Leaning back to finish
Keep your torso near upright and reduce the weight if you rock back.
Horizontal pull · Cable
Wide Grip Cable Row
The wide grip cable row is a seated row with a wide bar, pulling toward the lower chest with elbows out. It biases the upper back and rear delts more than close-grip rows and suits anyone wanting thicker upper back and better posture.
- Primary
- Back
- Secondary
- Rear Delts, Biceps
- Starting rep range
- 8–12 reps
- Target effort
- 1.5 reps in reserve
- Progression
- 5 kg / one stack step
Muscles worked
With elbows flared, the rear delts, rhomboids, and middle traps do more of the work, while the lats still contribute. The biceps assist with elbow bend.
How to set up
- Attach a wide bar and sit with your feet on the platform, knees slightly bent.
- Grip the bar wider than shoulder-width, palms down.
- Sit tall with a neutral spine and the cable taut.
- Start with your arms straight and shoulders reaching slightly forward.
How to do each rep
- Pull the bar toward your lower chest, with elbows flared about 45-70 degrees from your torso.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the end.
- Return slowly over 2 seconds, letting your shoulders reach forward.
- Keep your torso mostly still; a small lean is fine.
Common wide grip cable row mistakes
Shrugging
Keep your shoulders down as you pull so the upper traps do not take over.
No shoulder blade movement
Let the shoulder blades spread at the start and squeeze together at the end of each rep.
Sets, reps, and progression
Surpass starts the wide grip 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 add one pin when all sets hit the top. Keep the pull clean before adding weight.
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.
Wide Grip Cable Row alternatives
These train the same main muscles. Swap when the equipment is busy, something hurts, or progress has stalled for several weeks.
Questions
Wide grip vs close grip cable row?
Wide grip with elbows out biases the upper back and rear delts; close grip with elbows tucked biases the lats. Both build the back.
Is the wide grip row good for rear delts?
Yes. Flaring the elbows brings in more rear delt work than a close-grip row.