10 Best Inverted Row Bent Knees Alternatives for Upper Back Strength

The Inverted Row Bent Knees is done hanging. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Barbell Incline Row. Eight harder versions, among them the Inverted Row On Bench and the Elbow Lift - Reverse Push-up, are listed below as progressions rather than swaps.

A bar you can lie under at waist height, with room to keep your heels on the floor, is all the Inverted Row Bent Knees asks for. The closest alternative is the Barbell Incline Row, which trades your bodyweight for a loaded bar you pull to your chest. With no low bar free, the Inverted Row On Bench uses a bench instead and keeps the same pull toward your chest.

Updated Ranked by our 12-factor similarity model How it works

Original Exercise: Inverted Row Bent Knees

Inverted Row Bent KneesPlay demonstration
Primary muscle
Upper Back
Equipment
Bodyweight
Difficulty
Beginner
Type
Compound

Secondary muscles: Biceps, Forearms

How to perform Inverted Row Bent Knees
  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.
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Ranked Inverted Row Bent Knees Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Inverted Row Bent Knees on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Open "How to perform this exercise" on a card for 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. Best match
    Barbell Incline RowPlay demonstration

    1. Barbell Incline Row

    79% match
    • Upper Back
    • Barbell
    • Intermediate
    • Compound

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

    How to perform this exercise
    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 Inverted Row Bent Knees
    • Equipment: free weights, not bodyweight only
    • Body position: lying face down, not hanging
  2. Inverted Row On BenchPlay demonstration

    Progression

    2. Inverted Row On Bench

    99% match
    • Upper Back
    • Bodyweight
    • Intermediate
    • Compound

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

    How to perform this exercise
    1. Set up a bench at a height that allows your body to hang freely underneath it.
    2. Lie face up on the ground with your head towards the bench.
    3. Reach up and grab the bench with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
    4. Position your body so that your heels are on the ground and your arms are fully extended.
    5. Engage your core and squeeze your shoulder blades together as you pull your chest up towards the bench.
    6. Pause for a moment at the top of the movement, then slowly lower your body back down 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 Inverted Row Bent Knees
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Inverted Row Bent Knees
    • Body position: hanging, the same as the Inverted Row Bent Knees
  3. Elbow Lift - Reverse Push-upPlay demonstration

    Progression

    3. Elbow Lift - Reverse Push-up

    91% match
    • Upper Back
    • Bodyweight
    • Intermediate
    • Compound
    How to perform this exercise
    1. Start by lying face down on the ground with your legs extended and your hands placed directly under your shoulders.
    2. Engage your core and press through your palms to lift your upper body off the ground, keeping your elbows close to your sides.
    3. Pause at the top for a moment, squeezing your upper back muscles.
    4. Slowly lower your body back down 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: upper back, the same as the Inverted Row Bent Knees
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Inverted Row Bent Knees
    • Body position: lying on your back, not hanging
  4. Skin The CatPlay demonstration

    Progression

    4. Skin The Cat

    87% match
    • Upper Back
    • Bodyweight
    • Intermediate
    • Compound
    How to perform this exercise
    1. Start by hanging from a bar with your arms fully extended and your body relaxed.
    2. Engage your core and lift your legs up, bringing your knees towards your chest.
    3. Continue to lift your legs up and over your head, allowing your body to pass through the arms.
    4. Once your legs are fully extended over your head, begin to lower them back down towards the starting position.
    5. As you lower your legs, allow your body to pass back through the arms until you are hanging with your arms fully extended again.
    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 Inverted Row Bent Knees
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Inverted Row Bent Knees
    • Body position: hanging, the same as the Inverted Row Bent Knees
    • Balance: harder to stay steady on than the Inverted Row Bent Knees
  5. Inverted RowPlay demonstration

    Progression

    5. Inverted Row

    85% match
    • Lats
    • Bodyweight
    • Intermediate
    • Compound

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

    How to perform this exercise
    1. Set up a bar at waist height or use a suspension trainer.
    2. Stand facing the bar or suspension trainer, with your feet shoulder-width apart.
    3. Grab the bar or handles with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
    4. Lean back, keeping your body straight and your heels on the ground.
    5. Pull your chest towards the bar or handles, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
    6. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower yourself 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: lats, not upper back
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Inverted Row Bent Knees
    • Body position: hanging, the same as the Inverted Row Bent Knees
  6. ElevatorPlay demonstration

    Progression

    6. Elevator

    82% match
    • Upper Back
    • Bodyweight
    • Intermediate
    • Compound
    How to perform this exercise
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
    2. Place your hands on your hips or cross them in front of your chest.
    3. Keeping your back straight, slowly bend forward at the waist, lowering your upper body towards the ground.
    4. Pause for a moment at the bottom, then slowly raise your upper body back up 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: upper back, the same as the Inverted Row Bent Knees
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Inverted Row Bent Knees
    • Body position: standing, not hanging
  7. Front Lever RepsPlay demonstration

    Progression

    7. Front Lever Reps

    82% match
    • Upper Back
    • Bodyweight
    • Advanced
    • Compound
    How to perform this exercise
    1. Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip, palms facing away from you.
    2. Engage your core and pull your shoulder blades down and back.
    3. Keeping your body straight, lift your legs up until they are parallel to the ground.
    4. Hold this position for as long as you can, aiming for 10-20 seconds.
    5. Slowly lower your legs back down 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 Inverted Row Bent Knees
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Inverted Row Bent Knees
    • Body position: hanging, the same as the Inverted Row Bent Knees
    • Balance: harder to stay steady on than the Inverted Row Bent Knees
  8. Back LeverPlay demonstration

