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Exercise guide

Seated Cable Rows

How to do the Seated Cable Rows with correct form, the muscles it works, and where it fits a training plan you actually stick to.

CompoundCableBeginnerPull
Primary muscles

Mid Back

Secondary

Biceps, Lats, Shoulders

Equipment

Cable

Step by step

How to do the Seated Cable Rows

  1. 1

    For this exercise you will need access to a low pulley row machine with a V-bar. Note: The V-bar will enable you to have a neutral grip where the palms of your hands face each other. To get into the starting position, first sit down on the machine and place your feet on the front platform or crossbar provided making sure that your knees are slightly bent and not locked.

  2. 2

    Lean over as you keep the natural alignment of your back and grab the V-bar handles.

  3. 3

    With your arms extended pull back until your torso is at a 90-degree angle from your legs. Your back should be slightly arched and your chest should be sticking out. You should be feeling a nice stretch on your lats as you hold the bar in front of you. This is the starting position of the exercise.

  4. 4

    Keeping the torso stationary, pull the handles back towards your torso while keeping the arms close to it until you touch the abdominals. Breathe out as you perform that movement. At that point you should be squeezing your back muscles hard. Hold that contraction for a second and slowly go back to the original position while breathing in.

  5. 5

    Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

In Ascend

Log it, see it on your body.

Every Seated Cable Rows set you log feeds Ascend's anatomy heatmap — so your mid back volume is visible at a glance — and counts toward your bodyweight-strength tier.

Related

More mid back exercises

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