Seated cable row: how to do it
Main muscles: Rhomboids, Middle traps. Helpers: Latissimus dorsi (lats), Biceps, Infraspinatus. Below: step-by-step form, common mistakes, a muscle map, reps and rest, and what to swap it for.
Equipment
Cable
Reps
8–12
Rest
105 s
Muscle group
Back
How to do it
- Back flat, knees soft, torso almost still.
- Pull the handle to the stomach, elbows along the torso, squeeze the shoulder blades at the end.
- Let it back under control and allow the shoulder blades to spread.
Common mistakes
Pulling with the lower back, riding momentum.
Muscles worked
primary·secondary
- Primary
- Rhomboids, Middle traps
- Secondary
- Latissimus dorsi (lats), Biceps, Infraspinatus
A secondary muscle gets roughly half the stimulus of a set — that is also how the log’s stats count it.
Programs that use it
- Full body, 2 days3 × 8–12
- Full body, 3 days3 × 8–12
- Push, pull, legs — 3 days3 × 8–12
- Upper/lower, 4 days3 × 8–12
- 5-day split3 × 8–12
Alternatives: similar exercises
Barbell row
Barbell · Latissimus dorsi (lats), Rhomboids, Middle traps
T-bar row
Barbell · Latissimus dorsi (lats), Rhomboids, Middle traps
Seated machine row
Machine · Latissimus dorsi (lats), Rhomboids, Middle traps
Face pull
Cable · Rear delts (posterior deltoid), Infraspinatus, Middle traps
One-arm dumbbell row
Dumbbells · Latissimus dorsi (lats), Teres major, Rhomboids
Reverse pec deck
Machine · Rear delts (posterior deltoid), Rhomboids, Middle traps
Log your sets — the app suggests the next weight
GymAssist tracks the load on each of 40 muscles, paints it on a body map and uses double progression to tell you when to add weight.
Free forever for the first 500