Seated Cable Row
Reviewed by Bryan Cortez, MS
Small lean for the stretch, dead-strict pull — not a rowing-machine sprint.
Coaching profile
cable row. This page is the practical coaching layer: use it for setup, cues, programming, pain-free adjustments, and substitutions. The complete biomechanics tier list lives on the muscle page.
How the rankings are built →Demonstration
Demonstration production queue
The written coaching card is ready. The owned video is next.
Physique Skool is filming one canonical demonstration per exercise. Until this movement is published, use the setup, execution, common errors, programming, and substitutions below.
Browse Physique Skool on YouTubeAppears in Book 1
Four-Day Standard
Full Body B
Exercise 3 in the session · Chest-Supported Row (or Seated Cable Row): 3 sets of 8–12 reps.
Four-Day Standard
Upper A
Exercise 2 in the session · Chest-Supported Row (or Seated Cable Row): 3 sets of 6–10 reps.
Four-Day Standard
Upper B
Exercise 3 in the session · Seated Cable Row (or Chest-Supported Row): 3 sets of 8–12 reps.
How to do it
Setup
- Feet braced, slight knee bend, sit tall, grip the handle, shoulders down.
Execution
- Row to the navel, drive the elbows back, and squeeze. Let the weight stretch the lats forward (small lean). Don't heave with the torso.
Common Errors
- Rocking back and forth with the torso
- Rounding forward on the stretch
- Yanking with the arms only
- Shrugging the traps up
Cues That Work
- Drive the elbows toward the hips; keep the chest tall; reach forward without collapsing
No-Fly Zone
under 5 reps (heavy just becomes torso heaving, not back work)
Programming
Sequence priority
Middle
Scalable constant-tension row — mid-session after the heaviest pull; load it precisely with the stack.
Progression
Model — Double
Fallback model — Triple
Double progression: 8→15, then a pin (or micro-plate) and reset.
Best program fit
Pull, Upper
Load increments
If it hurts
Pain is information, not a challenge to push through. Stop the set if pain is sharp, worsening, or changes how you move. These are exercise-selection options, not medical diagnosis or rehabilitation advice.
Work down this list in order. Stop at the first change that removes the pain.
Step 1
Setup tweaks
Handle (wide pronated = upper back, close neutral = lats); torso lean.
Step 2
ROM / tempo / bias
Pause and squeeze; slow eccentric; exaggerate the stretch forward.
Step 3
Implement swap
Chest-supported row, single-arm cable row, or barbell row for load.
Substitutions
Approved fallback
Chest-supported row, single-arm cable row, or barbell row for load.
Compare all back optionsThe Evidence
Builds lats and mid-back with constant tension. Does NOT overload like a heavy barbell row.
SFR — 1.8
Put the exercise inside a system.
Get the companion workbook, trackers, program files, and community support.