10 Best One-arm Long Bar Row Alternatives for Limited Equipment
What can you do instead of the One-arm Long Bar Row? Use single-arm dumbbell rows, chest-supported rows, seated cable rows, neutral-grip barbell rows, or pull-ups to hit the lats and mid-back. Brace your core, hinge at the hips and pull through the elbow with deliberate scapular retraction to reproduce the original lat activation pattern.
Original Exercise: One-arm Long Bar Row
How to Perform One-arm Long Bar Row
- Position a bar into a landmine or in a corner to keep it from moving. Load an appropriate weight onto your end.
- Stand next to the bar, and take a grip with one hand close to the collar. Using your hips and legs, rise to a standing position.
- Assume a bent-knee stance with your hips back and your chest up. Your arm should be extended. This will be your starting position.
- Pull the weight to your side by retracting the shoulder and flexing the elbow. Do not jerk the weight or cheat during the movement.
- After a brief pause, return to the starting position.
Pro Tips
- Category: Strength
- Force: Pull
- Movement type: Compound
Best One-arm Long Bar Row Alternatives
1. Barbell One Arm Bent Over Row
95.2% 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.
2. Barbell Reverse Grip Bent Over Row
89% 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.
3. Bent Over Barbell Row
89% 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.
4. Dumbbell One Arm Bent-over Row
88.1% 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.
5. Bodyweight Standing One Arm Row
87.9% 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.
6. Bodyweight Standing One Arm Row (with Towel)
87.1% 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.
7. Bodyweight Standing Close-grip One Arm Row
84.4% 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.
8. Bent Over One-Arm Long Bar Row
84.2% 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).
9. Dumbbell Bent Over Row
83.2% 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.
10. Bodyweight Standing Row (with Towel)
81.4% 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 Long Bar Row Alternative
You may substitute the One-arm Long Bar Row because of shoulder or wrist pain from a wide bar grip, lack of a long barbell, unilateral imbalances, or programming needs for different loading. When swapping exercises, preserve the horizontal-pull mechanics and lat-dominant activation—focus on humeral extension and scapular retraction. For example, a chest-supported row reduces lumbar shear; cue a neutral spine, retract the scapula before the pull, then drive the elbow back to maximize lat recruitment. If grip limits load, use straps or neutral handles to shift stress off the forearms and onto the lats.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Match the substitute to the movement pattern, loading requirement and unilateral needs. For unilateral carryover choose a single-arm dumbbell row and cue a stable hip hinge with the elbow tracking close to the ribcage to maintain lat torque. For heavier loading or spine support choose a T-bar or chest-supported row and maintain a slight torso angle with a tight core to preserve horizontal pull. If grip is the limiter, pick cable or machine rows or use straps so the lats, not the forearms, fail first. Prioritize full scapular retraction and a controlled eccentric to optimize activation and hypertrophy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does One-arm Long Bar Row work?
The One-arm Long Bar Row primarily targets the latissimus dorsi and also loads the teres major, rhomboids, posterior deltoid and biceps as secondary movers. Biomechanically it is a horizontal pulling pattern—focus on elbow-driven humeral extension and scapular retraction to emphasize lat activation while the core and erector spinae stabilize the torso.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to One-arm Long Bar Row?
The inverted row (Australian pull-up) is the best bodyweight substitute. Set a bar at hip height, keep your body rigid, retract the scapula then pull your chest to the bar—this preserves the horizontal-pull plane and lats receive primary loading without external weight.
Can I build muscle without doing One-arm Long Bar Row?
Yes. You can achieve equal hypertrophy by using exercises that replicate horizontal pull mechanics and progressive overload—single-arm dumbbell rows, seated cable rows, chest-supported rows and pull-ups all work. Ensure you match load, range of motion and tempo, cue full scapular retraction and progressive sets to tension the lats consistently.
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