Cable Straight Back Seated Row

Setup

1. 01Attach a V-bar or close-grip handle to the low pulley of a row station.
2. 02Sit with feet braced and knees slightly bent.
3. 03Sit fully upright with the chest tall and shoulders stacked over the hips.
4. 04Grip the handle with arms extended, allowing only the shoulder blades to reach forward.

Execution

1. 01Row the handle to the upper abdomen without any backward lean.
2. 02Drive the elbows straight back along the ribs.
3. 03Squeeze the shoulder blades together at the finish.
4. 04Extend the arms fully while the torso stays locked vertical.

Checkpoints

• -Torso stays at the same vertical angle for the entire set.
• -Movement comes purely from the arms and shoulder blades.
• -Chest stays tall; no slumping at the stretch position.
• -The weight stack moves smoothly with no jerk at the turnaround.

Common mistakes

• -Rocking the torso back and forth to build momentum.
• -Rounding forward at the bottom to chase extra stretch.
• -Using loads that force a lean to complete reps.
• -Pulling the handle too high toward the chest and shrugging.