Seated Machine Row

What is the Seated Machine Row?

The seated machine row is a horizontal pull performed against a chest pad on a plate- or pin-loaded machine, rowing the handles to the torso along a fixed path. The guided motion and adjustable resistance make it an accessible, easy-to-progress mid-back builder that lets you focus on the squeeze without balancing a free weight.

Muscles worked

Primary: Back

The mid-back (lats, rhomboids, and mid-traps) drives the elbows back to pull the handles in, retracting the shoulder blades against the machine’s resistance.

Secondary: Biceps, Traps

The biceps assist by flexing the elbows, and the traps help retract and control the shoulder blades at the top of the pull.

How to perform the Seated Machine Row

1. Sit in the seated row machine and adjust the chest pad and seat height so the handles line up with your mid-torso when your arms extend.
2. Set your chest against the pad, plant your feet, and grip the handles with the arms fully extended into a lat stretch.
3. Start each rep by retracting the shoulder blades before the elbows bend, letting the fixed machine path guide the pull.
4. Row the handles back toward your ribs by driving the elbows behind the torso, keeping the chest pressed into the pad.
5. Squeeze the mid-back at the fully contracted position without shrugging the shoulders up toward the ears.
6. Return the handles forward under control until the shoulder blades spread and the lats stretch fully before the next rep.

Suggested working range: 8–12 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Mechanics

A bilateral horizontal pull on a fixed machine path with the chest supported: the shoulders extend and the elbows flex to bring the handles to the torso. As a compound it works the back and arms together, but the guided path and chest pad remove the balance and lower-back demand, letting you concentrate the effort on the mid-back.

Form cues

• •Set the seat height so the handles line up with your mid-torso and you can reach a full stretch.
• •Keep the chest against the pad and row by driving the elbows back, squeezing the shoulder blades.
• •Avoid jerking the stack: a controlled pull and a controlled return is where the muscle works.
• •Let the handles travel out to a full stretch at the front before the next rep.

Common mistakes

• •Shrugging the shoulders up to the ears at the top rather than retracting the blades down and together.
• •Letting the chest come off the pad and rocking the torso to add momentum to the pull.
• •Pulling with the arms and biceps first before the shoulder blades begin to retract.
• •Using a short range that never lets the handles travel out to a full lat stretch at the front.

Variations & alternatives

• •Chest-supported dumbbell row: a free-weight version of the same braced horizontal pull.
• •Seated cable row: a similar seated pull with constant cable tension and no fixed path.
• •T-bar row: a heavier, hinge-based row for building raw pulling strength.
• •Iso-lateral machine row: an independent-arm machine row that evens out side-to-side differences.

Conventional Deadlift

Back · Barbell

Barbell Row

Back · Barbell

Pull-Up

Back · Bodyweight

Lat Pulldown

Back · Machine

Seated Cable Row

Back · Cable

Programming: sets, reps & when to use it

Use the seated machine row as a primary or secondary back movement in the library’s 8–12 rep range, where controlled tension and a full squeeze matter more than maximal load. Its supported, guided path makes it a safe place to push close to failure. Pair it with a vertical pull so you cover both pulling directions. Two to four sets build the mid-back well.

Frequently asked questions