Skip to content

Towel door row

Add to my week

Build a free week around it — no account needed until you save.

Muscles worked

High load
Lats
Medium load
Upper back · Rhomboids
Low load
Biceps, Core, and Delts · Rear

Primary muscles

Secondary muscles

How to do it

Fold a sturdy towel over the handle-side edge of an open door (or knot it around both handles), close your hands around the ends, and lean back with straight arms and a straight body. Pull the chest toward the door by driving the elbows back and squeezing the shoulder blades, then lower under control. Walk the feet closer to the door for more resistance, further away for less. Test the door and towel with a hard pull before the first rep.

Form cues

  • Lead with the shoulder blades, not the arms
  • Body straight — hinge only at the ankles

Safety

Talk to a professional before this exercise if you have any of the following:

ElbowWrist

This is general exercise reference, not medical advice. Stop and consult a qualified professional if an exercise causes pain, and never work through joint pain.

Harder variants