Standing Towel Row

Also known as: towel bodyweight standing row, towel row, bodyweight towel row, isometric towel row

In SetGrip: Bodyweight Standing Row (Towel)

Secondary muscles
Biceps, Delts
Body part
Back
Position
Standing
Laterality
Bilateral (both sides together)
Category
Strength

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Pulling a towel you are also holding taut makes this row self-resisted: your own arms supply the load, so tension is whatever you decide to give it. That makes it a warm-up and travel option rather than a progressive strength exercise - squeeze hard, move slowly, and count time under tension instead of weight.

How to do the Standing Towel Row

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a towel in front of you with both hands.
  2. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight.
  3. Pull the towel towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly release the tension and return to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tip: Pause for a full count with the handle at your torso before letting it go back.

Muscles worked

Primary

Upper Back · Back

The rhomboids and mid traps squeeze the shoulder blades together at the end of each rep, which is where you should feel the strongest contraction.

Secondary

  • Biceps — The biceps bend the elbow on every row but should never be the muscle that fails first.
  • Delts — The rear delts do a lot of work on face pulls and wide, high rows, where the elbows travel out to the sides.

Common mistakes

  • Yanking with the arms — the rep should start with the shoulder blades pulling back, then the elbows follow; if the biceps give out first, you are curling the weight.
  • Torso heaving up — on bent-over rows the back angle should not change between reps; if it does, drop the weight.
  • Shrugging the shoulders up — pull the elbows back and down and keep the shoulders away from the ears, especially on face pulls.
  • Skipping the stretch — let the arms straighten fully and the shoulder blades slide forward at the start of each rep, then pull from there.

Where it fits in a workout

Rows are a main movement in any pull or back session and go before pulldowns and arm work. They pair well with a chest press or a push-up as a push and pull superset.

How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.

Variations and alternatives

Similar exercises

Without bodyweight

Easier and harder

When to talk to someone

  • Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
  • Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
  • Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.

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More exercises

Sources

  1. ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
  2. ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
  3. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
  4. CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)

Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.

Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.