The inverted row is a bodyweight horizontal pull where you hang underneath a bar, a suspension trainer, or a set of rings and pull your chest up to it while your feet stay on the floor. It trains your mid-back hard, your lats, your rear delts, and your biceps as a secondary mover, and you can make it harder or easier just by changing your body angle. Walk your feet out to make it steeper and harder, or bend your knees and stand more upright to make it easier. I’ve got a full breakdown of the muscles it hits and why it’s worth doing in our inverted row benefits and muscles worked guide if you want the deeper dive.
You might need an alternative for a few reasons. Not every gym has a bar set at the right height in a rack, and plenty of home gyms don’t have anywhere to hang under at all. If you’re strong enough that bodyweight inverted rows stop being challenging, you’re stuck adding a weighted vest or a chain around your neck just to keep loading the movement, and that’s gear most people don’t own. Or your rack might be tied up with someone squatting and you need a row you can do on a cable stack or with a pair of dumbbells instead. Some lifters just want more back exercises in rotation so the same 3 sets don’t get stale week after week.
Here are the 8 inverted row alternatives I reach for most, picked for how well they keep that same horizontal pulling line into your mid-back, how safe they are on your shoulders and elbows, and what equipment they need. A few of these are close to a straight swap, and others let you load a lot heavier once bodyweight stops being enough. I’ll tell you when to use each one and exactly how to do it.
Table of Contents
- 1 The 8 Best Inverted Row Alternatives
- 2 Reasons to Choose an Inverted Row Alternative
- 3 Muscles Worked by the Inverted Row
- 4 FAQs
- 4.1 What’s the closest alternative to the inverted row?
- 4.2 Can I build a bigger back without inverted rows?
- 4.3 What’s the best inverted row alternative for a home gym?
- 4.4 What’s the best inverted row alternative if my lower back is the problem?
- 4.5 Why do inverted rows feel too easy for me?
- 4.6 How many back rows should I do per workout?
- 5 Key Takeaways
- 6 Other Alternative Exercises
- 6.1 The 10 Best Lat Pulldown Alternatives
- 6.2 The 9 Best Seated Cable Row Alternatives (2023)
- 6.3 The 10 Best Bench Press Alternatives
- 6.4 The 8 Best Hammer Curl Alternatives
- 6.5 The 10 Best Overhead Press Alternatives
- 6.6 The 8 Best Ab Rollout Alternatives
- 6.7 The 8 Best Incline Bench Press Alternative
- 6.8 The 7 Best Deadlift Alternatives
- 6.9 The 10 Best Romanian Deadlift Alternatives
- 6.10 The 10 Best Lying Leg Curl Alternatives
- 6.11 The 10 Best Hack Squat Alternatives
- 6.12 The 9 Best Lunge Alternatives
- 6.13 The 9 Best Leg Press Alternatives
- 6.14 The 10 Best Pallof Press Alternatives
- 6.15 The 10 Best Plank Alternatives
The 8 Best Inverted Row Alternatives
- Ring Row (TRX Row)
- Chest-Supported Dumbbell Row
- Seated Cable Row
- Barbell Bent-Over Row
- Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
- Machine Row
- Lat Pulldown
- Resistance Band Row
1. Ring Row (TRX Row)
When to Perform Ring Rows
This is the closest thing to a straight swap for an inverted row. You’re still hanging under something and pulling your chest up to your hands with your feet on the floor, just off a set of gymnastics rings or a TRX strap instead of a fixed bar. The rings and straps rotate and swing a little, so your shoulders and grip have to work harder to keep everything stable, which most lifters find harder than the same angle on a barbell. Use this when your gym has a rig with straps or rings but no bar set low enough in a rack, or when you want extra shoulder stability work on top of the pull itself. I’ll usually program 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, adjusting my foot position to hit that range, and I’ll pick rings over a bar any week I want a harder version of the same movement without adding load.
How to Perform Ring Rows
- Set a pair of rings or a TRX strap so the handles hang about waist to chest height.
- Grab a handle in each hand, walk your feet out, and lean back until your arms are straight and your body forms a straight line from shoulders to heels.
- Pull your chest up to your hands, driving your elbows back and squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Lower back down under control until your arms are fully straight again.
Equipment: gymnastics rings or a TRX/suspension trainer, anchored overhead.
This video from Travis Tarrant (UKFH) shows how to perform the TRX row.
Tips for Ring Rows
- Keep your body in a straight line from head to heels. Don’t let your hips sag.
- The steeper your body angle, the harder the row gets, so walk your feet in if you can’t complete your reps with good form.
