Alternatives · Upper Back
7 One-Arm Dumbbell Row Alternatives That Still Train One Side at a Time
Most people looking for a swap still want what the one-arm row does best: a braced, heavy pull that works each side separately. Most of these seven keep that, and the rest trade it for something specific.
The short answer
The Kettlebell Single-Arm Row is the closest One-Arm Dumbbell Row alternative, keeping the bench-braced pull with a different weight. The Single-Arm Cable Row is the gym pick when you want the reach and the squeeze both loaded. The Meadows Row suits advanced lifters after a heavier one-arm row, and the Towel Row covers home training with no weights at all.
The best One-Arm Dumbbell Row alternative for your situation
| At home | Towel Row |
|---|---|
| With a resistance band | Banded Row |
| With dumbbells | Dumbbell Bent Over Row |
| With a kettlebell | Kettlebell Single-Arm Row |
| With a barbell | Meadows Row |
| On a cable stack | Single-Arm Cable Row |
| On a machine | Machine Row |
What a One-Arm Dumbbell Row alternative has to replace
The one-arm dumbbell row is a supported, unilateral horizontal pull. One hand and one knee rest on a bench, the dumbbell hangs under your shoulder, and you row it toward your hip while the torso stays square. The lats do most of the moving on that hip-bound line, with the rhomboids finishing the squeeze. The bench is the reason it can be loaded heavily: your lower back barely works, so a single arm can take more weight than it could during a two-dumbbell bent-over row.
Working one side at a time also reveals any difference between left and right, which matters for how even your back looks. A swap should keep the one-arm setup if matching your sides is the reason you do it, and a braced torso if loading is. The dumbbell itself is easy to trade: cables, bells, bars and bands all work.
7 One-Arm Dumbbell Row alternatives, best first
1. Kettlebell Single-Arm Row
The Kettlebell Single-Arm Row is the same exercise with a different implement, so the bench brace, the square hips and the pull to the hip all carry over. With the bell hanging under the handle, each rep starts from a slightly deeper stretch and the load wants to swing. Kettlebells also come in bigger weight jumps than dumbbells, so you will stay longer at each size.
Swapping it in: Match your usual dumbbell weight only after a week of clean sets; until then go lighter, build reps toward fifteen per side, and pause each rep at the hip.
2. Single-Arm Cable Row
The Single-Arm Cable Row is the gym version for lifters who want every inch of the rep loaded. A low pulley pulls horizontally rather than down, so the reach at the front and the squeeze behind your ribs both carry weight, not just the middle. Standing or kneeling without a bench, your trunk also has to stop the rotation the bench used to block for you.
Swapping it in: Set the pulley at waist height, stand in a split stance with the opposite foot forward, and do three sets of twelve per side with a three-second return.
3. Machine Row
On a Machine Row with independent handles, you can row one arm at a time while the seat and pad hold your torso still. That makes it stricter than the bench version, which suits beginners whose hips open up on heavy sets. If the handles are joined, row with both arms instead and accept that any left-right difference stays hidden.
Swapping it in: Pick the neutral handles, work one arm while the other holds its handle still, and do three sets of ten to twelve per side with a one-second squeeze.
4. Dumbbell Bent Over Row
Without a bench, pick up a second dumbbell and hinge. The Dumbbell Bent Over Row rows both arms together, so a set takes half the time, and your lower back now holds the torso angle from first rep to last. Each hand handles less weight as a result, and side-to-side differences hide more easily. It suits a home setup with no bench.
Swapping it in: Use dumbbells about 20 percent lighter than your one-arm weight, hinge to 45 degrees, and row both to your hips for three sets of eight to ten.
5. Meadows Row
For experienced lifters who have outgrown the heaviest dumbbell in the rack, the Meadows Row keeps the one-arm pull but moves it onto a landmine, so load climbs in small plate jumps. The staggered stance and the overhand grip on a thick sleeve drive the elbow higher and wider, shifting the emphasis from the lats toward the upper back.
Swapping it in: Brace your free forearm on your front knee, pick a load that allows twelve clean reps, then work sets of eight to ten, adding small plates each week.
