10 Best Kettlebell One Arm Row Alternatives for Back Strength

If you train with dumbbells instead of a kettlebell, the Kettlebell One Arm Row still has a near match. The nearest is the Dumbbell One Arm Bent-over Row: same stance, same hinge, one dumbbell pulled up to your chest with the elbow tight. If you have a bench, the One-arm Dumbbell Row braces one knee and one hand on it and pulls the dumbbell up to the side of your chest.

Original Exercise: Kettlebell One Arm Row

Kettlebell One Arm Row
Primary Muscle
Lats
Equipment
Kettlebell
Difficulty
Intermediate
Type
Compound
Secondary Muscles: Biceps, Forearms
How to Perform Kettlebell One Arm Row
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a kettlebell in one hand with an overhand grip.
  2. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
  3. Pull the kettlebell 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 kettlebell back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch sides and repeat with the other arm.

Ranked Kettlebell One Arm Row Alternatives

Best Match
One-Arm Dumbbell Row

1. One-Arm Dumbbell Row

99.4% Match
Lats Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Choose a flat bench and place a dumbbell on each side of it.
  2. Place the right leg on top of the end of the bench, bend your torso forward from the waist until your upper body is parallel to the floor, and place your right hand on the other end of the bench for support.
  3. Use the left hand to pick up the dumbbell on the floor and hold the weight while keeping your lower back straight. The palm of the hand should be facing your torso. This will be your starting position.
  4. Pull the resistance straight up to the side of your chest, keeping your upper arm close to your side and keeping the torso stationary. Breathe out as you perform this step. Tip: Concentrate on squeezing the back muscles once you reach the full contracted position. Also, make sure that the force is performed with the back muscles and not the arms. Finally, the upper torso should remain stationary and only the arms should move. The forearms should do no other work except for holding the dumbbell; therefore do not try to pull the dumbbell up using the forearms.
  5. Lower the resistance straight down to the starting position. Breathe in as you perform this step.
One-Arm Long Bar Row

2. One-Arm Long Bar Row

99.2% Match
Lats Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Position a bar into a landmine or in a corner to keep it from moving. Load an appropriate weight onto your end.
  2. Stand next to the bar, and take a grip with one hand close to the collar. Using your hips and legs, rise to a standing position.
  3. Assume a bent-knee stance with your hips back and your chest up. Your arm should be extended. This will be your starting position.
  4. Pull the weight to your side by retracting the shoulder and flexing the elbow. Do not jerk the weight or cheat during the movement.
  5. After a brief pause, return to the starting position.
Dumbbell One Arm Bent-over Row

3. Dumbbell One Arm Bent-over Row

97.1% Match
Lats Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Barbell One Arm Bent Over Row

4. Barbell One Arm Bent Over Row

96% 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

5. Dumbbell Bent Over Row

91.7% 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.
Bodyweight Standing One Arm Row

6. Bodyweight Standing One Arm Row

88.7% 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.
Shotgun Row

7. Shotgun Row

88.7% Match
Lats Cable Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Attach a single handle to a low cable.
  2. After selecting the correct weight, stand a couple feet back with a wide-split stance. Your arm should be extended and your shoulder forward. This will be your starting position.
  3. Perform the movement by retracting the shoulder and flexing the elbow. As you pull, supinate the wrist, turning the palm upward as you go.
  4. After a brief pause, return to the starting position.
Barbell Reverse Grip Bent Over Row

8. Barbell Reverse Grip Bent Over Row

88.2% 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

9. Bent Over Barbell Row

88.2% 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.
Reverse Grip Bent-Over Rows

10. Reverse Grip Bent-Over Rows

88.2% Match
Lats Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand erect while holding a barbell with a supinated grip (palms facing up).
  2. 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.
  3. While keeping the torso stationary, lift the barbell as you breathe out, keeping the elbows close to the body and not doing any force with the forearm other than holding the weights. On the top contracted position, squeeze the back muscles and hold for a second.
  4. Slowly lower the weight again to the starting position as you inhale.
  5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Why You Might Need a Kettlebell One Arm Row Alternative

A kettlebell is not always around: some home setups have dumbbells instead, some gyms are barbell heavy, and plenty of hotel rooms have neither. The Kettlebell One Arm Row has you stand with both feet on the floor, hinge at the hips, and pull one weight to your chest while the other arm braces on nothing, so a swap either keeps that free-standing hinge or trades it for a bench. Dumbbell and barbell versions keep the same one-arm pull, and most of them keep you standing free too; only the One-arm Dumbbell Row moves you onto a bench with a knee and a hand braced. A cable station gives steady tension through the pull instead of gravity, and a two-handed barbell row lets you load more weight if you'd rather trade the single-arm work for total load.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

If you have dumbbells but not a kettlebell, the Dumbbell One Arm Bent-over Row is the like for like swap: stand, hinge, pull one dumbbell to your chest. The One-arm Dumbbell Row does the same pull with one knee and one hand braced on a bench, which steadies your torso if you have one. No dumbbells but a barbell within reach? The One-arm Long Bar Row and the Barbell One Arm Bent Over Row keep the single arm pull, while the Bent Over Barbell Row and Barbell Reverse Grip Bent Over Row switch to both arms at once for more total load rather than a like for like swap. A cable station lets the Shotgun Row keep steady tension through the pull. The Bodyweight Standing One Arm Row skips the bench, standing and pulling a dumbbell to your chest.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I do the Kettlebell One Arm Row at home?

Yes. With one dumbbell, the Dumbbell One Arm Bent-over Row is the same movement: stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, hinge at the hips and pull the dumbbell to your chest one arm at a time. If you have a bench, the One-arm Dumbbell Row braces one knee and one hand on it and pulls the dumbbell up to the side of your chest.

Which alternative works if my gym only has a cable machine?

The Shotgun Row keeps the one arm pull, and a low cable gives you steady tension through the whole range instead of gravity alone. Take a wide split stance with your arm extended at the start, then pull by drawing your elbow back and bending it, turning your palm up as you go, the same one side at a time as the kettlebell.

What should I do if I only have a barbell?

The One-arm Long Bar Row and the Barbell One Arm Bent Over Row keep the single arm pull, one from a landmine and one from a straight bar. If you would rather pull with both arms at once, the Bent Over Barbell Row and Barbell Reverse Grip Bent Over Row let you load more weight in one go, trading the one-arm work for total load.

Which swap keeps me standing free, with no bench to brace on?

Yes, the Bodyweight Standing One Arm Row. It keeps you standing and hinging at the hips instead of bracing a knee on a bench, and it only takes a single dumbbell, pulled to your chest one arm at a time, the same way as the kettlebell version.

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