Seated Cable Flexion Row

StrengthPull

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Body Part: Back

Description

Sit facing a low cable with your feet braced and knees slightly bent. Hold the handle with arms extended and begin tall through the spine. Pull the handle toward your lower ribs while rounding your upper back and drawing your ribcage toward your pelvis. Pause briefly in the contracted position, then slowly extend your arms and return to a controlled upright position. Keep the movement smooth, avoid jerking, and use a load that allows controlled spinal flexion.

How to Perform

Attach a straight bar or close-grip handle to the low cable pulley and select a light-to-moderate load that allows smooth, controlled movement.
Sit facing the cable machine with your feet braced firmly against the foot platform, knees slightly bent, and arms extended toward the handle.
Begin with your torso slightly flexed forward from the hips and upper back, allowing your shoulder blades to move apart while keeping your neck neutral.
Initiate the pull by driving your elbows back and drawing the handle toward your lower abdomen.
As you pull, gradually extend your spine to bring your torso upright, keeping your chest open and squeezing your shoulder blades together at the end of the movement.
Pause briefly with the handle close to your abdomen, elbows behind your body, and shoulders kept down away from your ears.
Return the handle slowly by extending your arms and allowing your torso to flex forward in a controlled manner, without rounding aggressively or losing tension in the cable.
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, avoiding jerking, excessive lower-back movement, or using momentum to pull the weight.

What Muscles Work

Primary Muscle:

Secondary Muscles:

Tips

Set the pulley low and sit facing the cable with your feet braced securely, knees slightly bent, and the handle held with straight but not locked arms.
Begin tall with your shoulders relaxed, then allow a controlled, comfortable rounding through the upper back as you reach forward; do not force painful lumbar flexion.
Initiate the pull by drawing your shoulder blades back and down, then pull the handle toward your lower ribs or abdomen while extending back to a neutral, tall seated position.
Keep the movement smooth and coordinated rather than jerking with the lower back; the cable should stay under tension throughout the repetition.
Use a load that lets you control both the forward flexion and the return phase without swinging, leaning excessively, or losing your footing.
Keep your neck neutral and avoid shrugging your shoulders toward your ears as you pull.
Exhale during the pull and return slowly under control, allowing the spine to flex only as far as is comfortable and intended.
If you have low-back pain, disc symptoms, or discomfort during spinal flexion, use a neutral-spine seated row variation or ask a qualified professional for guidance.

Common Mistakes

Using momentum by rocking the torso instead of controlling the spinal flexion and rowing phases.
Pulling mainly with the arms while failing to retract the shoulder blades and engage the back.
Shrugging the shoulders toward the ears instead of keeping the neck relaxed and shoulders depressed.
Rounding the spine passively and collapsing at the bottom rather than actively controlling the flexed position.
Extending the spine too early during the pull, reducing the intended flexion-row movement pattern.
Hyperextending the lower back at the end of the row instead of finishing with a neutral, controlled torso position.
Flaring the elbows excessively instead of guiding them back in a consistent path.
Using a range of motion that is too short, especially by not allowing controlled spinal flexion and shoulder protraction on the return.
Letting the weight stack slam or allowing the cable to pull the torso forward uncontrollably.