Technique
- Sit on the cable row machine bench with your feet securely placed on the footplates and knees slightly bent.
- Grab the handle with both hands, keeping your arms fully extended and your back straight.
- Engage your core and pull your shoulders back before initiating the movement.
- Pull the handle toward your midsection by driving your elbows back while keeping them close to your body.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the end of the movement ( Shoulder retraction).
- Slowly extend your arms back to the starting position in a controlled manner without rounding your back.
Form tips
- Keep your chest up and avoid leaning back when pulling the weight.
- Focus on pulling with your back muscles rather than relying too much on your arms.
- Control the weight on the way back to maintain tension in your muscles.
- Avoid shrugging your shoulders—keep them down ( Shoulder depression) and engaged throughout the movement.
- Use a full range of motion but do not let the weight stack slam down between reps.
Logging: Total weight used.
Muscles
Strength
Primary
- Rotator cuff
- Back
- Shoulders
- Triceps
- Biceps
- Forearms
Individual muscles
Individual muscles
- Teres minor
- Teres major
- Posterior deltoid
- Middle trapezius
- Latissimus dorsi
- Rhomboid major
- Triceps brachii (long head)
- Biceps brachii (short head)
- Brachialis
- Brachioradialis
- Lower trapezius
Equipment
Appears in
Joint movements
Regressions

Machine row
Beginner
Variations

Seated cable row with forward lean
Beginner
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