6. Banded Row
A band makes a workable one-arm row at home: anchor it at belly height, step back into a split stance, and row one handle at a time. It keeps the side-by-side comparison you get from a dumbbell. Resistance builds toward the finish instead of staying even, so the squeeze is hard and the stretch is light, and heavy loading is out of reach.
Swapping it in: Hold one end of the band per set, or loop it through a door anchor, and do sets of fifteen to twenty per side with a two-second pause at the hip.
7. Towel Row
With no weights at all, the Towel Row turns your bodyweight into the load: loop a towel around a sturdy post, lean back, and pull. Holding both ends in one hand makes it a one-arm row, which gets hard fast and keeps the side-to-side focus. Difficulty comes from how far you lean, so it cannot match a heavy dumbbell for strong lifters.
Swapping it in: Start with both hands for a few sets of fifteen, then switch to one hand once you can hold a steep lean for ten slow reps per side.
Illustrations adapted from Everkinetic via workout-guide, CC BY-SA 4.0. Full credits.
Side by side
| Exercise | Equipment | Where | Level | Muscles shared with the One-Arm Dumbbell Row |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-Arm Dumbbell Row (original) | Dumbbell | Home or gym | Beginner | Lats, Rhomboids |
| Kettlebell Single-Arm Row | Kettlebell | Home or gym | Beginner | 2 of 2: Lats, Rhomboids |
| Single-Arm Cable Row | Cable | Gym | Intermediate | 2 of 2: Lats, Rhomboids |
| Machine Row | Machine | Gym | Beginner | 2 of 2: Rhomboids, Lats |
| Dumbbell Bent Over Row | Dumbbell | Home or gym | Beginner | 2 of 2: Lats, Rhomboids |
| Meadows Row | Barbell | Gym | Advanced | 2 of 2: Lats, Rhomboids |
| Banded Row | Resistance Band | Home or gym | Beginner | 2 of 2: Rhomboids, Lats |
| Towel Row | Towel | Home | Beginner | 2 of 2: Rhomboids, Lats |
How to choose
Decide first whether you need the one-arm part. If you row single-arm to see whether one side lags, keep a unilateral option: Kettlebell Single-Arm Row, Single-Arm Cable Row, Meadows Row or a one-hand Towel Row. If you just need a solid row today, the two-arm swaps are faster.
- At home with a kettlebell: Kettlebell Single-Arm Row.
- Gym, cable free: Single-Arm Cable Row.
- Gym, fixed path wanted: Machine Row.
- Past the heaviest dumbbell: Meadows Row.
- No weights: Banded Row or Towel Row.
When the two sides do not match, start each set with the weaker arm and give the stronger arm the same reps, no more. BackMaxx scores symmetry as its own zone, which tells you whether that extra care is worth it.
Full One-Arm Dumbbell Row guide: form, muscles worked and mistakes →
Frequently asked questions
What is a one-arm dumbbell row alternative on a machine?
The Machine Row is the best machine alternative, especially one with independent handles, since you can row a single arm while the seat holds you square. If the gym has a free cable station, the Single-Arm Cable Row is closer in feel, because it keeps the one-arm pull without fixing the path. Both train the lats and rhomboids like the dumbbell version.
What can I do instead of one-arm dumbbell rows at home?
At home, the Kettlebell Single-Arm Row is the nearest swap if you have a bell, and the setup is the same bench or chair brace. Without weights, use a band anchored at belly height for a one-arm Banded Row, or a Towel Row looped around a sturdy post. Keep each set to one side at a time.
Which alternatives work the same muscles as the one-arm dumbbell row?
Any horizontal row pulled toward the hip works the same lats and rhomboids. The Kettlebell Single-Arm Row, the Single-Arm Cable Row and the Dumbbell Bent Over Row all match it closely. The Meadows Row leans more toward the upper back because the elbow travels higher, while the Banded Row loads the squeeze more than the stretch.
What is a good cable alternative to the one-arm dumbbell row?
The Single-Arm Cable Row is the cable alternative. Set the pulley around waist height, stand in a split stance, and row the handle to your hip. Because the cable pulls sideways rather than down, the squeeze and the reach both stay loaded, so start lighter than your dumbbell and slow the return to three seconds.
Which of these does your back actually need?
BackMaxx scores your upper back and the five other back zones from one photo, then builds each session around whichever one is furthest behind.
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