10 Best Lever One Arm Lateral High Row Alternatives for Limited Equipment

The Lever One Arm Lateral High Row is done seated with a lever machine. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Lever Unilateral Row, the Lever Reverse Grip Vertical Row and the Lever High Row.

Lever One Arm Lateral High RowWatch the Lever One Arm Lateral High Row

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

How to Do the Lever One Arm Lateral High Row

The steps for the Lever One Arm Lateral High Row itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Upper Back, with biceps, shoulders · Lever · Intermediate · Compound

  1. Adjust the seat height and position yourself facing the machine.
  2. Grasp the handle with one hand and keep your back straight.
  3. Pull the handle towards your body, keeping your elbow close to your side.
  4. Squeeze your back muscles at the top of the movement.
  5. Slowly release the handle back to the starting position.
  6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

The 10 Best Lever One Arm Lateral High Row Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Lever One Arm Lateral High 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.

Each link re-ranks the list below for the kit it names. Pick one to hide the substitutes you cannot set up.

  1. Lever Unilateral RowPlay demonstration

    1. Lever Unilateral Row

    85% match

    Upper Back · Intermediate · Compound

    It uses the same equipment and still works the upper back.

    • Lever
    How to perform it
    1. Adjust the seat height and position yourself facing the machine.
    2. Grasp the handles with an overhand grip and keep your back straight.
    3. Pull the handles towards your body, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
    4. Pause for a moment at the peak of the movement, then slowly release and extend your arms back to the starting position.
    5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

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

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: upper back, the same as the Lever One Arm Lateral High Row
    • Equipment: a machine, the same as the Lever One Arm Lateral High Row
    • Body position: seated, the same as the Lever One Arm Lateral High Row
  5. Smith One Arm RowPlay demonstration

    5. Smith One Arm Row

    77% match

    Upper Back · Intermediate · Compound

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

    • Smith-machine
    How to perform it
    1. Adjust the height of the smith machine bar to waist level.
    2. Stand facing the smith machine with your feet shoulder-width apart.
    3. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight.
    4. Grasp the bar with one hand using an overhand grip, with your palm facing down.
    5. Keep your elbow close to your body and pull the bar towards your waist, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
    6. Pause for a moment at the top of the movement, then slowly lower the bar back to the starting position.
    7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch to the other arm.

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

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: upper back, the same as the Lever One Arm Lateral High Row
    • Equipment: a machine, the same as the Lever One Arm Lateral High Row
    • Body position: standing, not seated
  7. Band One Arm Twisting Seated RowPlay demonstration

    7. Band One Arm Twisting Seated Row

    75% match

    Upper Back · Intermediate · Compound

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

    • Band
    How to perform it
    1. Sit on a bench or chair with your feet flat on the ground and your back straight.
    2. Hold the band with one hand and extend your arm fully in front of you.
    3. Keeping your back straight, pull the band towards your body by bending your elbow and squeezing your shoulder blades together.
    4. At the same time, twist your torso towards the side of the pulling arm.
    5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly release the tension in the band and return to the starting position.
    6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch to the other arm.

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

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: upper back, the same as the Lever One Arm Lateral High Row
    • Equipment: a band, not a machine
    • Body position: seated, the same as the Lever One Arm Lateral High Row

Why You Might Need a Lever One Arm Lateral High Row Alternative

You may need alternatives for several reasons: the gym lacks a lever station, you feel shoulder pain with the specific lever path, or you prefer unilateral loading progression. Substitutes let you preserve the same movement pattern and muscle activation, scapular retraction, elbow-abduction, and posterior deltoid engagement, while changing load vectors or joint angles. For rehab or impingement, use chest-supported rows to reduce spinal load and limit overhead abduction. For strength balance, pick single-arm rows to correct unilateral deficits. Technical cue: control the eccentric phase and maintain scapular retraction to keep rhomboids and mid-trapezius engaged.

Lever One Arm Lateral High Row FAQ

What muscles does Lever One Arm Lateral High Row work?

It targets the upper back: rhomboids, middle and lower trapezius, and posterior deltoid, with the lats and biceps assisting. Biomechanically it combines scapular retraction with a high, lateral elbow path to emphasize rear delt and mid-trap activation.

Find Alternatives for Any Exercise

Search the exercise database and filter the ranked substitutes by the equipment you own.