Seated Row Machines

Seated Row Machines for Home and Commercial Gyms

A seated row machine is the horizontal pull that balances the pressing a gym floor does all day. With the chest on a pad or the feet braced, it trains the mid-back, lats, rear delts and biceps without the lower back having to hold position, which is why trainers put beginners on it before a barbell row.

Types of Seated Row Machines

The chest-supported row puts the sternum against a pad and pulls two handles back toward the ribs; the pad takes the lower back out of the movement. The low row runs a cable from a weight stack to a V-bar or wide handle, with the feet on a plate and the torso free, and allows a longer stretch. The plate-loaded iso-lateral row moves each arm independently on its own pivot and loads heavier than a stack. A commercial back line usually runs a chest-supported row for volume and an iso-lateral row for heavy sets.

Selectorized or Plate-Loaded

Selectorized rows change load by pin and keep tension even through the pull; they suit busy floors. Plate-loaded rows cost less, take the plates already on the floor and let strong members load past a stack. On a plate-loaded row, check the handle path: converging or diverging handles change which part of the back does the work.

H3 · How to Use a Seated Row Machine

Set the chest pad or seat so the handles start level with the lower ribs. Pull the elbows back past the torso, squeeze the shoulder blades together, pause, and return until the arms are straight and the shoulder blades spread. Keep the chest on the pad throughout. Three sets of 10 to 12 reps, adding load when the pause at the back stops being possible.