Seated Cable Row: How to Do It Right

You sit with your feet on the platform, hold a V-bar handle and pull it to your stomach. The cable keeps the load on your back the whole rep, and the seat takes strain off your lower back. That makes it one of the easiest rows to learn and to load. Below you will find how to do a seated cable row step by step, the muscles worked, the mistakes to avoid and how many sets to do.

The lats, the wide muscles on the sides of your back, pull your elbows back past your torso. The rhomboids and traps squeeze your shoulder blades together at the end of each rep, which builds a thicker middle back. Your biceps bend the elbows and help on every pull. The lower back and core hold your torso still.

Do 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps. Rest about 90 seconds between sets. Pick a weight where the last two reps are hard but you can still pause at your stomach. When you hit 12 clean reps on every set, move the pin down one plate. The seated cable row pairs well with a vertical pull like the lat pulldown in the same workout.

The seated cable row trains both sides at once with constant tension from the cable. It is easy to change the weight with a pin, so it suits beginners and high rep sets. The dumbbell row trains one side at a time and lets your elbow travel further back, but you need a bench and you can twist. Both build the same back muscles. Pick the cable row at the gym and the dumbbell row at home, or use both across the week.

The V-bar gives a close, neutral grip. It works the lats hard and lets you lift the most. A wide bar with an overhand grip shifts more work to the upper back and rear delts. A rope lets your hands move apart at the end. Start with the V-bar, then add a wide grip on another day if you want more upper back work.

No cable row station? A chest supported row on an incline bench or a resistance band anchored at your feet gives a similar pull. The moves below train the same back muscles.

The seated cable row is on Day B of Curves & Confidence, right after the pulldown. In Full Body Foundation it is the swap for the chest supported row on Day C. Log every set in GymDroid and the plan sets your next weight. On iPhone and Android.

Full Body Foundation · Curves & Confidence · Dumbbell Home Essentials

Mainly the lats. The rhomboids and traps squeeze the shoulder blades together, and the biceps help bend the elbows. Your core and lower back keep you upright.

Only a little. Lean slightly forward at the stretch and come back to upright as you pull. Leaning far back turns the row into a swing and takes work off your back.

Yes. The seat and the foot platform keep you steady, and you change the weight with a pin. It is one of the easiest rows to learn.

A V-bar with a close, neutral grip is the standard and lets you lift the most. A wide overhand bar puts more work on the upper back and rear delts.

Not when you sit tall and keep the torso still. The seat takes away most of the strain a bent over row puts on the lower back. If you feel pain, stop and see a professional.