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Exercises

Machine row alternatives: what to row when the machine is taken or missing

Published October 23, 2026

The best machine row alternative is the seated cable row, because it keeps the same seated pull and steady tension at the stretch. To keep the chest support with free weights, do the incline dumbbell row or, with a barbell, the seal row. At home without weights, inverted rows and TRX rows train the same back with your bodyweight.

What a machine row alternative has to replace

The seated machine row trains your lats, mid-back and rear shoulders, with your chest on a pad so nothing else has to work. Because the pad holds you still, you can take sets close to failure without your lower back or balance ending them.

A replacement should keep a full stretch at the front and a pull until your elbows pass your sides. Chest-supported swaps keep the machine's biggest advantage; standing rows add lower-back work you may or may not want.

How to do the machine row

Cables

The seated cable row is the machine row without the pad: same seat, same pull, and tension that stays on at the stretch. The single-arm row is done standing, one side at a time.

Closest swap at the gym

Seated Cable Row

Upper Back, Lats

The same seated horizontal pull, with a cable instead of a lever. You lose the chest pad, so sit tall and keep your torso still, but the cable holds tension at the stretch the way the machine does.

How to do it

  1. Sit at the cable row with your feet on the platform and knees slightly bent, holding a close-grip handle with your arms straight.
  2. Sit tall with your chest up and let the cable pull your shoulder blades forward a little.
  3. Row the handle to your lower ribs, driving your elbows back past your torso.
  4. Return it under control until your arms are straight and your shoulders reach forward, then repeat.

Cues

  • Sit tall, no rocking
  • Handle to the belly button
  • Shoulders reach at the front

Common mistakes

  • Rocking back and forth to move the stack: your torso should stay close to upright throughout.
  • Shrugging the handle up toward your neck: pull your shoulders down before the elbows bend.
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One side at a time

Single-Arm Cable Row

Upper Back, Lats

A single handle lets each side pull on its own, like an iso-lateral row machine, and adds a longer reach at the front.

How to do it

  1. Set a pulley at about chest height with a single handle and stand facing it, feet about shoulder-width apart.
  2. Take the handle in one hand, step back until your arm is straight, then soften your knees and lean forward slightly from the hips.
  3. Row the handle to your side by driving your elbow back past your ribs, keeping your chest square to the stack.
  4. Let the arm straighten and your shoulder reach toward the pulley, finish the set, then switch hands.

Cues

  • Reach, then pull
  • Elbow tight to the side
  • Finish square

Common mistakes

  • Twisting far back at the finish to move more weight: the rotation stays small.
  • Letting the stack yank your arm forward: control the return.
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Barbell and landmine

A bar lets you row heavier than most machines allow. The seal row keeps the chest support; the others make your lower back hold the hinge.

Heavier swap, landmine corner

T-Bar Row

Upper Back, Lats

A loaded bar in a landmine gives you a fixed, heavy row with a close grip. Your lower back holds the hinge, which the machine did for you, so start lighter than you think.

How to do it

  1. Stand over the bar facing away from the anchor, plates in front of you.
  2. Put a V-handle under the sleeve or grip the bar with both hands.
  3. Hinge until your chest is at about 45 degrees and your back is flat.
  4. Pull the plates toward your lower chest, elbows close.
  5. Lower until your arms are straight and your shoulders stretch forward.

Cues

  • Chest stays over the plates
  • Elbows to your hips
  • Full stretch at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Standing up as you pull: the angle you start at is the angle you finish at.
  • Shortening the bottom: let your shoulder blades spread before the next rep.
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Chest-supported barbell row

Seal Row

Upper Back, Lats

Lying face down on a raised bench keeps the support the machine gave you, with a barbell instead of a lever. Nothing but your back can move the bar.

How to do it

  1. Raise a flat bench on boxes or plates high enough that your arms can hang straight without the bar touching the floor.
  2. Lie face down with your chest at the top edge and grab the bar below you with an overhand grip a little wider than your shoulders.
  3. Row the bar up to the underside of the bench, pinching your shoulder blades at the top.
  4. Lower until your arms are straight and your shoulder blades spread apart, then repeat.

Cues

  • Chest glued to the bench
  • Pinch the blades at the top
  • Full hang at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Lifting your chest off the bench to finish the rep: stop the set when the bar no longer reaches the bench.
  • Using a bench too low for a full stretch: raise it until your arms are straight with the bar off the floor.
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Barbell swap

Barbell Row

Upper Back, Lats

A bent-over barbell row trains the same lats and mid-back with heavy load. You hold the torso angle yourself, so it trains your lower back too.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet roughly hip width and hold the bar with an overhand grip just outside your thighs.
  2. Soften your knees and push your hips back until your torso is around 45 degrees or lower, with the bar hanging at arm's length below your knees.
  3. Pull the bar into your lower ribs, driving your elbows back past your torso.
  4. Lower the bar until your arms are straight again, holding the same torso angle for every rep.

