7 of the Best Barbell Row Alternatives

The barbell row, like the barbell squat, deadlift and bench press, is often touted as a key compound movement, essential for building muscle.

However, while the bent-over row is an effective way to train your back muscles, it’s not an exercise you need to include in your workout routine.

One of its main downsides is that the strength of the muscles in your lower back can be a limiting factor, especially if you’ve done squats or deadlifts earlier in the workout.

Keeping your torso in a (roughly) horizontal position while supporting a heavy barbell takes a lot of core strength and stability.

The glutes, hamstrings and spinal erectors – those cable-like muscles that run up both sides of your spine – end up getting fatigued before your lats and upper back, and you have to terminate the set.

Either that, or you end up rounding your spine, potentially exposing yourself to an increased risk of injury.

If you do find yourself running into problems with the barbell row, there are plenty of alternative exercises that will do the job just as well, which I’ll cover in a moment.

First, I want to take a quick look at what the barbell row is, what muscles it works, as well as show you what proper technique looks like.

Bent-Over Barbell Row: Introduction, Benefits, Proper Form

The bent-over barbell row is a compound lift that builds strength and size in the back, shoulders and arms.

It falls into the category of a horizontal pulling exercise, where it sits alongside other back exercises like the seated cable row, dumbbell row or inverted row. 

All these exercises target the same group of muscles, but do so in slightly different ways, and some exercises may be better suited to you than others.

For the sake of clarity, when I talk about the barbell row, this is the type of thing I mean:

Barbell row technique:

• With your feet flat on the floor, grip the bar with a pronated grip.
• Your hands should be slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
• Bend forward at the waist while pushing your hips back, adopting a hinged position.
• Your knees should remain slightly bent throughout the exercise.
• Pull the bar towards your rib cage, and squeeze the shoulder blades together as you lift.
• Lower the bar back with control to the starting position, just below the level of the knees.
• Make sure to use a weight that allows you to perform the entire movement under control through a full range of motion. Both heavier weights and lighter weights can be used to stimulate muscle growth, just as long as you push yourself hard in each set.

However, this isn’t the only way to do the exercise, and the term “barbell row” can mean  different things depending on who you’re talking to.

Bent Over Barbell Row Variations

Probably the two most popular variations of the barbell row are the Pendlay Row and the Yates Row, both of which challenge your back in different ways.

The Pendlay Barbell Row

The Pendlay barbell row is named after veteran weightlifting coach Glenn Pendlay. According to Pendlay himself, the exercise bearing his name is nothing more than a strict barbell row, done with a rigid torso that stays more or less parallel to the ground. It’s typically used as an assistance lift for the deadlift.

“I didn’t really invent this,” says Pendlay in an interview with Barbend. “It’s just a barbell row done the way they should be done.”

The Pendlay Row is an explosive-type exercise that’s performed relatively quickly. Unlike the conventional barbell row, where the bar stops just below the knees, the bar touches the floor between each rep while you remain in a bent-over position, keeping your torso horizontal. This gives your lower back a break between reps.

Here’s Glenn Pendlay showing you what proper execution of the Pendlay barbell row looks like:

The Yates Row

Popularized by former Mr Olympia Dorian Yates in the 1990’s, the Yates Row involves more of an upright torso than a regular row, with the upper body positioned at roughly a 45-degree angle.

The barbell is pulled to the lower part of the stomach, then lowered to a point just above the knees.

It’s sometimes known as a reverse or underhand grip bent-over-row, as Yates used an underhand rather than overhand grip before he tore his biceps. Yates liked the underhand grip, in part because he felt it did a better job of working his lower lats.

Here’s the man himself demonstrating the exercise if you want to watch:

Bent-Over Barbell Row: Muscles Worked

The bent over barbell row is a compound exercise that works a number of muscle groups, including:

• Latissimus dorsi
• Trapezius (mainly the mid traps)
• Rhomboids
• Posterior deltoids (rear shoulders)
• Elbow flexors (biceps, brachialis and brachioradialis)

The barbell row will also improve grip strength, as well as hitting some of the core muscles, the spinal erectors in particular.

The muscles surrounding the spine, particularly those in the lower back, also have to work very hard just to keep your spine in its neutral position.

However, studies show that rectus abdominis (an anterior core muscle) and the obliques aren’t activated to a significant degree.

