How to do seated cable row exercises

This is an animated body sculpting tutorial for seated cable row exercises. Use the controls to pause, slow down and follow along with detailed step-by-step text instructions that match up with each movement. This instructional fitness body building video is incredibly in depth and a great guide for learning seated cable row exercises.

How to do Seated Cable Rows - Back Muscles

In this lesson you will learn how to do seated cable rows, also called pulley rows. This exercise works out the entire back and especially the middle of the back and the latissimus. For this exercise you need a pulley rowing machine and a V-grip. If you only have free weights, you can do barbell rows instead (very similar).

Description: Seated Cable Row - Back Muscles

* Sit down at a low pulley rowing machine and put your feet against the footrests. Bend your knees slightly and hold the V-grip with your elbows almost extended. Keep your back straightened during the whole exercise (don't arch forward).
* Then pull the V-grip to your chest like illustrated above and exhale. Lean back a little bit and also pull back your shoulders, so that you back muscles are fully contracted, when the grip touches your chest.
* Extend your arms again and inhale at the same time (don't extend your elbows totally).

Trainer advice: Seated Cable Row - Back Muscles

* Some people think that it's better to keep the shoulder pulled back during the whole exercise. Others believe that it's better to relax the shoulders when the arms are extended in front of you, so that the back muscles are also stretched a bit.
* If you don't want your lower and middle back to be worked you when you do seated cable rows, keep your upper body vertical. Don't move at all (latissimus isolation).
* Seated cable rows make your back more massive. Wide grip lat pulldowns on the other hand make your back broader.