Cable Seated High Row (v Bar)

1. Sit at a cable row station with a V-bar attached to the high pulley.
2. Sit facing the machine with your feet braced and knees slightly bent.
3. Grip the V-bar with a neutral grip, palms facing each other, arms extended toward the pulley.
4. Sit up tall with your chest lifted and shoulders back.
5. Brace your core and pull the V-bar toward your upper chest, driving your elbows up and back.
6. Squeeze your shoulder blades together as the bar reaches your chest.
7. Pause briefly for a full contraction through your upper back.
8. Slowly extend your arms back to the starting position under control.

Common Mistakes

• Rounding the upper back: Letting your shoulders round forward during the pull reduces engagement of the upper back muscles. Keep your chest lifted and shoulders back throughout the set.
• Pulling too low on the torso: Bringing the bar down toward the stomach instead of the chest shifts the row's target away from the upper back. Pull toward your upper chest for the intended muscle emphasis.
• Leaning back to move the weight: Using body lean instead of the back muscles to pull the handle reduces the exercise's effectiveness. Keep your torso upright and stable.
• Rushing the eccentric: Letting the bar snap back quickly after the pull cuts the working muscles' time under tension. Extend your arms back slowly and under control.

Programming Tips

Place the seated high row with a V bar after your pulldowns or heavy rows, doing 3 to 4 sets of 10 to 15 reps with 60 to 90 seconds rest. Because the cable comes from above and pulls toward the upper chest, it loads the rhomboids, mid traps and rear delts more than a low row does, making it a good upper back and posture exercise.

Set the pulley above head height, sit upright with the feet braced, and let the arms extend fully so the shoulder blades protract before every rep. A 25 to 35 kg stack is a realistic start, with 2.5 to 5 kg added once every set reaches 15 reps with a full squeeze. The most common fault is pulling the V bar down toward the stomach, which turns the lift into a lat row and misses the upper back, so keep the elbows high, drive them back and slightly up, and finish with the handle at the lower chest and the shoulder blades pinched together.

Common Questions

High row vs low row, what is the difference?

The high row pulls from above toward the chest and emphasises the upper back and rear delts, while the low row pulls from near the floor toward the navel and emphasises the lats. A complete back program uses both, usually the heavier low row first.

What muscles does the seated high row work?

Mainly the rhomboids, middle and lower trapezius, rear deltoids and lats, with the biceps and forearms assisting. Pulling higher with the elbows wide shifts the work further toward the upper back and rear delts.

How much weight should I use on the high row?

Start around 25 to 35 kg on the stack and build to 50 to 70 kg over several months. The upper back muscles fatigue quickly, so moderate loads with strict form beat heavy sets with a backward lean.