How to perform a Seated Cable Row

Seated cable row exercise tutorial

Want to learn how to perform the seated cable row? Here’s a simple step by step tutorial and a video demo.

What muscles does the Seated Cable Row work?

The seated cable row targets your whole back, especially your lats and trapezius.

How to perform the seated cable row?

Place your heels on the bottom half of the footrests with your feet facing forward (not pointing in or out).

Keep a slight bend on your knees and your torso upright. Look in front of you. Grip the handle in the middle with thumbs up or wrapped around.

Pull your shoulder blades down and back as far as you can (as if you were going to pinch them together). Hold it for a second before returning to the initial position with your lats, not your arms.

Check out these other back exercise tutorials:

Seated cable row video demo

Pro tips

Squeeze your lats and shoulder blades then slowly return to the starting position. This will help you engage your lats and not let your biceps do the work.
Don’t move too far forward. If you need to do so then the weight is too heavy.

How to tell if you’re doing it right?

You should feel it in your whole back, not so much in your arms. If that’s the case then lower the weight and check your form.