10 Best Cambered Bar Lying Row Alternatives for Limited Equipment

The Cambered Bar Lying Row is done lying face down with a barbell. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Barbell Incline Row, the Barbell Reverse Grip Incline Bench Row and the Dumbbell Incline Row. A harder version, the Barbell Pendlay Row, is listed below as a progression rather than a swap.

Cambered Bar Lying RowWatch the Cambered Bar Lying Row

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

How to Do the Cambered Bar Lying Row

The steps for the Cambered Bar Lying Row itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Upper Back, with biceps, forearms · Barbell · Intermediate · Compound

  1. Set up a barbell on the floor and lie face down on a bench with your chest just off the edge.
  2. Reach down and grab the barbell with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  3. With your legs straight and feet on the ground, lift the barbell off the floor by extending your arms.
  4. Pull the barbell towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  5. Lower the barbell back down to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

The 10 Best Cambered Bar Lying Row Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Cambered Bar Lying 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.

Each link re-ranks the list below for the kit it names. Pick one to hide the substitutes you cannot set up.

  1. Barbell Incline RowPlay demonstration

    1. Barbell Incline Row

    93% match

    Upper Back · Intermediate · Compound

    Pick this when you want an easier version that still works the upper back.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Set up an incline bench at a 45-degree angle.
    2. Lie face down on the bench with your chest against the pad and your feet flat on the ground.
    3. Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
    4. Keep your back straight and your core engaged.
    5. Pull the barbell towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
    6. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the barbell back 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: upper back, the same as the Cambered Bar Lying Row
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Cambered Bar Lying Row
    • Body position: lying face down, the same as the Cambered Bar Lying Row
  2. Barbell Reverse Grip Incline Bench RowPlay demonstration

    2. Barbell Reverse Grip Incline Bench Row

    81% match

    Upper Back · Intermediate · Compound

    Pick this when you want to work the upper back with less balance to manage.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Set up an incline bench at a 45-degree angle.
    2. Sit on the bench facing the backrest with your chest against it.
    3. Grab the barbell with a reverse grip (palms facing down) and hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
    4. Keep your back straight and core engaged.
    5. Pull the barbell towards your upper abdomen, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
    6. Pause for a moment at the top of the movement.
    7. Slowly lower the barbell 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: upper back, the same as the Cambered Bar Lying Row
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Cambered Bar Lying Row
    • Body position: seated, not lying face down
    • Balance: easier to stay steady on than the Cambered Bar Lying Row
  3. Lying Cambered Barbell Row

    3. Lying Cambered Barbell Row

    79% match

    Middle Back · Intermediate · Compound

    A looser match: it uses the same equipment, but it works the middle back rather than the upper back.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Place a cambered bar underneath an exercise bench.
    2. Lie face down on the exercise bench and grab the bar using a palms down (pronated grip) that is wider than shoulder width. This will be your starting position.
    3. As you exhale row the bar up as you keep the elbows close to your body to either your chest, in order to target the upper mid back, or to your stomach if targeting the lats is your goal.
    4. After a second hold at the top, lower back down to the starting position slowly as you inhale.

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

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: middle back, not upper back
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Cambered Bar Lying Row
    • Body position: lying face down, the same as the Cambered Bar Lying Row
  4. Dumbbell Incline RowPlay demonstration

    4. Dumbbell Incline Row

    78% match

    Upper Back · Intermediate · Compound

    A good swap when you have dumbbells to work with, and it still works the upper back.

    • Dumbbell
    How to perform it
    1. Set up an incline bench at a 45-degree angle.
    2. Grab a dumbbell in each hand and sit on the bench with your chest against the incline.
    3. Extend your arms fully, allowing the dumbbells to hang straight down from your shoulders.
    4. Pull the dumbbells up towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
    5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
    6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

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

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: upper back, the same as the Cambered Bar Lying Row
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Cambered Bar Lying Row
    • Body position: seated, not lying face down
    • Balance: easier to stay steady on than the Cambered Bar Lying Row
  5. Inverted Row Bent KneesPlay demonstration

    5. Inverted Row Bent Knees

    76% match

    Upper Back · Beginner · Compound

    Use this when you have nothing to train with, because it works the upper back with bodyweight alone.

    • Bodyweight
    How to perform it
    1. Set up a bar at waist height and lie underneath it.
    2. Grab the bar with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
    3. Position your body so that your heels are on the ground and your body is straight.
    4. Pull your chest up towards the bar by squeezing your shoulder blades together.
    5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your body back down 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: upper back, the same as the Cambered Bar Lying Row
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, not free weights
    • Body position: hanging, not lying face down
  7. Barbell Bent Over RowPlay demonstration

    7. Barbell Bent Over Row

    76% match

    Upper Back · Intermediate · Compound

    The same equipment, done standing instead.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
    2. Bend forward at the hips while keeping your back straight and chest up.
    3. Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
    4. Pull the barbell towards your lower chest by retracting your shoulder blades and squeezing your back muscles.
    5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position.
    6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: upper back, the same as the Cambered Bar Lying Row
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Cambered Bar Lying Row
    • Body position: standing, not lying face down

Why You Might Need a Cambered Bar Lying Row Alternative

You may need substitutes because of equipment limits, shoulder pain, or to reduce lower-back strain from prone barbell work. The cambered bar lying row places the torso in a prone position that increases spinal shear for some lifters and compresses the shoulder girdle for others. Chest-supported rows and unilateral dumbbell variations replicate horizontal pulling while offloading the lumbar spine and allowing differential loading to correct imbalances. Rehab clients often prefer supported options to maintain scapular retraction without compensatory lumbar extension. Technique cue: brace your core, keep ribs down, and lead each rep with the elbows to maximize mid-trap and rhomboid recruitment.

Cambered Bar Lying Row FAQ

What muscles does Cambered Bar Lying Row work?

The cambered bar lying row primarily targets the upper-back, rhomboids, middle and lower trapezius, and posterior deltoids. The lats assist in the horizontal pull while the biceps handle elbow flexion. Its prone position emphasizes scapular retraction and limits lumbar extension compared with standing rows.

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