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Wide-Grip Seated Cable Row

  • Upper Back
  • Lats
  • Shoulders
  • Biceps

EquipmentCable

Front
Back
Main muscleAlso working

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Your first wide-grip seated cable row

Three things to know before your first set of the wide-grip seated cable row.

What weight should I start with on the wide-grip seated cable row?

Start a little lighter than your regular seated cable row. The wide grip puts more of the work on your upper back and rear delts, which are weaker than your lats.

Aim for sets of 8 to 12. If you have to lean back to finish a rep, drop a plate.

What usually goes wrong on the wide-grip seated cable row?

Let your elbows flare out to the sides as you pull. That's what moves the work to your upper back compared with a close-grip row.

Keep your torso still. A small lean forward at the start is fine, but rocking back and forth turns the set into a hip swing.

The most common mistake is shrugging as the bar comes in. Keep your shoulders down and away from your ears.

Swaps that work

A seated cable row with the V-bar uses the same station with a narrower grip and more lats. A seated machine row with a wide grip trains the same muscles with the path set for you.

Updated

How to do it

  1. Attach a long straight bar to the low pulley of a seated row station and select the weight.

  2. Sit with your feet on the platform and your knees slightly bent. Take the bar with an overhand grip a little wider than your shoulders.

  3. Sit tall with your arms straight and your shoulders pulled down. This will be your starting position.

  4. Pull the bar to your lower chest, driving your elbows out and back, and squeeze your shoulder blades together.

  5. Pause for a second, then straighten your arms slowly back to the start without rounding forward.

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