Exercise Comparison
Alternating Kettlebell Row vs Lying T-Bar Row
Side-by-Side
Muscle Analysis
Shared
Instructions
Alternating Kettlebell Row
Place two kettlebells in front of your feet. Bend your knees slightly and push your butt out as much as possible. As you bend over to get into the starting position grab both kettlebells by the handles.
Pull one kettlebell off of the floor while holding on to the other kettlebell. Retract the shoulder blade of the working side, as you flex the elbow, drawing the kettlebell towards your stomach or rib cage.
Lower the kettlebell in the working arm and repeat with your other arm.
Lying T-Bar Row
Load up the T-bar Row Machine with the desired weight and adjust the leg height so that your upper chest is at the top of the pad. Tip: In some machines all you can do is stand on the appropriate step that allows you to be at a height that has the upper chest at the top of the pad.
Lay face down on the pad and grab the handles. You can either use a palms down, palms up, or palms in position depending on what part of your back you want to emphasize.
Lift the bar off the rack and extend your arms in front of you. This will be your starting position.
As you exhale slowly pull the weight up and squeeze your back at the top of the movement. Tip: Keep the upper arms as close to the torso as possible throughout the movement in order to better engage the back muscles. Also, do not lift your body off of the pad at any time and refrain from using the biceps to lift the weight.
After a second contraction at the top of the movement, as you inhale, slowly go back down to the starting position.
Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Verdict
Both exercises target the middle back. Alternating Kettlebell Row is a intermediate exercise using kettlebells, while Lying T-Bar Row is intermediate and uses machine. Choose Alternating Kettlebell Row if you have access to kettlebells, or Lying T-Bar Row if you prefer machine. Lying T-Bar Row is a compound movement working multiple joints, making it better for overall strength. Alternating Kettlebell Row isolates the target muscle for focused development.