What you'll gain

• Biases the mid-back and rear shoulder more than a close grip row.

• Supported seated position keeps the lower back out of the lift.

• Constant cable tension across the whole pulling range.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   Attach a wide bar to a seated row station and set the load.

2. 2

   Sit with your feet on the plate, knees slightly bent, and take an overhand grip outside shoulder width.

3. 3

   Sit tall, brace your abs and pull your shoulder blades down away from your ears.

4. 4

   Row the bar to your upper abdomen with the elbows traveling out and back.

5. 5

   Squeeze the shoulder blades together for a beat with the torso still.

6. 6

   Extend the arms slowly to a full stretch without rounding your back and repeat.

Common Mistakes

• Rocking the torso back and forth, which turns a back exercise into a hip movement.

• Shrugging the shoulders toward the ears, which loads the upper traps instead of the mid-back.

• Rounding the lower back on the return, which puts the lumbar spine under a stretched load.

• Letting the weight stack pull the arms out fast, which loses tension at the end of the range.

About This Exercise

The wide-grip seated cable row is a horizontal pull from a low pulley with the hands set outside shoulder width. Because the elbows travel away from the ribs instead of tucking, the pull becomes transverse shoulder extension and the middle trapezius, rhomboids and rear deltoids take a larger share of the work than in a close neutral grip row, where the lats and rhomboids lead. The lats still contribute, the biceps assist, and the trunk stays upright with the shoulder blades depressed rather than shrugged toward the ears. For a library this is the mid-back clip that pairs with a close-grip row. It gives program builders an upper back option on cable equipment, supports posture and pulling volume content, and shows a grip difference that is easy to see in a short loop.

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