Seated Cable Row (Close-Grip)

Sit at a cable row station and attach a close-grip (V-bar) handle. With feet on the platform and a slight knee bend, pull the handle to your lower chest. Keep your elbows close to your body and squeeze your back at peak contraction. Return with control.

Pro Tips

• The close grip shifts emphasis toward the mid-back and rhomboids
• Keep your torso upright — avoid excessive forward lean
• Pair with a wide-grip row or pulldown for complete back development

Muscles worked

Primary: Latissimus dorsi (upper-arm adduction, pulling the elbow toward the torso) and rhomboids (scapular retraction at the end of the pull). The close neutral grip keeps the elbows tracking close to the body, which favours lat engagement.

Supporting: Biceps brachii and brachialis (elbow flexion), rear deltoids (horizontal shoulder extension), middle trapezius (scapular stability).

Common mistakes

Leaning back on the pull: Extending the hips to help pull the handle in turns the exercise into a partial hip hinge and reduces the back-muscle work. Keep the torso at roughly 90 degrees to the cable throughout the pull.

Rounding the shoulders at full extension: Allowing the shoulders to protract fully at the start of each rep under heavy load stresses the shoulder capsule. A slight reach forward is fine; collapsing into a rounded position is not.

Jerking the weight: Initiating each rep with a momentum jerk offloads the lats and transfers force to the lumbar spine. Start each rep with a deliberate scapular retraction before the elbows bend.

Pulling with the arms, not the back: If the elbows shoot out wide during the pull, the rear deltoids are doing the work instead of the lats. Focus on keeping the elbows close and driving them into your hips.

Programming notes

The seated cable row is one of the most versatile horizontal pulling exercises in strength programming, appearing in beginner linear programs and intermediate hypertrophy templates alike. The cable’s constant tension throughout the full range of motion is an advantage over dumbbell or barbell rows, where tension varies with the moment arm.

Close-grip placement is typically 3–4 sets of 8–12 repetitions for strength and hypertrophy. Pairing it with a vertical pull (lat pulldown or pull-ups) covers the full lat function — horizontal and vertical — within the same session.

Frequently asked questions

Should I let my shoulders round forward at the start of each rep?

A controlled reach forward at the start — allowing the scapulae to protract — increases the range of motion and lat stretch, which research suggests may enhance hypertrophy. The key word is controlled: let the shoulder blade glide forward under load, but do not collapse the thoracic spine into a rounded hunch. Think of it as a deliberate scapular movement rather than a passive slump, and retract firmly before you pull.

What is the difference between close-grip and wide-grip cable rows?

The grip width changes which muscles receive the greatest mechanical advantage. A close neutral grip (V-bar) keeps the elbows tracking close to the torso, which emphasises the lats and rhomboids through a longer range of elbow travel. A wide overhand grip flares the elbows, shifting more load onto the rear deltoids and mid-traps. Neither is superior — use both across your programme to train the full back musculature.

How heavy should I go on seated cable rows?

Use a load that allows you to complete every rep with a full retraction at the end and a controlled eccentric — typically 8–12 reps for hypertrophy, 5–8 for strength focus. If you need to rock your torso backward to complete a rep, the weight is too heavy. The cable row rewards tension and technique over load; dropping 10–20% and owning the squeeze will build more back muscle than grinding out sloppy reps at a heavier stack.