10 Best Bodyweight Standing Row Alternatives for At-Home Back Workouts

The Bodyweight Standing Row is done standing. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Bodyweight Standing Close-grip Row, London Bridges and the Bent Over Barbell Row. Four harder versions, among them the Bodyweight Standing Row (With Towel) and the Bodyweight Standing Close-grip One Arm Row, are listed below as progressions rather than swaps.

Bodyweight Standing RowWatch the Bodyweight Standing Row

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

How to Do the Bodyweight Standing Row

The steps for the Bodyweight Standing 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 and knees slightly bent.
  2. Grasp a bar or handles with an overhand grip, palms facing down.
  3. Keep your back straight and core engaged.
  4. Pull the bar or handles towards your body, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  5. Pause for a moment at the top of the movement.
  6. Slowly release and extend your arms back to the starting position.
  7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

The 10 Best Bodyweight Standing Row Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Bodyweight Standing 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. Bodyweight Standing Close-grip RowPlay demonstration

    1. Bodyweight Standing Close-grip Row

    96% match

    Lats · Beginner · Compound

    The same equipment, taken with a close grip.

    • Bodyweight
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
    2. Bend forward at the waist, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
    3. Extend your arms straight in front of you, gripping the bar or handles with a close grip.
    4. Pull the bar or handles towards your body, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
    5. Pause for a moment at the top of the movement, then slowly release and return to the starting position.
    6. 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: lats, the same as the Bodyweight Standing Row
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Bodyweight Standing Row
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Bodyweight Standing Row
  2. Bodyweight Standing Row (With Towel)Play demonstration

    Progression

    2. Bodyweight Standing Row (With Towel)

    95% 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 and hold a towel in front of you with both hands.
    2. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight.
    3. Pull the towel towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
    4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly release the tension and return to the starting position.
    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 Standing Row
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Bodyweight Standing Row
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Bodyweight Standing Row
  4. Bent Over Barbell Row

    4. Bent Over Barbell Row

    89% match

    Lats · Intermediate · Compound

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

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Holding a barbell with a pronated grip (palms facing down), bend your knees slightly and bring your torso forward, by bending at the waist, while keeping the back straight until it is almost parallel to the floor. Tip: Make sure that you keep the head up. The barbell should hang directly in front of you as your arms hang perpendicular to the floor and your torso. This is your starting position.
    2. Now, while keeping the torso stationary, breathe out and lift the barbell to you. Keep the elbows close to the body and only use the forearms to hold the weight. At the top contracted position, squeeze the back muscles and hold for a brief pause.
    3. Then inhale and slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position.
    4. Repeat for the recommended amount 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 Standing Row
    • Equipment: free weights, not bodyweight only
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Bodyweight Standing Row
  5. Bodyweight Standing Close-grip One Arm RowPlay demonstration

    Progression

    5. Bodyweight Standing Close-grip One Arm Row

    88% match

    Lats · Intermediate · Compound

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

    • Bodyweight
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and hold a dumbbell in one hand with a neutral grip.
    2. Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
    3. Pull the dumbbell up towards your chest, keeping your elbow close to your body and squeezing your shoulder blades together.
    4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbell back down to the starting position.
    5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch sides.

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

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: lats, the same as the Bodyweight Standing Row
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Bodyweight Standing Row
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Bodyweight Standing Row

Bodyweight Standing Row FAQ

What muscles does Bodyweight Standing Row work?

The exercise targets the lats primarily, with secondary load on the rhomboids, middle trapezius, posterior deltoids and biceps. Proper execution, scapular retraction and elbow-driven pulling, shifts emphasis onto the latissimus dorsi and limits shoulder shrugging.

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