- Turn your palms to face each other for a more shoulder-friendly grip if a straight bar grip bothers your wrists.
- Rings move more than a TRX strap, so start with the TRX if you’re new to unstable rows.
If you want more bodyweight pulling options beyond a row, see our pull-up alternatives guide.
2. Chest-Supported Dumbbell Row
When to Perform Chest-Supported Dumbbell Rows
Use this once your bodyweight inverted rows get too easy and you need a way to add real load without a vest or a chain. Lying face-down on an incline bench takes your lower back completely out of the equation, so all the work goes straight into your lats and mid-back instead of getting spread across your spinal erectors the way a bent-over row can. It’s also the pick if you’ve got a cranky lower back and bent-over positions bother you. I run this for 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps, picking a weight where the last 2 reps are a real grind.
How to Perform Chest-Supported Dumbbell Rows
- Set an incline bench to about 30 to 45 degrees and lie face-down on it with a dumbbell in each hand.
- Let your arms hang straight down, palms facing each other.
- Pull both dumbbells up toward your hips, driving your elbows back and squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Lower the dumbbells back down under control until your arms are fully straight.
Equipment: incline bench, pair of dumbbells.
This video from Fit Father Project shows how to perform the chest-supported dumbbell row.
Tips for Chest-Supported Dumbbell Rows
- Let your arms hang fully straight at the bottom of every rep instead of stopping short.
- Keep your chest pinned to the bench the whole set so momentum can’t creep in.
- Row the dumbbells toward your hips, not your armpits, to keep the emphasis on your lats.
- No incline bench? A flat bench propped against a rack works just as well.
3. Seated Cable Row
When to Perform Seated Cable Rows
Reach for this any time your gym has a low pulley and a handle attachment free. A cable keeps constant tension on your back through the whole range instead of losing it at full extension the way a dumbbell or bodyweight row can, and you can adjust the load in small jumps to match exactly where you’re at. This is my go-to when I want a main back exercise I can run for higher reps. I’ll usually do 3 to 4 sets of 10 to 15 reps here.
How to Perform Seated Cable Rows
- Sit at a low cable row station with your feet braced on the platform and knees slightly bent.
- Grab the handle with both hands and sit up tall with your arms extended.
- Pull the handle toward your stomach, driving your elbows back and squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Extend your arms back out under control until you feel a stretch in your lats.
Equipment: cable machine, low pulley, row handle (V-bar or straight bar).
This video from ScottHermanFitness shows how to perform the seated cable low row.
Tips for Seated Cable Rows
- Keep your torso upright through the set instead of rocking back and forth to move more weight.
- Pull to your stomach, not your chest, to keep the line of pull horizontal.
- Pause and squeeze your shoulder blades together for a full second at the top of each rep.
- Switch between a wide bar, a V-bar, and a rope attachment every few weeks to change up the grip and angle.
If you want more cable-only back options, see our cable row alternatives guide.
4. Barbell Bent-Over Row
When to Perform the Barbell Bent-Over Row
This is the heaviest loading option on the list, so use it once you’ve outgrown every bodyweight and dumbbell option and want to build real strength and size in your whole back at once. It loads your lats, traps, and rear delts together, and it builds pulling strength that carries over to your deadlift. I’d program this for 3 to 5 sets of 6 to 10 reps as a main lift.
How to Perform the Barbell Bent-Over Row
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, grip a barbell just outside shoulder width, and hinge forward at the hips until your torso is close to parallel with the floor.
- Let the bar hang with your arms straight, keeping a slight bend in your knees and a flat back.
- Pull the bar up to your lower ribs, driving your elbows back and squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Lower the bar back down under control until your arms are fully straight.
Equipment: barbell, weight plates.
This video from ScottHermanFitness shows how to perform the barbell bent-over row.
Tips for the Barbell Bent-Over Row
- Keep your back flat and your core braced through the whole set. A rounded lower back under load is how you tweak it.
- Pull with your elbows, not your hands. Think about driving your elbows toward the ceiling behind you.
- Use lifting straps once your grip gives out before your back does.
- Start with your torso a little higher than parallel if your hamstrings or lower back aren’t ready for a fully horizontal position yet.
Already a fan of barbell rows? See our barbell row alternatives and bent-over row alternatives guides for even more options.
5. Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
When to Perform Single-Arm Dumbbell Rows
Use this when you want to fix a strength imbalance between your left and right side, or when you only have one dumbbell to work with. Bracing your free hand on a bench takes your lower back out of the movement the same way a chest-supported row does, but with a longer range of motion since your arm can travel further without a second dumbbell in the way. I run 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps per side.
