10 Best Lying Cambered Barbell Row Alternatives for Back Strength

If you can't do the lying cambered barbell row, use horizontal pulling variations that target the middle back: chest-supported dumbbell rows, single-arm cable rows, inverted rows, T-bar rows and seated cable rows. Cue a full scapular retraction and pull elbows toward your hips to emphasize rhomboids and middle traps while protecting the lumbar spine.

Original Exercise: Lying Cambered Barbell Row

Lying Cambered Barbell Row
Primary Muscle
Middle-back
Equipment
Barbell
Difficulty
Intermediate
Type
Compound
Secondary Muscles: Biceps, Lats, Traps
How to Perform Lying Cambered Barbell Row
  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.
Pro Tips
  • Category: Strength
  • Force: Pull
  • Movement type: Isolation

Ranked Lying Cambered Barbell Row Alternatives

Best Match
Bodyweight Mid Row

1. Bodyweight Mid Row

88.4% Match
Middle-back Other Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Incline Bench Pull

2. Incline Bench Pull

85% Match
Middle-back Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Lying T-Bar Row

3. Lying T-Bar Row

84.1% Match
Middle-back Machine Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Barbell Incline Row

4. Barbell Incline Row

83.7% Match
Upper-back Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Straight Bar Bench Mid Rows

5. Straight Bar Bench Mid Rows

79.9% Match
Middle-back Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Place a loaded barbell on the end of a bench. Standing on the bench behind the bar, take a medium, pronated grip. Stand with your hips back and chest up, maintaining a neutral spine. This will be your starting position.
  2. Row the bar to your torso by retracting the shoulder blades and flexing the elbows. Use a controlled movement with no jerking.
  3. After a brief pause, slowly return the bar to the starting position, ensuring to go all the way down.
Cambered Bar Lying Row

6. Cambered Bar Lying Row

79.2% Match
Upper-back Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Set up a barbell on the floor and lie face down on a bench with your chest just off the edge.
  2. Reach down and grab the barbell with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  3. With your legs straight and feet on the ground, lift the barbell off the floor by extending your arms.
  4. Pull the barbell towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  5. Lower the barbell back down to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Two-Arm Kettlebell Row

7. Two-Arm Kettlebell Row

76.4% Match
Middle-back Kettlebell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  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.
Bent Over Two-Arm Long Bar Row

8. Bent Over Two-Arm Long Bar Row

75.9% Match
Middle-back Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. 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.
  2. Bend forward until your torso is as close to parallel with the floor as you can and keep your knees slightly bent.
  3. Now grab the bar with both arms 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.
  4. Pull the bar straight up with your elbows 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: Use a stirrup or double handle cable attachment by hooking it under the end of the bar.
  5. 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).
T-Bar Row With Handle

9. T-Bar Row With Handle

75.9% Match
Middle-back Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Position a bar into a landmine or in a corner to keep it from moving. Load an appropriate weight onto your end.
  2. Stand over the bar, and position a Double D row handle around the bar next to the collar. Using your hips and legs, rise to a standing position.
  3. Assume a wide stance with your hips back and your chest up. Your arms should be extended. This will be your starting position.
  4. Pull the weight to your upper abdomen by retracting the shoulder blades and flexing the elbows. Do not jerk the weight or cheat during the movement.
  5. After a brief pause, return to the starting position.
Alternating Renegade Row

10. Alternating Renegade Row

73.4% Match
Middle-back Kettlebell Advanced Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Place two kettlebells on the floor about shoulder width apart. Position yourself on your toes and your hands as though you were doing a pushup, with the body straight and extended. Use the handles of the kettlebells to support your upper body. You may need to position your feet wide for support.
  2. Push one kettlebell into the floor and row the other kettlebell, retracting the shoulder blade of the working side as you flex the elbow, pulling it to your side.
  3. Then lower the kettlebell to the floor and begin the kettlebell in the opposite hand. Repeat for several reps.

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.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Select an alternative based on your goal, equipment, and movement limitations. For hypertrophy, pick rows that allow a full scapular squeeze and controlled eccentric (2–3 seconds); cue pulling the elbows back toward the hips. For strength, choose bilateral loaded rows (T-bar or barbell variants) you can progressively overload while maintaining a neutral thoracic spine. If you have low-back issues, use chest-supported or machine rows to remove torso stabilization demands. For imbalances, pick unilateral cable or dumbbell rows and focus on equal range of motion and consistent scapular retraction.

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to Lying Cambered Barbell Row?

The inverted row (Australian pull-up) is the top bodyweight substitute; it loads the mid-back through a horizontal pulling pattern. Cue a straight plank line, drive your chest to the bar, and pull the elbows to your ribs to maximize scapular retraction and mid-trapezius activation.

Can I build muscle without doing Lying Cambered Barbell Row?

Yes, you can build comparable middle-back mass using other horizontal pulling variations like T-bar rows, seated cable rows, chest-supported dumbbell rows, and high-rep inverted rows. Prioritize progressive overload, full scapular retraction, and controlled eccentrics to stimulate rhomboids and middle traps.

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