10 Best One-arm Kettlebell Row Alternatives for Limited Equipment
You can replace the one-arm kettlebell row with other horizontal or vertical pulls that load the lats and scapular retractors. Use single-arm dumbbell rows, barbell bent-over rows, inverted rows, seal rows, or banded single-arm rows. Cue: hinge at the hips, retract the scapula, drive the elbow to the hip and squeeze the lat.
Original Exercise: One-arm Kettlebell Row
How to Perform One-arm Kettlebell Row
- Place a kettlebell 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. Grab the kettlebell and pull it to your stomach, retracting your shoulder blade and flexing the elbow. Keep your back straight. Lower and repeat.
Pro Tips
- Category: Strength
- Force: Pull
- Movement type: Compound
Best One-arm Kettlebell Row Alternatives
1. Dumbbell One Arm Bent-over Row
97.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in one hand with your palm facing your body.
- Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
- Let the dumbbell hang straight down towards the floor, with your arm fully extended.
- Pull the dumbbell up towards your chest, keeping your elbow close to your body and squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbell back down to the starting position.
2. Barbell One Arm Bent Over Row
95.4% 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.
3. Dumbbell Bent Over Row
92.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing your body.
- Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
- Let your arms hang straight down towards the floor, with your elbows slightly bent.
- Pull the dumbbells up towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position.
4. Bodyweight Standing One Arm Row
88.1% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and hold a dumbbell in one hand.
- Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
- Let the dumbbell hang straight down in front of you, with your arm fully extended.
- Pull the dumbbell up towards your chest, keeping your elbow close to your body.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement.
5. Barbell Reverse Grip Bent Over Row
87.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
- Hold a barbell with an overhand grip, palms facing down, and hands slightly wider than 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 barbell towards your lower chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position.
6. Bent Over Barbell Row
87.7% 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.
7. Bodyweight Standing One Arm Row (with Towel)
87.3% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and hold a towel with one hand.
- Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
- Pull the towel towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the towel back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch to the other arm.
8. Bodyweight Standing Close-grip One Arm Row
84.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and hold a dumbbell in one hand with a neutral grip.
- Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
- Pull the dumbbell up towards your chest, keeping your elbow close to your body and squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbell back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch sides.
9. Bent Over One-Arm Long Bar Row
84.4% 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).
10. Bodyweight Standing Row (with Towel)
81.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a towel in front of you with both hands.
- Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight.
- Pull the towel towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly release the tension and return to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Why You Might Need a One-arm Kettlebell Row Alternative
You may substitute the one-arm kettlebell row for several reasons: lack of a kettlebell, shoulder pain with the load, travel workouts, or a need for different loading planes. Substitutes let you preserve lat tension while changing grip, torso angle, or stability demands. For example, a bent-over barbell row increases bilateral load and spinal stability, while an inverted row reduces compressive spine load and emphasizes scapular retraction. Use a cue such as "pull the elbow back while keeping the shoulder blade down" to maintain lat activation and avoid dominant upper-trap recruitment.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Choose a substitute based on equipment, movement pattern, and weak links you need to address. If you lack kettlebells, use a dumbbell or banded single-arm row to preserve unilateral work; cue: hinge at the hips, keep a neutral spine, and lead with the elbow to maximize lat contraction. If you want heavier load, pick a barbell bent-over row and focus on hip hinge mechanics to transfer force safely. For scapular control or rehab, choose inverted or seal rows and emphasize slow eccentric control to train the lats and middle trapezius without excessive compressive load.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does One-arm Kettlebell Row work?
The one-arm kettlebell row primarily targets the latissimus dorsi and works the rhomboids, middle trapezius, posterior deltoid, and biceps as secondary muscles. It also challenges core stability and anti-rotation through unilateral loading of the spine.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to One-arm Kettlebell Row?
The inverted row is the top bodyweight alternative because it preserves a horizontal pulling plane and emphasizes scapular retraction and lat engagement. Cue: keep the body rigid, pull the chest to the bar, and lead with the elbows to maximize lat activation.
Can I build muscle without doing One-arm Kettlebell Row?
Yes. You can build back muscle using other compound pulls that provide progressive overload and full range of motion, such as dumbbell rows, barbell bent-over rows, and weighted pull-ups. Focus on loading, tempo, and contracting the lats—drive the elbow to the hip and squeeze at the top for best hypertrophy results.
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