How to do the seated cable row

The seated cable row trains the same muscles as a barbell row, but you're sitting down with your feet braced, so there's no hinge to hold and your lower back gets a rest. That makes it the row we'd teach a beginner first, and the one we'd reach for when your back is tired from squats or deadlifts.

How to do a seated cable row

1. Attach a close-grip V-handle and sit facing the machine. Put your feet on the footplates with your knees slightly bent. They stay a little bent for the whole set, never locked.
2. Grab the handle and sit back until your arms are straight. Scoot back on the seat so the weight lifts off the stack with your arms fully extended. If the stack is still touching down with your arms straight, move back further.
3. Sit tall with a slight forward lean. Your torso tips forward just a few degrees past vertical, with your chest up and your back flat. That's the angle you'll keep for the whole set.
4. Row the handle to your lower chest. Pull your elbows back close to your sides until the handle touches you just below your chest and your elbows are behind your torso. Your torso shouldn't move.
5. Squeeze your shoulder blades together. Hold for a second at the handle-to-chest position. You should feel the middle of your back working, between and below your shoulder blades.
6. Let your arms go straight again over two seconds. Let your shoulder blades slide forward at the end, so you feel the stretch across your upper back. Keep your chest up and your torso angle the same, then row again.

The stack should rise and fall smoothly the whole time. If it bangs, or you feel it mostly in your lower back, something's off.

Form cues

"Elbows past your ribs." Think about driving your elbows back behind your body rather than pulling the handle toward you. It moves the effort out of your arms and into your back.

"Chest tall, handle to your chest." Instead of reaching your chest toward the handle or leaning back to it, bring the handle to where your chest already is. This single cue fixes most of the rocking.

"Shoulders down, away from your ears." If your shoulders ride up as you pull, your upper traps take over. Keeping the neck long keeps the work in your mid back.

"Squeeze a pencil between your shoulder blades." A familiar one, but it's a good check that you're finishing each rep with the shoulder blades together, not just the arms bent.

Common mistakes

Rocking back and forth. You lean well forward to reach the handle, then throw your torso back past vertical to finish the rep, like rowing a boat. It usually starts as a way to move more weight, and your lower back ends up doing the pulling. Set the torso angle in step 3 and hold it. If you can't finish the rep without leaning back, drop the weight.

Rounding your upper back. Your head pokes forward, your upper spine hunches, and your chest sinks toward your knees. There's a difference between your shoulder blades sliding forward at the stretch, which is fine and part of the range, and your whole upper back collapsing forward, which isn't. Keep your chest up, and only let the shoulder blades move.

Shrugging your shoulders. Your shoulders lift toward your ears during the pull and stay there. It's common on heavy sets, and it shifts the work to your traps and neck. Lower the weight and think about pulling your shoulders down before you pull the handle back.

Stopping short at either end. The arms don't fully straighten at the front, or the handle stops a few inches from your body. Either way, you miss the stretch or the squeeze where most of the work gets done. Arms fully straight, handle all the way to the chest, every rep.

Sets, reps and how much weight to use

Seated cable rows suit moderate and higher reps: 3 or 4 sets of 8 to 12 is a good default for muscle growth, and sets of 12 to 15 work well at the end of a session. Choose a weight you could do two or three more reps with while keeping your torso still. Rest about 90 seconds between sets.

It works as a main row for beginners or as the second row after a heavy barbell or T-bar row. It's also a good place to push sets closer to failure, because the setup is stable and there's no bar to get stuck under.

To progress, add reps until you hit the top of your range on every set, then move up one plate on the stack. Some stacks jump in steps of 10 to 15 lb (5 to 7 kg), which can be a big jump on a set of 12. If yours does, stay at the new weight for the bottom of your rep range and build back up. Our progressive overload guide explains the approach.

Seated Cable Row working weights by bodyweight and experience

Bodyweight	beginner	intermediate	advanced
130 lb (59 kg)	40 lb (18 kg)	70 lb (32 kg)	105 lb (48 kg)
160 lb (73 kg)	50 lb (23 kg)	90 lb (41 kg)	130 lb (59 kg)
190 lb (86 kg)	55 lb (25 kg)	105 lb (48 kg)	150 lb (68 kg)
220 lb (100 kg)	65 lb (29 kg)	120 lb (54 kg)	175 lb (79 kg)
250 lb (113 kg)	75 lb (34 kg)	140 lb (64 kg)	200 lb (91 kg)

Cable machines vary a lot in pulley setup and stack weight, so the same number can feel quite different from gym to gym. Use the table as a rough guide, and compare yourself with your own numbers on the same machine.

Variations and alternatives

• Wide-grip cable row: use a straight bar with an overhand grip and let your elbows flare out to about 60 degrees. It shifts more work to your upper back and rear delts.
• Single-arm cable row: one handle at a time, letting your torso rotate a little at the stretch. Good for fixing a weaker side and for a longer range of motion.
• Machine row: a chest-supported, plate-loaded or selectorised row. Your chest rests on a pad, so there's nothing to rock with at all.
• Dumbbell row: the free-weight option when the cables are taken or you don't have them at home.
• Barbell row: the heavier free-weight row, once you're comfortable with a hinge.

Seated cable row questions

Is the seated cable row better than the barbell row?

Neither is better; they're good at different things. The barbell row lets you use more weight and trains your lower back and hips to hold a hinge. The cable row is easier to learn, and much easier on your lower back. Most people do well with one of each in their week, or with the cable row alone if their lower back doesn't tolerate the hinge.

Should I lean back at the end of the rep?

Not past vertical. A slight forward lean at the start of the rep with your torso staying still is the default. If you're throwing your torso back to finish the rep, the weight is too heavy.

Which handle should I use?

The close-grip V-handle is the standard, and the one most people should start with. A straight bar with a wider grip works your upper back more. Swapping handles every few weeks is a good way to keep training varied without learning a new exercise.