Cable Seated Row

The seated cable row pulls a handle towards your torso from a low cable while you sit with your feet braced. It trains the mid back (rhomboids and mid traps), the lats and the rear delts, and because your chest stays upright and supported by your legs, it is easy to take close to failure safely.

Targets: Infraspinatus
Also works: Brachialis, Brachioradialis, Deltoid Posterior, Pectoralis Major Sternal Head
Equipment: Cable
Level: Beginner
Start with: 3 × 10-12, 60s rest

How to do it

Sit with your feet on the platform, knees slightly bent, and take the handle with your arms straight.
Sit tall so your torso is close to vertical, with a neutral lower back.
Pull the handle to your lower ribs, driving your elbows back past your torso.
Squeeze your shoulder blades together for a moment, then let your arms extend and your shoulders reach forward.

Form cues

Chest tall, as if someone is pulling a string from your sternum.
Elbows travel back, not up.
Reach forward with the shoulders at the end of every rep for the stretch.

Common mistakes

Rocking the torso back and forth so the lower back does the lifting.
Shrugging the shoulders up towards the ears as the handle comes in.
Cutting the rep short at the front, which removes the stretch the mid back responds to.

Where this fits in a week

Dietly Fit scores one photo a week out of 100, names the area holding the score back, and builds the week around it — so a movement like this gets programmed when your infraspinatus is what needs the work, not because it was next on a list.

More back movements

Demonstration courtesy of Gym Visual. Sets and reps are a starting point, not a prescription. Speak to a qualified professional before starting a new exercise program, particularly if you are managing an injury or a health condition.