The way the barbell bent-over row is done will affect how hard each of those muscles is working.

If you want to focus more on the lat muscles:

• Use a relatively narrow grip
• Keep your elbows close to your side
• Pull the bar into the lower part of your stomach close to your belly button

If you want to focus more on the upper back muscles, as well as the rear delts:

• Take a wide grip
• Flare the elbows out to the side
• Row the bar higher up on the stomach closer to the chest

Bent Over Barbell Row Alternatives

• One-Arm Dumbbell Row
• Chest-Supported T-Bar Row
• Seated Machine Row
• Chest-Supported Bench Row
• Inverted Row
• Seated Cable Row
• Single-Arm Cable Row

One-Arm Dumbbell Row

With the one-arm dumbbell row, your weight is supported on the bench. As a result, the spinal erectors don’t have to work as hard. This lets you focus on training your lats and upper back muscles without fatigue in the spinal erectors forcing you to cut the set short.

What’s more, because all the resistance comes from one side, various muscles in your torso have to work harder than normal to keep your body stable.

The obliques in particular are working isometrically to resist rotation, making the single-arm dumbbell row similar to the Pallof Press in the sense that it’s an anti-rotational exercise.

An exercise doesn’t have to involve an actual twist to work the twisting muscles. By actively preventing your torso from twisting, those same muscles are still being trained.

Chest-Supported T-Bar Row

Any type of chest-supported row, be it on a bench or T-bar row machine, offers similar benefits to the dumbbell row in the sense that lower back fatigue isn’t an issue.

Seated Machine Row

Chest-Supported Incline Bench Row

Inverted Row

With the inverted row, you perform a rowing motion while hanging from a suspension trainer, gymnastic rings or even a barbell supported on a power rack.

Studies show that the inverted row works many of the back muscles just as well as the barbell row, but with less load on the spine.

You can adjust the difficulty of this exercise by altering the position of your body. The closer you are to an upright position, the easier it is. Moving your body closer to the floor makes it more difficult. You can also try wearing a weighted vest if you find the inverted row too easy.

Seated Cable Row

With the seated cable row, there’s no support for your chest. This means the lower back is going to be involved to a greater extent than the chest-supported row.

However, because you don’t have to support the weight of your head and upper body, it’s still a lot easier on your lower back than the barbell row.

To keep the focus on the lats during the seated row, keep your elbows close to your sides, and think about pulling your elbows down and back. 

Single-Arm Cable Row

Another variation on the seated cable row is to use one arm at a time, which you can see in the video below. 

The single-arm cable row lets you get more of a stretch in your lats, as well as helping to iron out any imbalances that might exist between your left and right side.

It’s also useful if you have a large belly that stops you doing the regular two-handed row through a full range of motion.

Barbell Row FAQ

Are barbell rows bad for your back?

Some people experience soreness in their lower back after doing barbell rows, and assume the exercise is bad for their back.

Given that the lower back muscles are working hard to support your torso, it would be unusual if you didn’t experience some level of muscle soreness, especially if you’re new to the exercise. But that’s because your lower back muscles are being challenged in a way they’re not used to, rather than because barbell rows are bad for your back.

Like many exercises, the barbell row certainly has the potential to be bad for your back if you don’t do it properly, but it’s not bad for your back per se.

Are inverted (aka bodyweight) rows a good alternative to barbell rows?

Yes, the inverted row is a good alternative to the barbell row, especially if you’re training in a home gym with limited equipment. It targets the same muscles in the upper back, but with less load on the spine. If you find inverted bodyweight rows too easy, you can make the exercise harder by moving your body closer to the floor and/or wearing a weighted vest.

Are rows necessary if you deadlift?

The short answer is yes. While both exercises work the back, barbell rows target more of the muscles in the upper back, rear delts and biceps, while the deadlift hits the lower back, glutes and hamstrings. Rows don’t replace deadlifts, and deadlifts don’t replace rows.

How often should I row?

As a general rule, it’s a good idea to include some kind of rowing movement whenever you train your back. Depending on the training program you’re using, that will typically be somewhere between 1 and 3 times per week.

Are upright rows an effective substitute for barbell rows?

No. Upright rows target mainly the delts, upper traps, biceps and forearms. They don’t stimulate the lats or upper back muscles. Upright rows are more of an exercise for your shoulders than they are for your back.