10 Best Lying Cambered Barbell Row Alternatives for Back Strength

The Lying Cambered Barbell Row is done lying face down with a barbell. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Bodyweight Mid Row, the Incline Bench Pull and the Lying T-Bar Row.

Lying Cambered Barbell Row

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

How to Do the Lying Cambered Barbell Row

The steps for the Lying Cambered Barbell Row itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Middle Back, with biceps, lats, traps · Barbell · Intermediate · Compound

  1. Place a cambered bar underneath an exercise bench.
  2. Lie face down on the exercise bench and grab the bar using a palms down (pronated grip) that is wider than shoulder width. This will be your starting position.
  3. As you exhale row the bar up as you keep the elbows close to your body to either your chest, in order to target the upper mid back, or to your stomach if targeting the lats is your goal.
  4. After a second hold at the top, lower back down to the starting position slowly as you inhale.

The 10 Best Lying Cambered Barbell Row Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Lying Cambered Barbell 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. Bodyweight Mid Row

    1. Bodyweight Mid Row

    88% match

    Middle Back · Intermediate · Compound

    Pick this when you want to work the middle back with more balance to manage.

    • Other
    How to perform it
    1. Begin by taking a medium to wide grip on a pull-up apparatus with your palms facing away from you. From a hanging position, tuck your knees to your chest, leaning back and getting your legs over your side of the pull-up apparatus. This will be your starting position.
    2. Beginning with your arms straight, flex the elbows and retract the shoulder blades to raise your body up until your legs contact the pull-up apparatus.
    3. After a brief pause, return to the starting position.

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

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: middle back, the same as the Lying Cambered Barbell Row
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, not free weights
    • Body position: lying face down, the same as the Lying Cambered Barbell Row
    • Balance: harder to stay steady on than the Lying Cambered Barbell Row
  2. Incline Bench Pull

    2. Incline Bench Pull

    85% match

    Middle Back · Intermediate · Compound

    It still works the middle back, through a different movement.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Grab a dumbbell in each hand and lie face down on an incline bench that is set to an incline that is approximately 30 degrees.
    2. Let the arms hang to your sides fully extended as they point to the floor.
    3. Turn the wrists until your hands have a pronated (palms down) grip.
    4. Now flare the elbows out. This will be your starting position.
    5. As you breathe out, start to pull the dumbbells up as if you are doing a reverse bench press. You will do this by bending at the elbows and bringing the upper arms up as you let the forearms hang. Continue this motion until the upper arms are at the same level as your back. Tip: The elbows will come out to the side and your upper arms and torso should make the letter "T" at the top of the movement. Hold the contraction at the top for a second.
    6. Slowly go back down to the starting position as you breathe in.
    7. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

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

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: middle back, the same as the Lying Cambered Barbell Row
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Lying Cambered Barbell Row
    • Body position: lying face down, the same as the Lying Cambered Barbell Row
  3. Lying T-Bar Row

    3. Lying T-Bar Row

    84% match

    Middle Back · Intermediate · Compound

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

    • Machine
    How to perform it
    1. Load up the T-bar Row Machine with the desired weight and adjust the leg height so that your upper chest is at the top of the pad. Tip: In some machines all you can do is stand on the appropriate step that allows you to be at a height that has the upper chest at the top of the pad.
    2. Lay face down on the pad and grab the handles. You can either use a palms down, palms up, or palms in position depending on what part of your back you want to emphasize.
    3. Lift the bar off the rack and extend your arms in front of you. This will be your starting position.
    4. As you exhale slowly pull the weight up and squeeze your back at the top of the movement. Tip: Keep the upper arms as close to the torso as possible throughout the movement in order to better engage the back muscles. Also, do not lift your body off of the pad at any time and refrain from using the biceps to lift the weight.
    5. After a second contraction at the top of the movement, as you inhale, slowly go back down to the starting position.
    6. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

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

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: middle back, the same as the Lying Cambered Barbell Row
    • Equipment: a machine, not free weights
    • Body position: lying face down, the same as the Lying Cambered Barbell Row
  4. Barbell Incline RowPlay demonstration

    4. Barbell Incline Row

    84% match

    Upper Back · Intermediate · Compound

    A looser match: it uses the same equipment, but it works the upper back rather than the middle back.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Set up an incline bench at a 45-degree angle.
    2. Lie face down on the bench with your chest against the pad and your feet flat on the ground.
    3. Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
    4. Keep your back straight and your core engaged.
    5. Pull the barbell towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
    6. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position.
    7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

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

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: upper back, not middle back
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Lying Cambered Barbell Row
    • Body position: lying face down, the same as the Lying Cambered Barbell Row
  7. Two-arm Kettlebell Row

    7. Two-arm Kettlebell Row

    76% match

    Middle Back · Intermediate · Compound

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

    • Kettlebell
    How to perform it
    1. Place two kettlebells in front of your feet. Bend your knees slightly and then push your butt out as much as possible as you bend over to get in the starting position.
    2. Grab both kettlebells and pull them to your stomach, retracting your shoulder blades and flexing the elbows. Keep your back straight. Lower and repeat.

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

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: middle back, the same as the Lying Cambered Barbell Row
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Lying Cambered Barbell Row
    • Body position: standing, not lying face down
    • Balance: harder to stay steady on than the Lying Cambered Barbell Row

Why You Might Need a Lying Cambered Barbell Row Alternative

You might substitute the lying cambered barbell row due to bar availability, shoulder pain from a fixed grip, or lower-back strain from prone torso loading. Alternatives let you change torso angle, support the chest, or move to unilateral patterns to reduce lumbar shear and uneven loading. For example, a chest-supported dumbbell row eliminates thoracic hinge and keeps the spine neutral, brace your core and retract the scapula before each rep. Other options use cables or rings to vary resistance curves and emphasize scapular retraction, improving rhomboid and mid-trapezius activation without forcing the exact cambered-bar setup.

Lying Cambered Barbell Row FAQ

What muscles does Lying Cambered Barbell Row work?

The lying cambered barbell row primarily targets the middle back, rhomboids and middle trapezius, with assistance from the posterior deltoids and lats. The exercise emphasizes scapular retraction and horizontal shoulder extension while the lower back provides torso stabilization.

Find Alternatives for Any Exercise

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