2. Bodyweight Squatting Row (With Towel)

    98% match

    Lats · Intermediate · Compound

    Pick this when you want a harder version that still works the lats.

    • Bodyweight
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a towel in front of you with your palms facing down.
    2. Bend your knees and lower your body into a squat position, keeping your back straight and your chest up.
    3. As you lower into the squat, simultaneously pull the towel towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
    4. Pause for a moment at the bottom of the squat, then slowly return to the starting position while extending your arms.
    5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: lats, the same as the Bodyweight Squatting Row
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Bodyweight Squatting Row
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Bodyweight Squatting Row
    • Balance: harder to stay steady on than the Bodyweight Squatting Row
  3. Squat To Overhead ReachPlay demonstration

    3. Squat To Overhead Reach

    84% match

    Quads · Beginner · Compound

    A looser match: it uses the same equipment, but it works the quads rather than the lats.

    • Bodyweight
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and toes slightly turned out.
    2. Lower your body down into a squat position by bending your knees and pushing your hips back.
    3. As you come up from the squat, extend your arms overhead, reaching towards the ceiling.
    4. Return to the starting position by lowering your arms and bending your knees to squat down again.
    5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, and add reps before you add load.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: quads, not lats
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Bodyweight Squatting Row
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Bodyweight Squatting Row
  5. Squat On Bosu BallPlay demonstration

    5. Squat On Bosu Ball

    82% match

    Quads · Intermediate · Compound

    A looser match: it works the quads rather than the lats.

    • Stability-ball
    How to perform it
    1. Place the bosu ball on the ground with the flat side up.
    2. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and position yourself on top of the bosu ball.
    3. Lower your body down by bending your knees and hips, as if sitting back into a chair.
    4. Keep your chest up and your weight on your heels.
    5. Lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
    6. Pause for a moment, then push through your heels to return to the starting position.
    7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: quads, not lats
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Bodyweight Squatting Row
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Bodyweight Squatting Row
    • Balance: harder to stay steady on than the Bodyweight Squatting Row

  8. Progression

    8. Jump Squat

    80% match

    Glutes · Intermediate · Compound

Why You Might Need a Bodyweight Squatting Row Alternative

You might substitute the Bodyweight Squatting Row because of shoulder pain, lack of rigging, or to vary stimulus. Horizontal pulls reduce compressive lumbar load compared with bent-over rows and let you manipulate load via body angle; lowering the torso more increases lat activation. If you have acute shoulder irritation choose a neutral-grip TRX or band row and focus on scapular retraction first. For progression or hypertrophy goals, choose a version that lets you add volume or increase difficulty (steeper body angle, slower eccentrics). Technique cue: keep a neutral spine, retract the scapula before pulling, and lead with the elbow to bias the lats.

Bodyweight Squatting Row FAQ

What muscles does Bodyweight Squatting Row work?

The primary mover is the latissimus dorsi, with strong assistance from the rhomboids, middle trapezius, posterior deltoids, and biceps. Cue scapular retraction before the pull to increase rhomboid and trap activation and maintain a neutral spine to involve the erector spinae for stability.

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