Rameur assis à câble (low pulley row)

Muscles worked

Setup

1. Adjust the seat or foot platform so your feet are fully supported and your knees stay slightly bent, not locked.
2. Sit tall with your hips all the way back on the bench and grab the handle you need (double or single, depending on the exercise).
3. Set the weight so you can pull without throwing your upper body back, especially for the first set.
4. Check that the cable moves freely and that the area in front of you is clear.
5. Hold the handle with both hands for the seated cable row, or with one hand for the single-arm cable row.

How to do it

1. Sit up straight with your chest lifted, lean very slightly forward at the hips without rounding your back, and plant your feet firmly.
2. Pull the handle until the cable is tight, then keep your shoulders down and your torso steady.
3. Breathe in, then pull the handle toward your belly or lower chest, keeping your elbows close to your sides and avoiding a big swing backward.
4. Hold the handle close to you for a brief pause without letting your shoulders roll forward.
5. Return the handle forward over 2 to 3 seconds, staying in control and keeping your back stable, until your arms are almost straight.
6. Repeat for your reps, then lower the weight by guiding the handle forward so the weight stack doesn’t slam down.

Common mistakes

• Swinging with your whole upper body

  Instead : Keep your torso almost fixed. A small lean at the start is fine, but avoid throwing yourself backward to help the pull. Slow the movement down and use a weight you can control without momentum.

• Rounding your lower back

  Instead : Sit deep on the bench, grow tall through the top of your head, and keep your lower back neutral. If you start rounding, bring the handle a bit closer to you at the start and drop the weight.

• Letting your shoulders collapse forward

  Instead : Think about keeping your shoulders away from your ears, down and controlled. When you straighten your arms, stop before your shoulders roll fully forward and you lose tension.

• Letting the weights crash down

  Instead : Control the return phase by keeping slight tension on the cable. Guide the handle forward slowly and let the weight stack almost touch, without slamming.

Coach tips

• Use a controlled tempo: about 1 second to pull, brief pause, then 2 to 3 seconds to return the handle forward.
• Coordinate your breathing: breathe out as you pull, breathe in as you let the handle come back.
• Look forward instead of down to help keep your back aligned and stable.
• Start with the two-arm seated cable row, then add the single-arm cable row when you want to focus more on each side on its own.

Variations

• Two-hand seated cable row for a more stable, symmetrical pull.
• Single-arm cable row while bracing with your free hand to really focus on one side at a time.

Exercises on this machine

• Seated cable rowBack
• Single-arm cable rowBack

Common questions