Seated Row

Setup

1. 01Set the seat so the handles line up with your lower chest.
2. 02Adjust the chest pad so arms reach full extension at the start.
3. 03Grip the handles neutral or overhand depending on the machine.
4. 04Sit tall with feet flat and chest against the pad.

Execution

1. 01Pull the handles back by driving the elbows behind the torso.
2. 02Squeeze the shoulder blades together as the handles reach the ribs.
3. 03Hold the contraction for a beat.
4. 04Extend the arms slowly, letting the shoulder blades glide forward at the end.

Checkpoints

• -Torso stays against the pad; no rocking backward.
• -Shoulder blades move through a full protract-retract cycle.
• -Elbow height stays consistent rep to rep.
• -Stack or plates never rest between reps.

Common mistakes

• -Leaning back to finish reps instead of pulling with the back.
• -Half-repping by never reaching full arm extension.
• -Gripping so hard the forearms fail before the back.
• -Setting the seat too low so the pull turns into a shrug.