    Progression

    8. Back Lever

    81% match
    • Upper Back
    • Bodyweight
    • Advanced
    • Compound
    How to perform this exercise
    1. Start by hanging from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
    2. Engage your core and pull your shoulder blades down and back.
    3. Bend your knees and tuck them towards your chest.
    4. Slowly lift your legs up, keeping them straight, until your body is parallel to the ground.
    5. Hold this position for a few seconds, then slowly lower your legs back down 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 Inverted Row Bent Knees
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Inverted Row Bent Knees
    • Body position: hanging, the same as the Inverted Row Bent Knees
    • Balance: harder to stay steady on than the Inverted Row Bent Knees
  9. Muscle-up (On Vertical Bar)Play demonstration

    Progression

    9. Muscle-up (On Vertical Bar)

    81% match
    • Lats
    • Bodyweight
    • Advanced
    • Compound
    How to perform this exercise
    1. Start by hanging from a vertical bar with your palms facing away from you and your arms fully extended.
    2. Engage your core and pull your body up towards the bar, leading with your chest.
    3. As you pull yourself up, lean back slightly and bring your elbows towards your sides.
    4. Continue pulling until your chest reaches the bar and your elbows are fully bent.
    5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower yourself back down 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: lats, not upper back
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Inverted Row Bent Knees
    • Body position: hanging, the same as the Inverted Row Bent Knees
    • Balance: harder to stay steady on than the Inverted Row Bent Knees
  10. Bodyweight Mid Row

    10. Bodyweight Mid Row

    77% match
    • Middle Back
    • Other
    • Intermediate
    • Compound
    How to perform this exercise
    1. Begin by taking a medium to wide grip on a pull-up apparatus with your palms facing away from you. From a hanging position, tuck your knees to your chest, leaning back and getting your legs over your side of the pull-up apparatus. This will be your starting position.
    2. Beginning with your arms straight, flex the elbows and retract the shoulder blades to raise your body up until your legs contact the pull-up apparatus.
    3. After a brief pause, return to the starting position.

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

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: middle back, not upper back
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Inverted Row Bent Knees
    • Body position: lying face down, not hanging

Why You Might Need an Inverted Row Bent Knees Alternative

The Inverted Row Bent Knees depends on one thing: a bar fixed at waist height with clear floor space underneath it. When that bar is busy, too high, or missing from your gym, you need a swap that keeps the same pull toward your chest. A barbell replaces the fixed bar with something you load and control yourself: face down on an incline bench, the Barbell Incline Row pulls the same way, bar to your chest with your shoulder blades squeezed together, against a load you set instead of your bodyweight. Staying bodyweight means changing what you hang from instead of your load: the Inverted Row On Bench has you lie face up on the ground, head toward a bench, and pull your chest to it rather than to a straight bar, heels still on the floor.

How to Choose the Right Inverted Row Bent Knees Substitute

Check what you have free to hang from or load. An incline bench and a loaded barbell give you the Barbell Incline Row, which keeps the same pull to your chest with a load you set instead of your bodyweight. No spare bar, or want to stay bodyweight? The Inverted Row On Bench swaps the straight bar for a bench edge, set at whatever height lets you hang underneath, and keeps the heels-down pull to your chest. The Inverted Row proper is the same pull from the same bar, chest to the bar with shoulder blades squeezed and heels on the floor; its steps just add a suspension-trainer option instead of a fixed bar. Skin The Cat and the lever holds ask for a full hang rather than feet on the floor, so save them until the pull feels solid.

Inverted Row Bent Knees FAQ

Can I do the Inverted Row Bent Knees without a gym membership?

Yes. All it needs is a bar fixed at waist height, such as a bar in a rack or a sturdy table edge, and enough floor space to lie under it with your heels down. If you own a barbell and an incline bench, the Barbell Incline Row keeps the same pull to your chest, face down on the bench with a loaded bar, and lets you add weight once the bodyweight version feels light.

How do I make the Inverted Row Bent Knees harder without adding weight?

Change your body angle instead of your load. The Inverted Row On Bench keeps the same pull, heels on the floor and chest up to the edge, with a bench set at whatever height lets you hang freely underneath instead of the bar. Once that feels solid, the next step is a full hang: Front Lever Reps and the Back Lever are holds rather than rows, so save them for later.

Which alternatives keep the work on my upper back rather than my lats?

The Barbell Incline Row and the Inverted Row On Bench keep the pull on your upper back, the same as the Inverted Row Bent Knees. The Inverted Row proper shares the bar, the grip and the shoulder-blade squeeze, so the pull lands in the same place; treat it as the same exercise with a suspension-trainer option rather than a looser match.

What comes after the Inverted Row Bent Knees once it feels easy?

Move toward exercises that ask for a full hang rather than feet on the floor. Skin The Cat is a hanging rotation, knees to chest then legs over your head and back through your arms, not a row; Front Lever Reps and the Back Lever are holds rather than rows. All three start from a full hang, which the bent-knee row never asks for.

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