How to Perform Single-Arm Dumbbell Rows
- Place one knee and hand on a bench, with your other foot planted on the floor for a wide base.
- Hold a dumbbell in your free hand with your arm hanging straight down.
- Pull the dumbbell up toward your hip, driving your elbow back and squeezing your shoulder blade.
- Lower the dumbbell back down under control until your arm is fully straight.
Equipment: one dumbbell, a bench.
This video from Buff Dudes Workouts shows how to perform the single-arm dumbbell row.
Tips for Single-Arm Dumbbell Rows
- Keep your torso roughly parallel to the floor and still. Don’t rotate toward the weight as you pull.
- Row toward your hip rather than straight up, which keeps your lat doing the work instead of your rear delt.
- Let your shoulder round forward slightly at the bottom of the rep for a bigger stretch, then pull it back at the top.
- No bench? Brace your free hand on a sturdy chair, box, or even your own knee.
6. Machine Row
When to Perform the Machine Row
This is the easiest entry point on the list, and the one I’ll point a beginner toward first. A chest-supported machine locks your torso in place and guides the bar path for you, so there’s almost no technique to learn before you can load it hard and safely. Use it when your form on free-weight rows still needs work, or just as a lower-fatigue way to train your back on a day you don’t want to think about balance and bracing. I’ll run 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.
How to Perform the Machine Row
- Sit or kneel into the machine so your chest is pressed against the pad and adjust the seat so the handles line up with your chest.
- Grab the handles with a firm grip and sit up tall.
- Pull the handles back toward your torso, driving your elbows back and squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Extend your arms back out under control until you feel a stretch across your back.
Equipment: chest-supported row machine (Hammer Strength or a plate-loaded/selectorized version both work).
This video from Charlie Cuthbert shows how to perform the overhand chest-supported machine row.
Tips for the Machine Row
- Keep your chest pinned to the pad the whole set so you can’t cheat the weight up with momentum.
- Adjust the seat height until the handles line up with your chest, not your stomach or your chin.
- Try both an overhand and a neutral grip on the handles if your machine offers a choice, since each hits your back slightly differently.
- Pause briefly at full contraction before lowering the weight back out.
7. Lat Pulldown
When to Perform Lat Pulldowns
This is the one true vertical pull on this list, and it still belongs here because it trains your lats and mid-back through a long range of motion the way an inverted row does, just from overhead instead of underneath a bar. Use it when there’s nothing to hang under at your gym at all, or when you specifically want to build width in your back rather than thickness. I’ll program 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.
How to Perform Lat Pulldowns
- Sit at a lat pulldown station and secure your knees under the pad.
- Grab the bar slightly wider than shoulder width with an overhand grip.
- Pull the bar down to your upper chest, driving your elbows down and back.
- Let the bar rise back up under control until your arms are fully straight and you feel a stretch in your lats.
Equipment: lat pulldown machine, cable bar attachment.
This video from ScottHermanFitness shows how to perform the lat pulldown.
Tips for Lat Pulldowns
- Lean back slightly at the start of the pull, but don’t lean back so far that you’re using your bodyweight to swing the bar down.
- Pull with your elbows, not your hands, the same cue that works on a row.
- Avoid pulling the bar behind your neck. It puts your shoulders in a rough position for very little benefit.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades down and together at the bottom of every rep before letting the bar rise.
If lat pulldowns are already your main lift, check out our lat pulldown alternatives for more options.
8. Resistance Band Row
When to Perform Resistance Band Rows
This is your travel and home option, the one you can pack in a suitcase or keep in a drawer for days you can’t get to a gym. Anchoring a band at chest height and rowing it toward you trains the same horizontal pulling line as an inverted row, just with the band’s tension instead of your bodyweight providing the resistance. Reps in the 12 to 20 range work well here, since bands are harder to load heavy and easier to load light.
How to Perform Resistance Band Rows
- Anchor a resistance band to a door anchor, pole, or rack at roughly chest height.
- Step back until there’s tension in the band, holding one end in each hand.
- Pull both handles toward your ribs, driving your elbows back and squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Extend your arms back out under control until you feel the band stretch fully.
Equipment: resistance band, door anchor or fixed anchor point.
This video from Live Lean TV Daily Exercises shows how to perform the resistance band bent-over row.
Tips for Resistance Band Rows
- Stand far enough back that the band has real tension even at the start of the rep, not just at the end.
- Keep your elbows close to your sides rather than flaring them out, unless you’re deliberately targeting your rear delts.
- Use a thicker band for more resistance instead of trying to speed through more reps on a band that’s too light.
- Anchor higher on the door for a row that hits more lats, or lower for one that hits more mid-back and rear delts.
