Seated Cable Row and Chest Supported Row: Form, Handles, and Which to Use
To do a seated cable row, sit tall with your feet on the platform and your knees slightly bent, lean forward a little to take the handle, then pull it to your lower ribs while your chest stays up and your torso stays nearly still. Squeeze your shoulder blades back at the end, then let your arms stretch forward under control. The chest supported row trains the same muscles lying face down on an incline bench or a machine pad, so your lower back can rest and your upper back does the work. Which one to use depends on what you want: the cable row gives you a long stretch, and the chest supported row takes body swing out of it.
How do you do a seated cable row?
Set up once, then repeat the same rep. The only thing that should move much is your arms and shoulder blades.
- Sit and brace your feet. Feet on the platform, knees slightly bent. Sit tall on the seat, not hunched over it.
- Take the handle with a small lean. Lean forward just enough to reach the handle, then sit back up until your torso is about upright. A small lean forward and back of a few degrees is fine; a big rock is not.
- Pull to your lower ribs. Drive your elbows back, close to your sides, until the handle touches your stomach or lower ribs.
- Squeeze and pause. Pull your shoulder blades together for a moment at the end of the pull.
- Stretch forward under control. Let your arms go long and let your shoulder blades slide forward, without letting your back round.
Breathe out as you pull and in as you return. If you have to swing your whole body back to finish a rep, the weight is too heavy.
Which handle should you use for rows?
The handle changes where your elbows go, and your elbows decide which part of the back does the most work.
| Handle | Grip | Elbows | Works most |
|---|---|---|---|
| V handle (close grip) | Palms facing each other | Close to your sides | Lats, with a long stretch |
| Wide bar | Palms down, wider than shoulders | Out to the sides | Upper back and rear shoulders |
| Single D handle | One hand at a time | Close, with a slight turn | Each side on its own, lats |
| Rope | Palms facing each other | Close or out | Either, and a squeeze at the end |
A good rule: elbows close to the body and pulling toward the hips puts the lats to work. Elbows out wide and pulling toward the chest shifts the work to the upper back and the backs of the shoulders.
A single handle lets each side work on its own and lets your shoulder turn slightly as you pull. The PR Grip D Handle is hard chrome steel with a knurled grip and a full swivel, so it turns with your hand through the whole pull. The same handle works for the cable lateral raise.
Why do you slide forward on the seated row?
On every rep, the cable pulls you toward the stack. Your feet on the platform push you back, and the seat under you holds you in place. When the seat is smooth vinyl, the part it should hold slowly gives way, and you creep forward a little at a time.
That costs more than it looks. Each time you slide, your torso angle changes, the stretch at the front of the rep changes, and some of your effort goes into holding yourself on the seat instead of pulling.
“Seated row always had me creeping forward off the pad. I stuck this under my seat and the drift stopped. Better squeeze, better control, less wasted tension.”
PR Grip is a double-sided grip mat. HexaTrac on one face holds the seat and the other face holds you, so the cable pulls against your back muscles instead of your balance. It grips through pressure, not adhesive, so it leaves nothing on a shared machine.
“I did not realize how much energy I was burning just holding myself on the pad. Rows feel tighter. Lats are doing the work instead of my hands.”
How do you do a chest supported row?
The chest supported row takes body swing out of the lift. With your chest on a pad, you cannot lean back to finish a rep, so your back does all of it.
- Set the bench. Set an adjustable bench to a low incline, about 30 to 45 degrees.
- Lie face down. Chest on the backrest, the top of the pad at about the top of your chest, feet on the floor or on the seat.
- Let the weights hang. A dumbbell in each hand, arms straight down, shoulders relaxed forward.
- Row to your hips or your ribs. Elbows close and toward the hips for the lats, or wider and toward the chest for the upper back.
- Lower all the way. Let your arms go straight and your shoulder blades slide forward before the next rep.
A chest supported row machine and a T bar row with a chest pad work the same way. The one thing that moves when it should not is you on the pad. As you pull, your body tends to slide up or down the incline, and the pad under your chest is often worn smooth.
“Seated row and chest-supported row pads are both slick in my gym. Mat fixed both. Pull day feels connected instead of fidgety.”
Lay the mat over the backrest before you lie down, and your chest stays where you put it for the whole set, the same way a bench press mat holds your back when you press.
Seated cable row, chest supported row or T bar row?
All three are good rows. Pick by what you want the row to do.
- Seated cable row. Constant tension from the cable, and the longest stretch at the front of the rep. A good choice for the lats and for higher reps.
- Chest supported row. Your chest on a pad, so no swing and nothing for the lower back to do. A good choice for the upper back, and on days when your lower back is tired from deadlifts.
- T bar row. Heavy and simple to load. Versions with a chest pad work like the chest supported row; free standing versions ask your lower back to hold the bent over position.
- Seated row machine. A fixed path with handles and a chest pad. Easy to learn and easy to push close to failure.
Many programs use two: one row with a stretch, like the cable row, and one supported row. Here is how the machines compare when your body slides on the pad.
How many sets and reps for rows?
Three to four sets of 8 to 15 reps suits most lifters. Rows are a lift you can train close to failure, because a missed rep simply ends the set. In a push pull legs split, they are the core of pull day. Add weight once all your sets reach the top of the range with a pause at the end of each pull.
Common row mistakes
- Rocking the torso. A big lean back does the work your back should do.
- Shrugging the shoulders up. Keep your shoulders down and pull with your elbows.
- Cutting the stretch short. Let your arms go long and your shoulder blades slide forward on every rep.
- Letting grip end the set. If your hands tire first on heavy rows, straps let your back decide. The PR Grip Vintage Leather Straps are made for deadlifts, rows, shrugs and pulldowns. Here is when to use lifting straps.
- Sliding on the seat or pad. Each slide changes the rep.
Staying put on the seat and the pad
A row is a pull between your back and the handle. Everything else, your feet, the seat, the chest pad, should hold still so the pull goes where you want it. Put the mat under your seat for cable rows, over the chest pad for supported rows, and move it with you to the next station.
Wipe it with a damp cloth when you are done, roll it up and put it back in your gym bag.
Frequently asked questions
What muscles does the seated cable row work?
Mainly the lats and the muscles between and around your shoulder blades. The backs of the shoulders and the biceps help. With a close grip the lats do more, and with a wide grip the upper back does more.
Should you lean back on a seated cable row?
Only a little. Sit about upright at the end of each pull, with a few degrees of movement at most. A big lean back uses your body weight to move the handle.
What is the difference between a seated row and a chest supported row?
In a seated cable row you sit upright and hold your own torso still. In a chest supported row your chest rests on a pad, so there is no swing and your lower back can rest.
Which handle is best for seated cable rows?
A close grip V handle is the most common and trains the lats with a long stretch. A wide bar shifts the work to the upper back. A single handle trains one side at a time.
How do you stop sliding on the seated row?
Push through your feet, sit tall and use a weight you can pull without leaning back. A grip layer on the seat holds you in place, so the cable pulls against your back and not your balance.