Horizontal pull · Cable

Seated Cable Row

The seated cable row is a horizontal pull done sitting at a low pulley with your feet braced. It trains the mid-back and lats with steady tension and little lower-back stress, making it a reliable row for every level.

Primary
Back
Secondary
Biceps, Rear Delts
Starting rep range
8–12 reps
Target effort
1.5 reps in reserve
Progression
5 kg / one stack step

Muscles worked

Lats, rhomboids, and mid traps do most of the pulling, with biceps and rear delts assisting. A close neutral handle keeps elbows tucked for more lats; a wide bar flares the elbows for more upper back and rear delts.

How to set up

  1. Sit on the bench and brace your feet on the platform with knees slightly bent.
  2. Grab the handle and sit tall with arms extended.
  3. Keep your torso upright or leaning very slightly back.
  4. Let your shoulder blades reach forward slightly to start with a stretch.

How to do each rep

  1. Pull the handle to your lower ribs or belly, driving elbows back past your torso.
  2. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the end without leaning far back.
  3. Return slowly until your arms are straight and your back feels a stretch.
  4. Keep the torso mostly still; small movement is fine, rocking is not.

Common seated cable row mistakes

Rocking the torso

Keep the torso near upright and let the arms and shoulder blades move the weight.

Shrugging the shoulders up

Keep shoulders down away from your ears as you pull.

Cutting the stretch short

Let the arms fully straighten and shoulder blades move forward on every rep.

Sets, reps, and progression

Surpass starts the seated cable row at 8–12 reps with about 1.5 reps in reserve. As a compound lift it usually belongs early in the session, when you are fresh.

Work in 8-15 reps and move up a plate when all sets hit the top of the range with a still torso. Rotate handles every few weeks to change emphasis.

Know what to lift next time

Surpass shows what you lifted last time beside a target for this set, and adjusts it from your reps and RIR. Free on iPhone, no account needed.

Track it free in Surpass

Seated Cable Row alternatives

These train the same main muscles. Swap when the equipment is busy, something hurts, or progress has stalled for several weeks.

Barbell RowBack · BarbellHammer Strength High RowBack · Plate-loaded machineHammer Strength Low RowBack · Plate-loaded machineT-Bar RowBack · Plate-loaded machineChest Supported RowBack · Dumbbells, BenchDumbbell RowBack · Dumbbells, Bench

Programs that use it

12-Week Physique Plan4 days a week · intermediatePush Pull Legs (6-Day PPL)6 days a week · intermediateUpper/Lower Split (4 Days)4 days a week · beginner3-Day Full Body Workout3 days a week · beginnerArnold Split (6 Days)6 days a week · advanced5-Day Bro Split5 days a week · intermediatePPL + Upper/Lower Hybrid (5 Days)5 days a week · intermediate

Calculators

1RM CalculatorNext Set CalculatorPlate Calculator

Questions

What handle is best for seated cable row?

A close-grip neutral (V) handle is a good default for lats and mid-back. A wide bar shifts work toward the upper back and rear delts.

Should you lean back on cable rows?

Only slightly. A small lean is fine, but large rocking turns the row into a hip swing and takes work off the back.