Seated Cable Row

The Seated Cable Row is a horizontal pull done on a cable machine. It trains the muscles of your mid-back - including the mid traps, rhomboids, and lats - while also engaging your rear delts, biceps, and the muscles that support your spine.

Set up by sitting on the bench and placing your feet flat on the floor or foot plate. Grab the handle with both hands, arms fully extended in front of you, and sit tall with a neutral spine. Your shoulders should be over your hips, not rounded forward.

Pull the handle toward your lower chest or upper stomach by driving your elbows straight back. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the end of the pull, then slowly straighten your arms back to the start. Keep the weight moving smoothly on both the pull and the return.

Breathe in at the start and exhale as you pull. Brace your core gently to keep your torso still throughout the set. To make it easier, use less weight or switch to a resistance band seated row. To make it harder, add a one-second pause with your shoulder blades squeezed at the end of each rep, or slow down the return so your back works longer under tension.

Fault: You rock your torso back and forth or use momentum to move the weight. Fix: Keep a tall torso and minimal body english. If you cannot pull without swinging, lower the weight until you can control each rep.

Fault: You pull mostly with your arms and feel little work in your back. Fix: Think about driving your elbows back rather than bending your arms first. Focus on squeezing your mid-back at the end of every rep.

Fault: You round your shoulders or let the weight pull you forward at the start. Fix: Set your shoulders down and back before each pull, keep your chest up, and maintain a neutral spine throughout the set.

Fault: You let the stack crash down at the end of each rep and lose tension. Fix: Stop the arms just before full extension and keep constant tension on the cable. Control the return so your back stays engaged for the whole set.