Seated Cable Row

How to perform it

1. 1Preparation and positioning. Grip the handle, place your feet, and take a seated position. Back long, ribcage over pelvis, knees slightly bent. Lift the stack without letting it yank you forward.
2. 2Starting position. Arms extended, shoulder blades controlled and protracted, torso roughly upright. No passive rounding.
3. 3Concentric phase. Pull the elbows back toward the hips/ribs. The shoulder blades retract under control; the torso stays stable. The handle comes to the lower chest/upper abdomen depending on cable height.
4. 4End position / lockout. A brief, controlled hold; don't force the elbows maximally behind the torso or shrug the shoulders.
5. 5Eccentric phase. Extend the arms over 2–3 seconds and let the shoulder blades glide forward. No slamming the stack or rounding the lower back.
6. 6Breathing and bracing. Exhale on the pull, inhale on the return; a moderate brace.
7. 7Valid rep. The same seat/torso/grip position, a full controlled shoulder/elbow range, no momentum, and the stack staying under control.

Common mistakes

• Leaning back / using momentum

  Fix: Reduce the load and pause 1 second at each end.

• Shoulder blades held rigid

  Fix: "Long forward, elbows back" instead of an arms-only pull.

• Shrugging

  Fix: Keep the neck long.

• The stack banging

  Fix: Go slower, or reduce the load.

Safety

• Shoulder: protraction/retraction and extension range — use a cleared range of motion.
• Spine: cable pull and seated torso posture — consider a chest-supported or machine alternative if symptomatic.
• Reduced bone density: pulling load and getting in/out of the seat — get professional clearance.

Progressions & alternatives

• regressionEGYM Seated Row— A more guided digital row, if torso control or stack handling is the limiter.
• progressionOne-arm Dumbbell Row— A unilateral, freely stabilized option for anti-rotation and grip goals.
• alternativeEGYM Seated Row— A digitally standardized alternative, if EGYM is available.
• prerequisiteOne-arm Dumbbell Row— Builds back loading before a freer variant — the free-standing skill is checked separately.