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Seated Cable Row

Seated Cable Row trains 5 of the 18 muscle groups Full Coverage tracks: Mid-back / traps 90%, Rear delts 70%, Biceps 45%, Lats 35%, Forearms 30%.

Backbone movement Level: Beginner Cable machine Pull Easy on the lower backEasy on the kneesNo load on the spineEasy on the shoulders

Seated Cable Row - Start position
Start position
Seated Cable Row - Finish position
Finish position

How to do it

  1. Sit at the station, feet on the plates, knees slightly bent.
  2. Grip the handle and sit tall - shoulders back, chest up, back straight.
  3. Pull the handle to your stomach, driving your elbows straight back past your ribs.
  4. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the end.
  5. Let it return until your arms are straight and you feel the stretch, without rounding forward or rocking your torso.

Muscles it trains

Percent of one session's target for that muscle. Anything at 100% finishes that muscle on its own.

Light Main

How it compares

Compared with the Barbell Row, it loads Lower back / erectors 40 points lower, Rear delts 15 points higher, Mid-back / traps 10 points lower. It needs Cable machine where the other uses Barbell. Compared with the Cable Upright Row, it loads Side delts 75 points lower, Rear delts 70 points higher, Mid-back / traps 45 points higher.

Other ways to train this

Other exercises for the Mid-back / traps

Related guides

Exercise illustrations and data by RepDB (repdb.co), used under licence.

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