Barbell Row Alternative: 10 Swaps Sorted by Why You're Switching

The best barbell row alternative for most people is the chest-supported dumbbell row on an incline bench, because it works the same upper and mid back muscles while taking your lower back out of the equation. If you don't own a barbell, a two-dumbbell bent-over row or a landmine row copies the pattern closely, and if you own nothing at all, an inverted row under a sturdy table is a genuinely good swap rather than a compromise. The right pick depends on why you're switching, so this guide sorts ten alternatives by reason, with form cues for each.

Quick answer: match your reason to the best swap

Why you're swapping	Best barbell row alternative	Runner-up
Lower back gets tired or sore	Chest-supported dumbbell row (incline bench)	Seal row
No barbell, but you have dumbbells	Single-arm dumbbell row	Kettlebell or dumbbell gorilla row
No barbell, but you have a rack or landmine	Meadows row	Two-handed landmine row
No equipment at all	Inverted row under a table	Towel door row
Resistance bands only	Standing band row	Seated band row
Cable machine available	Seated cable row	Single-arm standing cable row

An adjustable weight bench is the one bit of kit that opens up most of this list, so if you're buying one thing, buy that.

What the barbell row trains, and why people swap it

The bent over row hits your lats, rhomboids, middle traps and rear delts, with the biceps assisting. That part is easy to replace. The awkward part is what's happening below your ribs: you're holding a hinged position with a loaded bar hanging in front of you, so your spinal erectors and hamstrings work isometrically for the entire set.

That's both the strength and the problem. In a lab comparison of three rows, the standing bent-over row produced large, symmetrical activation from the upper to lower back but also the largest lumbar spine load, while the inverted row produced the lowest spine load and the highest lat activation of the three (Fenwick, Brown and McGill, 2009). It was a small study of seven men, so treat the numbers as directional. The pattern matches what most lifters feel, though: by the last set of heavy rows, the lower back is often the thing that gives out first, not the upper back you were trying to train.

So the swaps below fall into two groups. Some keep the free-weight hinge (dumbbell, gorilla and landmine rows) and simply replace the barbell. Others remove the hinge entirely by supporting your chest or your bodyweight, which is what you want if your lower back is the issue.

If your lower back is the problem

1. Chest-supported dumbbell row (incline bench)

Set an adjustable bench to around 30 to 45 degrees and lie face down on it with your chest on the pad and your feet planted behind you. Let a dumbbell hang straight down in each hand, then row both elbows back until the dumbbells reach the sides of your ribs. Lower slowly until your arms are straight and you feel a stretch across your upper back.

The bench does the job your lower back was doing, so you can push your back muscles closer to failure without your form unravelling. It's our top pick for most people, and our chest supported row guide covers the machine and T-bar versions too.

• Cue: keep your chest glued to the pad. If it lifts off at the top, the weight is too heavy.
• Sets and reps: 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12.

2. Seal row

The seal row is the strictest version of a chest-supported row: you lie flat on a high bench (raised on blocks or plates so your arms can fully extend) and row a barbell or two dumbbells up to the underside of the bench. Your legs hang off the end and can't help, so there's no way to cheat the weight up with a hip drive.

It's the best choice if you want to keep using a barbell but your lower back won't tolerate the bent-over position. The catch is setup: you need a bench high enough that the bar clears the floor at full stretch. Our seal row guide shows a few home setups that work.

3. Chest-supported row with one dumbbell

If your incline bench feels unstable with two heavy dumbbells, row one arm at a time and brace your free hand on the bench's frame. You'll get a slightly longer pull and a chance to fix a weaker side. It's a small change, but it's often the version that suits a cheaper, lighter bench best.

If you don't have a barbell

4. Single-arm dumbbell row

Put one knee and one hand on a bench (or a sturdy chair), let the dumbbell hang under your shoulder and pull it towards your hip. Because your free arm props up your torso, the lower back load drops a lot compared with a two-handed bent-over row, and you can handle heavier weights per side than most people expect. The dumbbell row guide has the full setup.

• Cue: row to the hip, not the armpit. That keeps your elbow close and puts more work on the lats.
• Sets and reps: 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 per arm.

Two dumbbells held together in a bent-over position will copy the barbell row almost exactly, if that's what you want. It loads the lower back in the same way, though, so it only helps if the bar itself was the problem.

