Table of Contents
| Exercise Name | Seated Cable Row |
| Also Called | Seated Row, Cable Row, Horizontal Row |
| Primary Muscles | Lats |
| Secondary Muscles | Rhomboids, Rear Deltoids, Biceps, Middle Trapezius, Upper Trapezius, Erector Spinae |
| Function | Strength, Hypertrophy, Endurance |
| Mechanics | Compound |
| Force | Pull |
| Required Equipment | Stack Loaded Cable Machine w/ Row Capability, Various Attachment Handles |
| Optional Equipment | Lifting Straps, Chalk |
| Experience | Beginner |
| Rep Range | 10-20 |
| Tempo | 1-0-x-1 |
| Variations | Single Arm Cable Row, Standing Cable Row |
| Alternatives | Pendlay Row, Bent Over Barbell Row, Yates Row, One Arm Dumbbell Row, Kroc Row |
Instructions with Pictures
1. Starting Position
- Sit on the bench attached to the cable row station and place your feet into the fixed position foot plate.
- Flex the knees and wrap both hands firmly around your chosen handle attachment.
- Slightly extend the upper body until the lumbar spine is in a neutral lordotic position and the arms are outstretched with the hands lined up with the base of the sternum (xiphoid process).
- Actively brace the core, paying extra focus on pushing the diaphragm as well as the obliques OUT.
- Aggressively drive the shoulder blades together to keep the upper arm purposefully set back into the glenohumeral joint (shoulder capsule).
- Orient the eyes to a focal point directly in front of you so that you keep a neutral cervical spine.
2. Concentric Movement
- Aggressively pull and tuck the elbows, guiding the attachment handle to an area between the base of your sternum and belly button.
- Using a little more trunk extension is okay as long as you are not compromising your postural position (i.e. don’t go into lumbar hyperextension or hyperflexion).
- Try to maintain a slight bend in the knees to keep some slack in the hamstrings.
3. Midpoint
- Once the cable row attachment reaches your body, focus on actively driving the shoulder blades together and depressing them down into the lats to maximize tension.
4. Eccentric Movement
- Continue to maintain your postural position.
- With slow deliberate control, guide the cable attachment back to the starting position.
- Do not just relax and let the cable pull you back to the initial position.
5. Repeat
- Once the bar has settled motionless in the bottom position, continue to execute the desired number of reps.
Common Seated Cable Row Errors to Avoid
| Mistake: | Solution: |
|---|---|
| Not Going Through a Full ROM | Lower the weight being used and focus on getting the cable row attachment all the way to your body. |
| Biceps Doing More Work Than Lats | Pay attention to your elbow position. Try to imagine guiding the resistance with your elbows and not just pulling it with your hands. Too much “pulling” will result in a greater degree of elbow flexion and won’t optimally hit the lats. |
| Shoulder Going “Out” on The Eccentric | During the eccentric phase, make sure to keep your shoulder blades actively retracted and deliberately slow down the cable attachment’s return to the start position. |
| Pulling Like a Limp Fish Out of Water | Slight deviations in trunk flexion and extension is acceptable. As soon as you notice you are losing postural control or having significant forward and backward trunk movement, then you need to lower the weight and focus on more controlled movements. |
Seated Cable Row Tips
- A little bit of “trunk English” (i.e. slight momentum from torso) is okay. But, you should never lose your neutral lordotic position in your lower back — keep your pelvis neutral and your lower back will follow.
- Squeeze the lats hard at the midpoint of the exercise by driving the shoulder blades together and depressing them down.
- Keep a slight bend in your knees.
- Guide the weight with your elbows. Don’t just “pull it.”
- Always be in control of the eccentric movement.
Is the Seated Cable Row Right for You?
The position required to effectively execute the seated row exercise requires almost zero learning curve. As such, this is an excellent exercise for beginners and experts alike.
Beginners can use it to focus on postural control while rowing, which will transfer to numerous other exercises.
Experts are going to only be limited by their imaginations with the almost infinite variations this exercise is capable of. Changing hand positions, foot positions, handle attachments, using one versus two hands, etc. will all change up the leverages and moment arms of the exercise to keep it from getting boring and keep the gains coming once you’ve adapted to a certain variation.
