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Seated cable row
The most comfortable way to train your back with weight without punishing your lower back. That's why it's in almost every program, and that's why almost everyone does it rocking back and forth.
What it works
- Lats and the mid-back, rhomboids and middle traps
- Rear delts, which come in more the wider the grip
- Biceps, which help bend the elbow
How to do it
- 1Sit down and place your feet
Feet firmly on the platform, knees slightly bent. Take the handle and sit up straight with your arms extended.
- 2Let your back stretch at the front
Let your shoulder blades spread and your shoulders reach forward, without rounding your lower back. That stretch is part of the exercise.
- 3Pull by driving your elbows back
The handle travels toward your lower ribs. Your shoulder blades come together at the end, not at the start.
- 4Squeeze and return under control
A brief squeeze at the back, chest up, and return slowly, letting your back stretch again.
The mistakes you see most
- Rocking back. Throwing your torso back to pull turns the exercise into a lower-back row. Your torso can move a little, but it shouldn't be the engine.
- Rounding your back on the stretch. Extending your arms is fine; hunching forward under load isn't. Keep your chest up at the front of the movement too.
- Shrugging your shoulders. If your shoulders rise toward your ears, the upper traps take over. Shoulders down and elbows back.
- Pulling only with your arms. Think about your elbows, not your hands. Your hands are just hooks.
Variations
- Close neutral grip. The classic V-handle. Elbows close and lots of lats.
- Wide grip. With a long bar and your hands wide, pulling higher. It loads the rear delts and mid-back more.
- Single-arm. With a single handle, to even out both sides and gain a bit of range with the torso rotation.
- With a two-second pause. Holding at the back on every rep. It exposes any weight you can't control.
Frequently asked questions
Can I move my torso?
A little, going along with it, yes. What changes the exercise is using the rocking as the engine: if the weight only moves because you lean back, there's too much load.
Close or wide grip?
The close neutral grip keeps your elbows tucked and loads the lats more; the wide grip works the mid-back and rear delts more. Alternating them over the month is the easiest approach.
Where should I pull to?
Toward your lower ribs, with your elbows close to your body. Pulling toward your chest flares your elbows and changes the muscle that's working.
How many reps?
Eight to fifteen. It's an exercise that takes a good amount of load without your lower back taking over the work, so you can push hard.
And to keep track of what you lift
In the Reverfit Workout app every exercise comes with its animation, and you log the weight and reps set by set, with what you did last time right in front of you. Free and with no ads.
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