Seated Cable Row
Horizontal pull, cable, upper back and lats
The seated cable row pulls a handle from a low pulley toward the belly while you sit tall with the feet braced. It trains the upper back and lats, with the biceps and rear delts helping. It suits beginners and experienced lifters alike as a steady, easy to load back exercise.
Setting up
- Attach a close grip handle to the low pulley and sit on the bench facing the machine.
- Place the feet on the foot plate with a slight bend in the knees.
- Grip the handle with the palms facing each other and sit tall with the arms straight in front.
- Start with a weight you can pull ten times without rocking.
How to do a seated cable row
- Brace the belly and lift the chest.
- Pull the handle toward the belly, driving the elbows back close to the body.
- Squeeze the shoulder blades together when the handle reaches the belly.
- Let the arms straighten slowly back to the start without leaning forward.
- Keep the torso upright on every rep.
Breathing. Breathe out as you pull and breathe in as the arms straighten.
Muscles worked
- Mainly
- Upper back and lats
- Also
- Biceps and rear delts
Common mistakes
- Rocking the torso back and forth. Swinging moves the load onto the lower back, so keep the torso still and upright.
- Rounding the back at the front. A rounded back loses the position, so let the arms reach forward while the chest stays tall.
- Shrugging the shoulders up. That moves the work to the traps, so keep the shoulders down as you pull.
- Pulling with the arms only. The back should start each rep, so squeeze the shoulder blades together first.
Guide
