Back · Row
Close-Grip Seated Cable Row
The Close-Grip Seated Cable Row mainly trains your lats and upper back. Also working: biceps and forearms.
Both cables
Stable
How to do it
- Sit on the floor, feet against the base of the machine
- Back straight, reach long in front
- Pull the handle to your navel, elbows brushing your ribs
- Extend under control: don’t collapse forward
Coach’s tip
The classic heavy row. Your torso can rock a few degrees, no more: if you throw yourself backward, your lower back does the pulling instead of your lats.
Setup
Pulley
Both pulleys at the bottom, both cables clipped to the same attachment
Grip
V-handle or neutral-grip bar
Load
Both cables
Needs two cable towers
You need
one of: V-handle, Neutral-grip bar
Stability
A bench, the floor or the frame takes the counterforce, or the cable pulls straight up or down. Good for heavy sets.
Alternatives
Other exercises for the same movement (row). In DCFT you can swap with one tap, and the app only offers what your equipment allows.
Questions about this exercise
What muscles does the Close-Grip Seated Cable Row work?
Mainly the lats and upper back. The biceps and forearms help.
How do I set up the cable machine for the Close-Grip Seated Cable Row?
Pulley: Both pulleys at the bottom, both cables clipped to the same attachment. Grip: V-handle or neutral-grip bar.
Can I do the Close-Grip Seated Cable Row on a single cable tower?
Not like this. The Close-Grip Seated Cable Row needs both cables at once, so two towers. If you set up DCFT for one tower, the app leaves it out of your plan and uses exercises such as One-Cable Seated Row and Seated Single-Arm Cable Row instead.
What can I do instead of the Close-Grip Seated Cable Row?
For the same movement: Seated Cable Row, One-Cable Seated Row and Seated Single-Arm Cable Row. In DCFT you swap with one tap.
DCFT
The Close-Grip Seated Cable Row in DCFT
In the app this exercise comes with your weight: the plate to pin, what you lifted last time and a rest timer that starts by itself.
Free on the App Store for iPhone. Pro is a one-time purchase with no subscription.