5. Kettlebell gorilla row

Set two kettlebells (or dumbbells) on the floor between your feet, hinge over with a wide stance and row one bell while the other stays planted and you push down on it. Then alternate. Pressing into the grounded bell gives you a solid base, and the alternating rhythm lets you train hard without the lower back being under tension for long. We've published a full gorilla row guide with setup and stance tips.

If you're buying bells for this, our best kettlebells UK roundup covers the weights and handle shapes that suit rowing.

6. Meadows row or two-handed landmine row

Wedge one end of a barbell into a landmine attachment or the corner of a room (wrap it in a towel to protect the wall), load the other end and row it. The Meadows row is the single-arm version done side-on to the bar, with a big stretch at the bottom that hits the lats and upper back hard. The two-handed landmine row uses a V-handle under the sleeve and feels like a friendlier T-bar row.

Yes, both use a barbell. They're on this list because the bar moves in an arc that suits the body far better than a straight bar path, and many people with grumpy wrists or shoulders find them pain-free when barbell rows aren't. Plenty of power racks, including several in our best squat rack UK guide, come with a landmine post or offer one as an add-on.

If you have no equipment

7. Inverted row under a table

Lie under a sturdy table (solid wood, not one that wobbles), grip the edge with your hands shoulder-width apart and pull your chest up to it while keeping your body straight from heels to shoulders. Bend your knees to make it easier, or put your feet on a chair to make it harder.

This isn't a token bodyweight option. The same study above found the inverted row gave the highest lat activation of the three rows and the lowest load on the lumbar spine (Fenwick, Brown and McGill, 2009). Rings or a suspension trainer work even better than a table because the handles rotate, and one suspension strap study found high and wide rows recruited all three parts of the trapezius and the rear delts above 60% of maximal effort (Youdas et al., 2021). Read our inverted row guide for progressions.

8. Towel door row

Loop a strong towel round both handles of a closed door (check it's latched and opens away from you, or wrap it round a solid post), lean back with your arms straight and row yourself in. It's lighter than an inverted row, which makes it a decent starting point for beginners. Walk your feet closer to the door to make it harder.

9. Resistance band row

Anchor a band at chest height in a door, or loop it round your feet while sitting on the floor, and row the handles to your ribs. Bands get harder as they stretch, so the squeeze at the end of the rep is where they really bite. That suits rows well, because the end of the pull is the weakest point of most free-weight rows. Our best resistance bands UK guide covers which sets come with door anchors and handles.

• Sets and reps: 3 to 4 sets of 12 to 20; bands reward higher reps.

If you'd rather use a cable

10. Seated cable row

The seated row is the easiest swap of all if you're in a gym. Your feet are braced, your torso is upright and the cable keeps tension on the muscle from start to finish. In an EMG comparison of four common back exercises, the seated row produced the highest activity in the middle traps and rhomboids and one of the best lat-to-biceps activation ratios (Lehman et al., 2004). That's the upper back emphasis most people want from a barbell row in the first place. See our seated cable row guide for handle choices.

The single-arm standing cable row is worth rotating in as well. The 2009 study found it challenged the trunk's ability to resist twisting, which is useful core work the barbell row doesn't give you.

Common mistakes with any barbell row swap

Shrugging the weight up. If your shoulders ride up towards your ears, the upper traps take over. Pull your shoulder blades down and back before each rep, then row.

Cutting the stretch short. Let your arms straighten fully and your shoulder blades spread at the bottom. The stretch under load is where a lot of the muscle-building happens, and chest-supported rows make it easy to skip.

Going too heavy on a cheap bench. A light incline bench can tip or slide with two 30kg dumbbells and a person on it. Brace it against a wall, or row one arm at a time.

How to programme your alternative

Treat your main swap exactly as you'd treat the barbell row. For most people that's 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps, twice a week, resting about 90 seconds between sets. Bodyweight and band rows suit slightly higher reps (12 to 20).

A simple home back session with just a bench and adjustable dumbbells might be chest-supported rows for 4 sets of 10, single-arm rows for 3 sets of 12 per side and a back extension variation for 2 sets of 15. Once the top of your dumbbell set feels light, our best adjustable dumbbells UK guide covers sets that go well past 24kg per hand. And if it's pulldowns you're struggling to replace too, the lat pulldown alternative guide follows the same format.

Recommended reads

• Bent over row: how to do it, muscles worked and form
• Chest supported row: how to do it and variations
• The best weight bench in the UK
• The best adjustable dumbbells in the UK
• Back exercises: the 10 best moves for a stronger back