Reasons to Choose an Inverted Row Alternative
There are a few good reasons to swap the inverted row for one of the options above. None of them are a downgrade. Each one loads your back hard, and a few of them let you keep progressing once bodyweight rows stop being a challenge. For more back-width options beyond this list, see our t-bar row alternatives guide.
- You don’t have anywhere to hang under. A cable row, machine row, or dumbbell row all work off equipment most commercial gyms already have.
- Bodyweight rows have stopped being hard. The barbell bent-over row and machine row both let you load real plates once your bodyweight isn’t enough anymore.
- Your lower back doesn’t love a bent-over position. The chest-supported dumbbell row and machine row both take your spine out of the equation entirely.
- You train at home or on the road. A resistance band packs flat and still trains the same pulling line.
- You want to fix a side-to-side imbalance. The single-arm dumbbell row trains each side on its own so one side can’t bail out the other.
Muscles Worked by the Inverted Row
Your back works as several muscles pulling together any time you row, whether you’re hanging under a bar for an inverted row or seated on a cable machine. The angle you pull from shifts how much each one contributes, which is part of why running a couple of different rows in the same program tends to build a more complete back than sticking with one. Here’s how each muscle contributes on the exercises in this list:
- Latissimus dorsi: the biggest muscle in your back and the main mover on every exercise here, pulling your arms down and back from an overhead or forward position.
- Rhomboids and mid/lower trapezius: pull your shoulder blades together at the top of every row, and they’re what give your mid-back its thickness.
- Rear deltoids: assist on every row, and they do more work the wider your grip and the more horizontal your pulling angle, like on the seated cable row or machine row.
- Biceps brachii: work as a secondary mover bending your elbow on every exercise here, though they shouldn’t be the limiting factor if your back is doing its job.
- Forearms and grip: work isometrically to hold onto the bar, handle, dumbbell, or band the whole set, especially on heavier lifts like the barbell bent-over row.
- Core and spinal erectors: brace to keep your torso stable, and they work hardest on exercises where nothing supports your chest, like the ring row, barbell bent-over row, and single-arm dumbbell row.
FAQs
What’s the closest alternative to the inverted row?
The ring row or TRX row. Both keep you hanging under something and pulling your chest up with your feet on the floor, the same setup as an inverted row, just off rings or straps instead of a fixed bar. If your gym has a rig with straps, I’d start there first.
Can I build a bigger back without inverted rows?
Yes. Your back grows from pulling weight through a full range with enough volume over time, and it doesn’t care whether that pull comes from a bar over your body, a cable stack, a pair of dumbbells, or a resistance band. Any exercise on this list will build your back if you train it hard and keep progressing it, whether that means more weight, more reps, or a harder angle.
What’s the best inverted row alternative for a home gym?
The resistance band row if you’ve got nothing else, and the single-arm or chest-supported dumbbell row if you’ve got a pair of dumbbells and a bench. Between the two, you can cover your whole back without ever needing a rack or a cable machine.
What’s the best inverted row alternative if my lower back is the problem?
The chest-supported dumbbell row and the machine row. Both pin your torso in place so your spinal erectors don’t have to brace under load, which takes your lower back almost entirely out of the movement.
Why do inverted rows feel too easy for me?
You’re probably too upright. Walking your feet further out and lowering your body angle makes an inverted row dramatically harder, since more of your bodyweight ends up hanging from your arms. Elevating your feet on a bench does the same thing and pushes it even further. If your feet are already as far out as they’ll go and it’s still easy, that’s when I’d switch to the barbell bent-over row or machine row so you can add real plates instead of chasing a harder bodyweight angle.
How many back rows should I do per workout?
One or two is usually enough on a day where you’re also doing pull-ups or a pulldown, since your back already gets worked from the vertical pulling. On a dedicated back day, 2 to 3 rows covering different angles, like a horizontal pull, a single-arm pull, and a lat pulldown, will cover the muscle well without piling on junk volume.
Key Takeaways
If you want the closest bodyweight swap, go with the ring row or TRX row. If you’ve outgrown bodyweight rows entirely and want to keep loading up, the barbell bent-over row or machine row will let you add real plates. Training at home with nothing but a resistance band, you can still build real back size over time. And if your lower back is the reason you’re looking for a swap in the first place, start with the chest-supported dumbbell row or machine row before you try anything that loads your spine directly. Pick based on your equipment and how your lower back and shoulders feel, and progress it the same way you’d progress an inverted row: more weight, more reps, or a harder angle over time.
Other Alternative Exercises
If you enjoyed this post, check out our other roundups of the best alternatives for other exercises.
