10 Best Dumbbell One Arm Bent-over Row Alternatives for Limited Equipment

If you can’t perform the Dumbbell One Arm Bent-over Row, use barbell bent-over rows, single-arm cable rows, chest-supported dumbbell rows, inverted rows, or T-bar rows. Maintain a neutral spine, hinge at the hips, and pull the elbow back toward the ribcage to emphasize lat engagement and scapular retraction on each rep.

Original Exercise: Dumbbell One Arm Bent-over Row

Dumbbell One Arm Bent-over Row
Primary Muscle
Lats
Equipment
Dumbbell
Difficulty
Intermediate
Type
Compound
Secondary Muscles: Biceps, Forearms
How to Perform Dumbbell One Arm Bent-over Row
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in one hand with your palm facing your body.
  2. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
  3. Let the dumbbell hang straight down towards the floor, with your arm fully extended.
  4. Pull the dumbbell up towards your chest, keeping your elbow close to your body and squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbell back down to the starting position.
  6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch sides.

Best Dumbbell One Arm Bent-over Row Alternatives

Best Match
Barbell One Arm Bent Over Row

1. Barbell One Arm Bent Over Row

93.1% Match
Lats Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and hold a barbell with one hand using an overhand grip.
  2. Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and your head in a neutral position.
  3. Pull the barbell up towards your chest, keeping your elbow close to your body and squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  4. Lower the barbell back down to the starting position in a controlled manner.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch to the other arm.
Dumbbell Bent Over Row

2. Dumbbell Bent Over Row

91.4% Match
Lats Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing your body.
  2. Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
  3. Let your arms hang straight down towards the floor, with your elbows slightly bent.
  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 down to the starting position.
Barbell Reverse Grip Bent Over Row

3. Barbell Reverse Grip Bent Over Row

86.9% Match
Lats Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
  2. Hold a barbell with an overhand grip, palms facing down, and hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  3. Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and chest up, until your torso is almost parallel to the floor.
  4. Pull the barbell towards your lower chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position.
Bent Over Barbell Row

4. Bent Over Barbell Row

86.9% Match
Lats Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Bodyweight Standing One Arm Row

5. Bodyweight Standing One Arm Row

85.8% Match
Lats Body-weight Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and hold a dumbbell in one hand.
  2. Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
  3. Let the dumbbell hang straight down in front of you, with your arm fully extended.
  4. Pull the dumbbell up towards your chest, keeping your elbow close to your body.
  5. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement.
Bodyweight Standing One Arm Row (with Towel)

6. Bodyweight Standing One Arm Row (with Towel)

85% Match
Lats Body-weight Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and hold a towel with one hand.
  2. Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
  3. Pull the towel towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the towel back to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch to the other arm.
Bodyweight Standing Close-grip One Arm Row

7. Bodyweight Standing Close-grip One Arm Row

82.3% Match
Lats Body-weight Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Bent Over One-Arm Long Bar Row

8. Bent Over One-Arm Long Bar Row

82.1% Match
Middle-back Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Put weight on one of the ends of an Olympic barbell. Make sure that you either place the other end of the barbell in the corner of two walls; or put a heavy object on the ground so the barbell cannot slide backward.
  2. Bend forward until your torso is as close to parallel with the floor as you can and keep your knees slightly bent.
  3. Now grab the bar with one arm just behind the plates on the side where the weight was placed and put your other hand on your knee. This will be your starting position.
  4. Pull the bar straight up with your elbow in (to maximize back stimulation) until the plates touch your lower chest. Squeeze the back muscles as you lift the weight up and hold for a second at the top of the movement. Breathe out as you lift the weight. Tip: Do not allow for any swinging of the torso. Only the arm should move.
  5. Slowly lower the bar to the starting position getting a nice stretch on the lats. Tip: Do not let the plates touch the floor. To ensure the best range of motion, I recommend using small plates (25-lb ones) as opposed to larger plates (like 35-45lb ones).
Bodyweight Standing Row (with Towel)

9. Bodyweight Standing Row (with Towel)

79.3% Match
Lats Body-weight Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Row With Palms In

10. Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Row With Palms In

76.4% Match
Middle-back Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. With a dumbbell in each hand (palms facing each other), 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 weights should hang directly in front of you as your arms hang perpendicular to the floor and your torso. This is your starting position.
  2. While keeping the torso stationary, lift the dumbbells to your side as you breathe out, squeezing your shoulder blades together. On the top contracted position, squeeze the back muscles and hold for a second.
  3. Slowly lower the weight again to the starting position as you inhale.
  4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Why You Might Need a Dumbbell One Arm Bent-over Row Alternative

You may need substitutes for shoulder pain, lower-back issues, missing equipment, or to add variety. Bent-over rows demand a hip hinge and spinal stability; if you have lumbar discomfort choose a chest-supported row to remove erector spine loading. If a dumbbell isn’t available, a single-arm cable row preserves unilateral strength and constant tension on the lats. For rehabilitation pick lower-load, higher-rep inverted rows to train scapular control. Always cue a tight core, neutral neck, and drive the elbow posteriorly to maximize lat activation while reducing compensatory upper-trap or biceps dominance.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Decide based on available gear, injury history, and the movement pattern you need. For limited lower-back capacity choose chest-supported or machine rows to minimize erector activation; cue a flat torso and pull through the elbow to emphasize lats. If you need constant tension and fine loading, pick single-arm cable rows and focus on a full range of motion with scapular retraction. For bodyweight-only training use inverted rows, setting the bar height to control intensity and keeping the core braced to maintain a straight line. Prioritize exercises that let you progressively overload the lats while keeping safe spine mechanics.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does Dumbbell One Arm Bent-over Row work?

The one-arm bent-over row primarily targets the latissimus dorsi while recruiting the rhomboids, middle and lower trapezius, posterior deltoid, and biceps. The erector spinae act isometrically to maintain the hip hinge; cue a neutral spine and drive the elbow back to maximize lat recruitment and minimize upper-trap compensation.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to Dumbbell One Arm Bent-over Row?

The inverted row is the best bodyweight substitute because it preserves the horizontal pulling pattern and engages the lats and scapular retractors. Set the bar at an angle that lets you maintain a straight plank line, pull your chest to the bar, and squeeze the shoulder blades together at the top to optimize lat activation.

Can I build muscle without doing Dumbbell One Arm Bent-over Row?

Yes — you can build back muscle with other compound pulls that load the lats and scapular stabilizers, such as barbell rows, single-arm cable rows, and chest-supported rows. Focus on progressive overload, full elbow extension and a strong peak contraction while cueing scapular retraction to ensure the lats are driving the movement.

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