10 Best Lever One Arm Bent Over Row Alternatives for Limited Equipment
If you need an alternative to the Lever One Arm Bent Over Row, use single-arm dumbbell rows, barbell bent-over rows, chest-supported rows, inverted rows, or seated cable rows to hit the same upper-back muscles. Maintain a neutral spine, hinge at the hips, and cue scapular retraction—pull your shoulder blade back before driving the elbow to your hip.
Original Exercise: Lever One Arm Bent Over Row
How to Perform Lever One Arm Bent Over Row
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and hold a barbell with an overhand grip.
- Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and your head up.
- Let the barbell hang in front of you with your arms fully extended.
- Pull the barbell up towards your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement.
- Lower the barbell back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Best Lever One Arm Bent Over Row Alternatives
1. Barbell Bent Over Row
92.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
- Bend forward at the hips while keeping your back straight and chest up.
- Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Pull the barbell towards your lower chest by retracting your shoulder blades and squeezing your back muscles.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position.
2. Barbell Pendlay Row
91.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
- Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and your chest up.
- Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Pull the barbell towards your upper abdomen, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Lower the barbell back down to the starting position.
3. Ez Bar Reverse Grip Bent Over Row
88.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
- Hold the ez barbell with an underhand grip, palms facing up, and hands shoulder-width apart.
- Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and chest up, until your torso is almost parallel to the floor.
- Pull the ez barbell towards your lower chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the ez barbell back to the starting position.
4. Barbell One Arm Bent Over Row
85% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and hold a barbell with one hand using an overhand grip.
- Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and your head in a neutral position.
- Pull the barbell up towards your chest, keeping your elbow close to your body and squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Lower the barbell back down to the starting position in a controlled manner.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch to the other arm.
5. Band One Arm Standing Low Row
84.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Attach the band to a stable anchor point at waist height.
- Stand facing the anchor point with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Hold the band with one hand, palm facing inward, and step back to create tension in the band.
- Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight.
- Pull the band towards your waist, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
6. Cable One Arm Bent Over Row
84.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand facing a cable machine with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight.
- Grasp the cable handle with one hand, palm facing inward, and extend your arm fully.
- Pull the cable handle towards your body, keeping your elbow close to your side, until your hand reaches your lower chest.
- Pause for a moment, then slowly extend your arm back to the starting position.
7. Bent Over One-Arm Long Bar Row
81% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- 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.
- Bend forward until your torso is as close to parallel with the floor as you can and keep your knees slightly bent.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
8. Dumbbell Reverse Grip Row (female)
79.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip, palms facing your body.
- Bend forward at the waist, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
- Let your arms hang straight down, fully extended, with a slight bend in your elbows.
- Pull the dumbbells up towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
9. Bent Over Barbell Row
77.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- 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.
- 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.
- Then inhale and slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
10. Barbell Rear Delt Row
75.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
- Hold a barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and chest up.
- Pull the barbell towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position.
Why You Might Need a Lever One Arm Bent Over Row Alternative
You might substitute the Lever One Arm Bent Over Row for several reasons: lower-back pain from the hip-hinge position, no access to a lever machine, bilateral loading preferences, or to correct strength imbalances. The lever row emphasizes scapular retraction and unilateral elbow drive; alternatives can reproduce that activation while changing spinal loading or range of motion. For example, a chest-supported row reduces lumbar shear by removing the hip hinge and shifts load to the lats and rhomboids. If you have a back complaint, keep a neutral spine, brace your core, and limit torso rotation while you train.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Select a substitute based on equipment, back health, and the muscle pattern you want to emphasize. If you lack a machine, choose a single-arm dumbbell row or barbell bent-over row to maintain unilateral elbow-driven loading; cue: keep torso parallel to the floor and pull the elbow to the hip. For low-back issues, pick chest-supported or seated cable rows to minimize spinal extension demand and focus on scapular retraction. If you need progression, use tempo (3-1-1) and increase load while preserving full shoulder extension and elbow flexion.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Lever One Arm Bent Over Row work?
The movement primarily targets the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, middle trapezius, and posterior deltoid, with the biceps assisting. The erector spinae and hip extensors stabilize the torso during the hip hinge while the scapular retractors drive the concentric pull.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Lever One Arm Bent Over Row?
The inverted row (suspension trainer or bar) is the top bodyweight substitute because it preserves horizontal pulling and scapular retraction. Keep your body rigid, pull your chest to the bar, and squeeze the shoulder blades together to maximize lat and mid-trap activation.
Can I build muscle without doing Lever One Arm Bent Over Row?
Yes. You can achieve hypertrophy with alternatives that apply progressive overload and full range of motion—dumbbell rows, chest-supported machine rows, pull-ups, and seated cable rows all work. Prioritize controlled eccentrics, full scapular retraction, and incremental loading to stimulate the same upper-back muscle fibers.
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