Seal Row

Setup

1. 01Lie face down on a high flat bench or seal-row bench with the barbell on the floor or hooks below you.
2. 02Let the arms hang straight down and take an even, roughly shoulder-width grip.
3. 03Press the chest and hips into the bench and set the shoulder blades loosely down.

Execution

1. 01Row the bar up until it touches the underside of the bench or your chest support.
2. 02Lead with the elbows and squeeze the shoulder blades together at the top.
3. 03Lower under control to a full hang with the arms straight.
4. 04Keep the chest glued to the bench for every rep.

Checkpoints

• -The chest never lifts off the bench during the pull.
• -The bar travels straight up and down, not swinging forward.
• -Shoulder blades fully retract at the top and protract at the bottom.
• -Reps start from a dead hang, not a partial stretch.

Common mistakes

• -Arching off the bench to cheat the bar up.
• -Cutting range short so the bar never reaches the bench.
• -Yanking with the arms instead of driving the elbows back.
• -Loading so heavy that reps become bounces off a dead stop.