10 Best Kneeling High Pulley Row Alternatives for Lat Strength

The Kneeling High Pulley Row is done kneeling with a cable machine. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Kneeling Single-arm High Pulley Row, the Cable Lateral Pulldown With V-bar and the Twin Handle Parallel Grip Lat Pulldown. A harder version, the Cable Wide Grip Rear Pulldown Behind Neck, is listed below as a progression rather than a swap.

The Kneeling High Pulley Row has you kneel a couple of feet from a high pulley and pull a rope to your chest with your elbows out. The Kneeling Single-arm High Pulley Row is the closest swap because it keeps the same kneeling base and the same downward pull to your torso, but on a single handle, one arm at a time, with your palm turning to face you as you finish the pull. If you would rather sit than kneel, the Cable Lateral Pulldown With V-bar pulls to your chest from a seated position instead.

Kneeling High Pulley Row

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

How to Do the Kneeling High Pulley Row

The steps for the Kneeling High Pulley Row itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Lats, with biceps, middle back · Cable · Intermediate · Compound

  1. Select the appropriate weight using a pulley that is above your head. Attach a rope to the cable and kneel a couple of feet away, holding the rope out in front of you with both arms extended. This will be your starting position.
  2. Initiate the movement by flexing the elbows and fully retracting your shoulders, pulling the rope toward your upper chest with your elbows out.
  3. After pausing briefly, slowly return to the starting position.

The 10 Best Kneeling High Pulley Row Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Kneeling High Pulley 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. Kneeling Single-arm High Pulley Row

    1. Kneeling Single-arm High Pulley Row

    92% match

    Lats · Intermediate · Compound

    Pick this when you want to work the lats one side at a time.

    • Cable
    How to perform it
    1. Attach a single handle to a high pulley and make your weight selection.
    2. Kneel in front of the cable tower, taking the cable with one hand with your arm extended. This will be your starting position.
    3. Starting with your palm facing forward, pull the weight down to your torso by flexing the elbow and retract the shoulder blade. As you do so, rotate the wrist so that at the completion of the movement, your palm is now facing you.
    4. After a brief pause, return to the starting position.

    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 Kneeling High Pulley Row
    • Equipment: a cable, the same as the Kneeling High Pulley Row
    • Body position: kneeling, the same as the Kneeling High Pulley Row
  2. Cable Lateral Pulldown With V-barPlay demonstration

    2. Cable Lateral Pulldown With V-bar

    91% match

    Lats · Intermediate · Compound

    The same equipment, done seated instead.

    • Cable
    How to perform it
    1. Sit down on the cable pulldown machine and grab the v-bar attachment with an overhand grip.
    2. Adjust the knee pad so that your thighs are secured under it.
    3. Keep your back straight and lean back slightly.
    4. Pull the v-bar down towards your upper chest while keeping your elbows close to your body.
    5. Squeeze your back muscles at the bottom of the movement.
    6. Slowly return the v-bar to the starting position and 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 Kneeling High Pulley Row
    • Equipment: a cable, the same as the Kneeling High Pulley Row
    • Body position: seated, not kneeling
  7. Cable Wide Grip Rear Pulldown Behind NeckPlay demonstration

    Progression

    7. Cable Wide Grip Rear Pulldown Behind Neck

    87% match

    Lats · Advanced · Compound

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

    • Cable
    How to perform it
    1. Adjust the cable machine so that the pulldown bar is at a height above your head.
    2. Sit down on the seat and grab the pulldown bar with a wide overhand grip.
    3. Keep your back straight and your chest up as you lean back slightly.
    4. Pull the bar down towards your upper chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
    5. Pause for a moment at the bottom of the movement, then slowly release the bar back up 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: lats, the same as the Kneeling High Pulley Row
    • Equipment: a cable, the same as the Kneeling High Pulley Row
    • Body position: seated, not kneeling

Why You Might Need a Kneeling High Pulley Row Alternative

A busy high pulley station, a floor you would rather not kneel on, or wanting to fix a side of your back that lags behind the other is usually what sends a lifter looking for another way to pull a cable down from overhead to the chest. The Kneeling High Pulley Row also needs a rope attachment set above head height and a couple of feet of open floor, which not every gym corner has. Every alternative here keeps a cable pull from overhead to your chest, so what changes is the grip, the base, and the elbow angle. Most swap the kneeling base for a seated position, one hands the work to a single arm at a time, and one has you grip with your palms facing you rather than the overhand grip the bar versions use.

How to Choose the Right Kneeling High Pulley Row Substitute

Start with the base you can set up. If floor space near the pulley is tight, the Cable Lateral Pulldown With V-bar gives you a seated cable pull to the upper chest with your thighs locked under a knee pad, with your elbows tucked close to your sides rather than flared out. If one side of your back pulls harder than the other, keep the Kneeling Single-arm High Pulley Row so each arm loads on its own. If you are new to lat pulldowns, the Wide-grip Lat Pulldown is the plainest version: sit down, pull a wide bar to your chest and stop. The Cable Wide Grip Rear Pulldown Behind Neck uses the same wide grip and pull to your chest seated too, so treat it as another way to load the same pull, not a step up.

Kneeling High Pulley Row FAQ

What is the best alternative to the Kneeling High Pulley Row?

The Kneeling Single-arm High Pulley Row keeps the same kneeling base and pulls toward your chest one arm at a time instead of both together, which also lets you fix a side of your back that pulls less than the other.

Can I do this exercise seated instead of kneeling?

Yes. The Cable Lateral Pulldown With V-bar pulls a V-bar down to your upper chest with your elbows kept close to your sides, seated with your thighs under a knee pad rather than kneeling on the floor, so it suits a gym where floor space near the pulley is tight or you would rather sit for the set.

Which alternative suits a beginner?

The Wide-grip Lat Pulldown is the plainest version of this cable pull: a wide bar, a seated position, and a straightforward pull to your chest. It is a good place to learn the pull before moving to single-arm or narrower-grip versions.

Do all these alternatives need a cable machine?

Yes. Every alternative here pulls against a cable or pulley station, whether you kneel, sit, or work one arm at a time, so none of them can be done with just a barbell or dumbbells. Every one of them hangs from a high pulley, so what you need is a lat pulldown station or a cable tower with the pulley set above head height; the attachment can be a wide bar, a V-bar, two handles or a single handle.

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