Lats exercise
Single-Arm Seated Cable RowHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Lats, Upper back
- Also works
- Biceps
- Equipment
- Cable
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
How do you do the Single-Arm Seated Cable Row?
- Sit with your feet on the plate, knees slightly bent, D-handle in one hand.
- Reach forward with your arm straight, letting your shoulder stretch forward a little.
- Sit tall and pull the handle to the side of your waist, elbow close to your body.
- Squeeze your shoulder blade back for a second.
- Return slowly to the stretch and repeat; then switch arms.
Cues
- Lead with your elbow.
- Finish tall and square.
- Shoulder down, away from your ear.
Common mistakes
- Twisting a lot to move the weight: keep the turn small and finish square.
- Leaning back to finish: sit tall and lighten the weight.
- Shrugging: pull your shoulder down before you row.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
Sit on the bench facing the low pulley, feet on the foot plate, hip-width apart, knees soft (about 20°). D-handle in one hand, neutral grip (palm facing in), wrist straight. Free hand resting on the same-side thigh. Chest up, shoulders level, spine neutral. Working arm on the side nearer the camera.
The movement
The handle travels in a near-horizontal line along the cable to the side of the waist. The trunk un-turns from about 10° to square and comes up to vertical during the first half of the pull, then stays still. The elbow slides back along the ribs. Legs, free arm and head stay still.
End position
Handle beside the lower ribs / waist on the working side. Trunk upright and square to the pulley (0° rotation). Elbow close to the side and behind the trunk: elbow flexion about 115°, upper arm about 45° behind the trunk line. Shoulder blade drawn back and down. Hold 1 s.
Tempo
Pull 1.5 s / squeeze 1 s / return 2 s, then 0.3 s at the stretch with the stack off its rest.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trunk rotation towards the pulley at the stretch | 10° | 0–15° (variant decision) | |
| Trunk at the end | upright, square | 0–5° lean, 0–5° rotation | |
| Elbow flexion at the stretch | 5° | 0–10° | |
| Elbow out from the side at the end (front view) | 10° | 0–20° | |
| Handle at the end | side of the lower ribs | lower ribs to waist | |
| Shoulder level difference at the end | 0 cm | under 3 cm |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Single-Arm Seated Cable Row is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
