Seated cable row

About

The seated cable row is a horizontal pulling movement. You sit facing a low pulley, brace your feet, extend your arms, and pull a handle toward the middle of your torso against the resistance of the cable. The muscles responsible for pulling the upper arm back at the shoulder joint—the latissimus dorsi and teres major (which also adduct the arm toward the side), as well as the posterior deltoids—are engaged. Working alongside them are the muscles that retract the scapulae (shoulder blades) toward the spine: the middle trapezius and the rhomboids. The elbow flexors bend the arm as the handle is pulled, while the muscles of the torso (extensors) keep the body upright against the pull of the cable. The choice of handle is a matter of preference rather than a strict rule: a narrow, neutral-grip handle keeps the elbows close to the ribcage, while a wide bar positions them further out to the sides. The studies referenced below compare the resulting muscle activity, but they do not rank exercises based on their potential for muscle growth. Since any single illustration can only depict one variation, view the image as one possible option rather than as a mandatory set of instructions.