Cues

  • Chest proud, back flat
  • Elbows past the ribs
  • Same angle top to bottom

Common mistakes

  • Standing taller with each rep until the row becomes a shrug: pick a load you can row at a fixed angle for every rep of the set.
  • Bouncing the bar off your thighs with a hip thrust: if you need the hip drive, the weight is too heavy for the rep range.
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Dumbbells

With an incline bench you keep the support. Without one, brace on a flat bench or hinge over.

Best swap with free weights

Incline Dumbbell Row

Upper Back, Lats

Your chest rests on an incline bench, the same support as the machine's pad, and the dumbbells let each arm travel its own path. It is the closest machine row swap at home.

How to do it

  1. Set a bench to about 45 degrees and lie chest-down on it, a dumbbell in each hand, arms hanging straight toward the floor.
  2. Row the dumbbells up by driving your elbows back and slightly out, until your upper arms reach the line of your body.
  3. Squeeze your shoulder blades together for a second at the top with your chest still on the pad.
  4. Lower until your arms are straight and your shoulder blades slide forward, then repeat.

Cues

  • Chest glued to the pad
  • Elbows wide for upper back, tucked for lats
  • Full stretch between reps

Common mistakes

  • Lifting your chest off the pad to finish reps: that is your lower back joining in. Stop the set there.
  • Shrugging the dumbbells up instead of rowing them: pull the shoulder blades down and back before the elbows bend.
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One-arm dumbbell row

One-Arm Dumbbell Row

Lats, Upper Back

Braced on a bench with one hand, you can row a heavy dumbbell to your hip with a long stretch at the bottom.

How to do it

  1. Put one hand and the same-side knee on a bench, or your hand on a chair seat with both feet on the floor, so your back is flat.
  2. Hold a dumbbell in the other hand with your arm hanging straight.
  3. Pull your elbow back toward your hip until the dumbbell reaches your ribs.
  4. Lower it until your arm is straight again, finish all reps, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Elbow to your hip
  • Back flat as a table
  • Full stretch at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Twisting your chest open to lift the dumbbell higher: keep both shoulders level.
  • Shrugging the shoulder up toward your ear: pull the elbow back, not the shoulder up.
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Dumbbells, no bench

Dumbbell Bent-Over Row

Upper Back, Lats

Hinge over with a dumbbell in each hand and row both together. Use it when you have no bench to lean on.

How to do it

  1. Take one dumbbell per hand, feet about hip-width apart, and hinge forward from the hips with soft knees until your torso is nearly level with the floor.
  2. Let the dumbbells hang straight down under your shoulders, palms turned in.
  3. Pull both dumbbells up to your lower ribs, keeping the elbows close, and hold the top for a beat.
  4. Lower to straight arms without letting your torso rise and repeat.

Cues

  • Torso angle stays locked
  • Pull to the ribs
  • Squeeze, then lower

Common mistakes

  • Letting the hinge rise until you are rowing upright: keep a mirror or phone camera to the side and stop the set when your chest climbs.
  • Yanking the dumbbells with your hips: the legs stay still and the elbows do the work.
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Bodyweight and bands

No weights at all: a bar, straps or a band cover the same back muscles.

Best swap with no equipment

Inverted Row

Upper Back, Lats

Pulling your chest to a bar at hip height is a row with your bodyweight. Raise the bar to make it easier, lower it to make it harder.

How to do it

  1. Set a bar at about hip height, lie under it, and grip it with your hands a little wider than your shoulders.
  2. Straighten your body from heels to head, or bend your knees with feet flat for an easier version.
  3. Pull your chest up to the bar, leading with your elbows, and keep your hips in line.
  4. Lower until your arms are straight, then pull again.

Cues

  • Body stays a straight plank
  • Chest touches the bar
  • Bend your knees to make it easier

Common mistakes

  • Letting your hips sag so only your chest rises: squeeze your glutes and move as one piece.
  • Pulling the bar to your neck: aim for the bottom of your chest.
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Suspension straps at home

TRX Row

Upper Back, Lats

Straps over a door give you a bodyweight row anywhere, and you can make it harder just by walking your feet forward.

How to do it

  1. Anchor the suspension straps above a closed door or a beam, take a handle in each hand, and sit back, knees bent, both soles planted.
  2. Lean back until your arms are straight and your body forms a line from knees to shoulders.
  3. Pull your chest up to the handles by driving your elbows back past your ribs.
  4. Lower back to straight arms under control and repeat.

Cues

  • Hips stay up in line
  • Elbows past the ribs
  • Walk the feet forward to make it harder

Common mistakes

  • Letting your hips sag as you tire: squeeze your glutes and end the set when the line breaks.
  • Pulling only with the arms and stopping short: the handles should finish beside your chest every rep.
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Bands only

Band Bent-Over Row

Lats, Upper Back

Stand on a band and row to your lower ribs. Pause at the top, where the band pulls hardest.

