10 Best Lever Unilateral Row Alternatives for Upper Back Strength

The Lever Unilateral Row seats you at a machine, has you grasp the handles with an overhand grip and pull them to your body while your shoulder blades squeeze together. The Lever High Row is the closest swap because it runs the same lever equipment and the same overhand pull, with your chest braced against a pad and your hands set outside shoulder width, so your setup barely changes. With no lever machine free, the Band One Arm Twisting Seated Row swaps in a band anchor for the same pull.

Original Exercise: Lever Unilateral Row

Lever Unilateral Row
Primary Muscle
Upper-back
Equipment
Lever
Difficulty
Intermediate
Type
Compound
Secondary Muscles: Biceps, Forearms
How to Perform Lever Unilateral Row
  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.

Ranked Lever Unilateral Row Alternatives

Best Match
Lever High Row

1. Lever High Row

93% Match
Upper-back Lever Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Adjust the seat height and foot platform to a comfortable position.
  2. Sit on the machine with your chest against the pad and your feet flat on the foot platform.
  3. Grasp the handles with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  4. Keep your back straight and engage your core.
  5. Pull the handles towards your body, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
Lever Seated Row

2. Lever Seated Row

93% Match
Upper-back Lever Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Adjust the seat height and footrests to a comfortable position.
  2. Sit on the machine with your chest against the pad and your feet on the footrests.
  3. Grasp the handles with an overhand grip, shoulder-width apart.
  4. Keep your back straight and your core engaged.
  5. Pull the handles towards your body, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
Lever Reverse Grip Vertical Row

3. Lever Reverse Grip Vertical Row

88.4% Match
Upper-back Lever Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Adjust the seat height and footplate position to ensure proper alignment.
  2. Sit on the machine with your chest against the pad and your feet flat on the footplate.
  3. Grasp the handles with an underhand grip, palms facing up.
  4. Keep your back straight and engage your core.
  5. Pull the handles towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
Band One Arm Twisting Seated Row

4. Band One Arm Twisting Seated Row

88.1% Match
Upper-back Band Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Lever Narrow Grip Seated Row

5. Lever Narrow Grip Seated Row

87.7% Match
Upper-back Lever Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Adjust the seat height and footrests to ensure proper form.
  2. Sit on the machine with your feet flat on the footrests and your knees slightly bent.
  3. Grasp the handles with a narrow grip, palms facing each other.
  4. Keep your back straight and lean slightly forward.
  5. Pull the handles towards your torso, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
Lever One Arm Lateral High Row

6. Lever One Arm Lateral High Row

85.4% Match
Upper-back Lever Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Resistance Band Seated Straight Back Row

7. Resistance Band Seated Straight Back Row

82.4% Match
Upper-back Band Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Sit on the floor with your legs extended and loop the resistance band around your feet.
  2. Hold the ends of the resistance band with your hands, palms facing each other.
  3. Keep your back straight and lean slightly back, engaging your core.
  4. Pull the resistance band towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly release the tension and return to the starting position.
Smith One Arm Row

8. Smith One Arm Row

80.9% Match
Upper-back Smith-machine Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Cable Rope Crossover Seated Row

9. Cable Rope Crossover Seated Row

79% Match
Upper-back Cable Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Sit on the rowing machine with your feet flat on the footrests and your knees slightly bent.
  2. Grasp the cable ropes with an overhand grip, palms facing each other.
  3. Lean back slightly, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
  4. Pull the cable ropes towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  5. Pause for a moment at the peak of the movement, then slowly release the tension and return to the starting position.
Cable Rope Seated Row

10. Cable Rope Seated Row

79% Match
Upper-back Cable Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Sit on the rowing machine with your feet flat on the footrests and knees slightly bent.
  2. Grasp the cable ropes with an overhand grip, palms facing each other.
  3. Keep your back straight and lean slightly forward, maintaining a slight bend in your elbows.
  4. Pull the cable ropes towards your body, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  5. Pause for a moment at the peak of the movement, then slowly release the tension and return to the starting position.

Why You Might Need a Lever Unilateral Row Alternative

You reach for a substitute when the lever row station is busy, when your gym has no lever machine at all, or when you train at home with only a band. The Lever Unilateral Row locks you to a seated position and a fixed handle path, so most swaps either keep that same seated pull on a lever machine, move the pull onto a band you anchor yourself, or route it through a Smith bar or a cable stack instead. A handful of the alternatives change only the grip, so your setup barely shifts. Others swap the frame you pull against, which is where the equipment you actually own decides the pick.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Start with the machine in front of you. A free lever station gives you the Lever High Row for the same pull with a chest pad to brace against, or the Lever Reverse Grip Vertical Row if you would rather pull with an underhand grip. With no lever machine at all, the Band One Arm Twisting Seated Row moves the row to one arm at a time, adding a torso twist toward the pulling side at the finish, using a band and a fixed anchor point. A Smith machine points you to the Smith One Arm Row: bar at waist height, hinge forward at the hips and row one hand at a time, standing rather than seated. If you want the simplest start, the Resistance Band Seated Straight Back Row drops the twist and asks less of your setup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which alternative uses a Smith machine instead of a lever?

The Smith One Arm Row. You stand facing the frame with the bar set at waist height, hinge forward at the hips and row it with one hand at a time, so it suits a gym that has a Smith machine and no lever row station.

Which alternative works well on a cable machine?

The Cable Rope Crossover Seated Row and the Cable Rope Seated Row both move the same seated pull onto a cable stack with a rope handle instead of a lever bar. Either one is a fair pick when the seated cable row station is free but the lever machine is not.

Can I do the Lever Unilateral Row at home?

Not the lever version, but the same row travels: all you need is a resistance band, and for one option something solid to run it from. The Band One Arm Twisting Seated Row keeps you seated and rows one arm at a time, with a torso twist toward the pulling side at the finish, standing in for the machine. The Resistance Band Seated Straight Back Row is the simpler option, without the twist.

Which of these swaps suits a beginner?

The Resistance Band Seated Straight Back Row. You sit on the floor with the band looped around your feet, so there is nothing to anchor and nothing to adjust, and the pull stays straight to the chest with no twist through the finish, which makes it an easier place to start than the lever or Smith machine rows.

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