Cable Seated Row

1. Sit at the row station with your feet on the platform, knees slightly bent, and grab the handle, commonly a narrow V grip.
2. Slide back until your arms are extended and the weight stack is lifted slightly off its resting pins.
3. Sit tall with your chest up, shoulders down, and core braced.
4. Pull the handle to your lower abdomen, driving the elbows back close to your body.
5. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the end of the pull and exhale.
6. Return the handle with control, letting your shoulder blades glide forward for a full lat stretch.
7. Keep your torso within a few degrees of vertical throughout; a slight forward reach at the stretch is fine, but the spine stays long.
8. Repeat with a steady tempo, about one second pulling and two seconds returning.

Common Mistakes

• Rowing with the lower back: rocking the torso back and forth to move the stack trains momentum, not lats; the hips stay essentially still.
• Shrugging into the pull: letting the shoulders climb toward the ears hands the work to the upper traps; pull the elbows back and down.
• Cutting the stretch: stopping with bent arms keeps tension in the biceps; let the arms fully lengthen so the lats work through their whole range.
• Grabbing the whole stack: this exercise rewards a hard squeeze at 40 kg more than a heave at 80 kg; load what you can pause at the chest.

Programming Tips

The cable seated row is a back thickness builder that pairs well with a vertical pulling movement like a lat pulldown or pull up, since the two together cover both the width and depth of the back. Program 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps, and rotate attachments over time: a wide bar biases the upper back and rear delts, a close V-grip emphasizes the middle back and lats, and a rope allows a deeper squeeze at the finish.

Twice a week is a solid frequency for most lifters chasing back growth, ideally spaced a few days apart. Since the seated position removes lower back involvement almost entirely, this is a good exercise to lean on when your lower back is fatigued from deadlifts or bent over rows but your upper back still needs volume.

Common Questions

Does grip width change what muscles I am working?

Yes, though the difference is one of emphasis rather than a completely different exercise. A wider grip pulls the elbows out and recruits more rear deltoid and upper trap, while a narrower grip keeps the elbows closer to the body and emphasizes the lats and mid-back more directly.

How does this compare to a barbell bent over row?

The cable version keeps tension on the back throughout the entire rep and removes lower back and grip fatigue as limiting factors, which lets you focus purely on the pull. The barbell row demands more total-body stability and typically allows heavier absolute loads, so both have a place in a complete program.

How much weight should I be pulling?

There is no universal number since it depends heavily on the cable stack and pulley ratio of your machine. Judge by feel: you should be able to complete every rep with the shoulder blades pulling together and control on the return, not by matching a number you saw someone else use.