How to do it

  1. Stand on the middle of a long band with your feet hip-width apart and hold an end in each hand.
  2. Hinge forward from the hips with soft knees until your torso is at about 45 degrees, back flat.
  3. Row both handles toward your lower ribs, elbows close, and pause with your shoulder blades pulled together.
  4. Let the band pull your arms back to straight slowly and repeat.

Cues

  • Hold the squeeze for a second
  • Slow on the way back
  • Shorten your grip to add tension

Common mistakes

  • Letting the band snap your arms back down: resist it all the way, because the lowering counts.
  • Using a band so light the set never gets close to failure: choke up on the band or switch to a heavier one.
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Hardest bodyweight pull

Archer Pull-Up

Lats, Upper Back

A one-sided pull-up loads your back hard with only a bar.

How to do it

  1. Take an overhand grip about twice your shoulder width and hang with your arms straight.
  2. Pull your body toward your right hand, letting your left arm straighten along the bar.
  3. Get your chin near your right hand at the top, then lower back to the middle.
  4. Alternate sides each rep, or do all reps on one side and switch.

Cues

  • Pull toward one hand
  • Other arm straight
  • Lower to center

Common mistakes

  • Bending the assisting arm so both share the work: straighten it as much as you can.
  • Rushing back through the middle: control the lowering on each side.
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Example sessions without the machine row

Session 1

Gym, the row machine is taken

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets24 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentLandmine, Cable Row, Dumbbells, Incline Bench

You train in a gym and the seated row machine is busy or broken.

The T-bar row takes the heavy slot, the seated cable row gives you the same seated pull, and the incline dumbbell row brings back the chest support for the last sets. The single-arm cable row evens out your sides. 12 working sets.

Back
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
T-Bar Row1 warm-up set first 3 × 6–10 2 2:30 min
Seated Cable Row 3 × 10–12 2 90 s
Incline Dumbbell Row 3 × 10–15 1 75 s
Single-Arm Cable RowSets are per arm. 3 × 12–15 1 1 min
How to run it
Run it as your back day once or twice a week, with at least two days between.
How to progress
When every set of a row reaches the top of its range at the RIR shown, add the smallest weight jump next session and start again at the bottom of the range.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Home, dumbbells and an adjustable bench

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets20 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Incline Bench

You have dumbbells and an adjustable bench at home and no machines.

The incline dumbbell row replaces the machine with the same chest support, the one-arm row adds heavier single-side work, and the bent-over row finishes both sides at once. Home dumbbells are often lighter, so reps run higher and closer to failure. 10 working sets.

Back
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Incline Dumbbell Row1 warm-up set first 4 × 8–12 2 90 s
One-Arm Dumbbell RowSets are per arm. 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
Dumbbell Bent-Over Row 3 × 12–15 1 1 min
How to run it
Twice a week on non-consecutive days, resting 60 to 90 seconds.
How to progress
Add reps until every set reaches the top of the range, then move up a dumbbell. At your heaviest pair, pause two seconds at the top of each incline row.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

No weights: a bar and straps

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets30 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentPull-Up Bar, Barbells, Suspension Trainer

You train with bodyweight, a pull-up bar and suspension straps or a low bar.

The archer pull-up is the hardest pull and goes first, the inverted row is the main horizontal row, and the TRX row adds high-rep volume. 10 working sets.

Back
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Archer Pull-UpReps are per side. 3 × 3–6 2 2 min
Inverted Row 4 × 6–12 2 90 s
TRX Row 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
How to run it
Two or three times a week. Keep two reps in reserve on the archer pull-up so every rep stays clean.
How to progress
On the inverted row, lower the bar a notch once you reach 12 reps on every set. On the TRX row, walk your feet forward. On the archer pull-up, add a rep per side first.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What is a good substitute for seated rows?

The seated cable row is the closest. The incline dumbbell row and seal row keep the chest support, and the one-arm dumbbell row works with just a dumbbell and bench.

What can I do if I don't have a row machine?

Use cables if your gym has them, otherwise dumbbells or a barbell. At home with no weights, do inverted rows under a sturdy bar or rows on suspension straps.

What can I do instead of a row?

Any horizontal pull trains the same back: cable, dumbbell, barbell, landmine or bodyweight rows. Choose one you can load hard with a full stretch.

How do you do a T-bar row without a machine?

Wedge one end of a barbell into a landmine or a corner, load the other end, straddle it and row the plates toward your chest with a close-grip handle or both hands on the bar.

Is a machine row better than a cable row?

Not better, just more supported. The chest pad lets you push closer to failure without bracing, while the cable row asks you to hold your torso still, which trains your trunk a little too.