10 Best One Arm Towel Row Alternatives for Limited Equipment

If you can’t perform a One Arm Towel Row, use unilateral bodyweight and band pulls—single-arm inverted rows, ring rows, doorframe rows, or band rows—to hit the upper back and scapular stabilizers. Cue: initiate the movement with deliberate scapular retraction and drive the elbow back while keeping a neutral spine to load the lats and rhomboids.

Original Exercise: One Arm Towel Row

One Arm Towel Row
Primary Muscle
Upper-back
Equipment
Body-weight
Difficulty
Intermediate
Type
Compound
Secondary Muscles: Biceps, Forearms
How to Perform One Arm Towel Row
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and hold a towel with one hand.
  2. Bend forward at the waist, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
  3. Extend your arm fully, allowing the towel to hang in front of you.
  4. Pull the towel towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the towel back to the starting position.
  6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch arms.

Best One Arm Towel Row Alternatives

Best Match
Band One Arm Standing Low Row

1. Band One Arm Standing Low Row

87.9% Match
Upper-back Band Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Attach the band to a stable anchor point at waist height.
  2. Stand facing the anchor point with your feet shoulder-width apart.
  3. Hold the band with one hand, palm facing inward, and step back to create tension in the band.
  4. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight.
  5. Pull the band towards your waist, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
Cable One Arm Bent Over Row

2. Cable One Arm Bent Over Row

87.9% Match
Upper-back Cable Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand facing a cable machine with your feet shoulder-width apart.
  2. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight.
  3. Grasp the cable handle with one hand, palm facing inward, and extend your arm fully.
  4. Pull the cable handle towards your body, keeping your elbow close to your side, until your hand reaches your lower chest.
  5. Pause for a moment, then slowly extend your arm back to the starting position.
Bodyweight Standing One Arm Row

3. Bodyweight Standing One Arm Row

84.4% Match
Lats Body-weight Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and hold a dumbbell in one hand.
  2. Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
  3. Let the dumbbell hang straight down in front of you, with your arm fully extended.
  4. Pull the dumbbell up towards your chest, keeping your elbow close to your body.
  5. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement.
Bodyweight Standing One Arm Row (with Towel)

4. Bodyweight Standing One Arm Row (with Towel)

83.7% Match
Lats Body-weight Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and hold a towel with one hand.
  2. Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
  3. Pull the towel towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the towel back to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch to the other arm.
Bodyweight Standing Close-grip One Arm Row

5. Bodyweight Standing Close-grip One Arm Row

81% Match
Lats Body-weight Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and hold a dumbbell in one hand with a neutral grip.
  2. Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
  3. Pull the dumbbell up towards your chest, keeping your elbow close to your body and squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbell back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch sides.
Elevator

6. Elevator

78.9% Match
Upper-back Body-weight Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
  2. Place your hands on your hips or cross them in front of your chest.
  3. Keeping your back straight, slowly bend forward at the waist, lowering your upper body towards the ground.
  4. Pause for a moment at the bottom, then slowly raise your upper body back up to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Bodyweight Standing Row (with Towel)

7. Bodyweight Standing Row (with Towel)

78% Match
Lats Body-weight Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a towel in front of you with both hands.
  2. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight.
  3. Pull the towel towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly release the tension and return to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Dumbbell Reverse Grip Row (female)

8. Dumbbell Reverse Grip Row (female)

77.4% Match
Upper-back Dumbbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
  2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip, palms facing your body.
  3. Bend forward at the waist, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
  4. Let your arms hang straight down, fully extended, with a slight bend in your elbows.
  5. Pull the dumbbells up towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
Ez Bar Reverse Grip Bent Over Row

9. Ez Bar Reverse Grip Bent Over Row

77.4% Match
Upper-back Ez-barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
  2. Hold the ez barbell with an underhand grip, palms facing up, and hands shoulder-width apart.
  3. Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and chest up, until your torso is almost parallel to the floor.
  4. Pull the ez barbell towards your lower chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the ez barbell back to the starting position.
Barbell Bent Over Row

10. Barbell Bent Over Row

77.4% Match
Upper-back Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
  2. Bend forward at the hips while keeping your back straight and chest up.
  3. Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  4. Pull the barbell towards your lower chest by retracting your shoulder blades and squeezing your back muscles.
  5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position.

Why You Might Need a One Arm Towel Row Alternative

You may substitute the One Arm Towel Row for several practical reasons: lack of a sturdy anchor, shoulder or wrist pain, limited grip strength, or the need for easier progressions. Alternatives let you control lever length and loading to manage shear and compressive forces at the shoulder. For example, moving from a horizontal inverted row to a steeper angle increases the moment arm and load on the lats and posterior deltoid; conversely, bending the knees shortens the lever and reduces demand. Use cues like "retract scapula, lead with the elbow, and keep the chest high" to preserve scapulothoracic rhythm and maximize rhomboid and mid-trapezius activation while protecting the glenohumeral joint.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Choose a substitute based on your training goal, joint status, and available anchors. For strength, pick steeper body angles or single-arm ring rows to increase load and demand on the latissimus and teres major. For rehab or low load, use a resistance band or a more horizontal inverted row to emphasize scapular retraction with reduced shear on the shoulder. Consider unilateral options if you need to correct imbalances; cue a long torso and elbow-drive to bias the lats. Pay attention to moment arm: stepping farther back increases mechanical load, while shortening the lever reduces it. Prioritize exercises that let you maintain clean scapular control and full range of motion.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does One Arm Towel Row work?

The One Arm Towel Row primarily targets the lats, rhomboids, and middle trapezius while recruiting the posterior deltoid and biceps. Proper technique—scapular retraction before elbow flexion—engages the scapulothoracic muscles to stabilize the shoulder blade and maximize lat and rhomboid activation.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to One Arm Towel Row?

A single-arm inverted row (using a table, bar, or rings) is the best bodyweight substitute because it preserves unilateral loading and scapular mechanics. Cue: keep the torso rigid, initiate with a scapular pull, and drive the elbow back to emphasize lat and rhomboid recruitment.

Can I build muscle without doing One Arm Towel Row?

Yes—you can build upper-back muscle using alternatives like band rows, inverted rows, and ring rows that replicate pulling mechanics and produce sufficient time under tension. Focus on progressive overload by adjusting body angle, reps, or band tension and maintain full scapular retraction to ensure targeted hypertrophy.

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