Seated One-arm Cable Pulley Rows
The seated one-arm cable pulley row trains your middle back one side at a time, pulling a low cable handle into your torso while seated at a rowing station. Working unilaterally means each side has to pull its own weight instead of a stronger arm compensating for a weaker one, and the seated position keeps your hips still so the work stays in your upper back and arms. It is a solid main pulling exercise for building a thicker back and evening out left-to-right strength.
Why it works
Rowing movements build the muscles that pull your shoulder blades together and draw your upper arm back, mainly your middle back, lats, and biceps. Training one arm at a time on a cable removes the option of letting your stronger side take over, which two-arm rowing machines and barbells allow without you noticing. The cable also keeps constant tension on the target muscles through the whole range, unlike a dumbbell row where gravity briefly unloads the muscle at certain points in the arc.
Set up
- Sit at the low pulley station with your feet braced against the footplate or a stable base, knees slightly bent.
- Grip the handle with one hand and sit up tall with a slight forward hip hinge.
- Rest your other hand on your knee or lightly brace it against the machine for balance.
- Set your shoulders back and down before the first pull.
How to do it
- Pull the handle straight back toward your ribs, leading with your elbow.
- Squeeze your shoulder blade toward your spine at the end of the pull.
- Pause briefly at full contraction.
- Extend your arm back out under control, letting your shoulder blade stretch forward.
- Keep your torso upright and still, without rocking to help the pull.
- Complete all reps on one side before switching arms.
Form cues
- Lead with the elbow, not the hand.
- Keep the torso still, no rocking.
- Squeeze the shoulder blade at the back of the pull.
- Control the stretch forward, do not let the cable yank you.
Breathing: Exhale as you pull the handle toward your ribs, inhale as you extend your arm back out.
Common mistakes
Rocking the torso backward to help yank the handle in.
Fix: Brace your core and keep your torso still; let your arm and back do the pulling, not your body weight.
Letting the shoulder round forward at the start of each rep.
Fix: Start each pull from a tall, chest-up position with your shoulder blade set back slightly.
Stopping the pull at the elbow instead of finishing with a shoulder blade squeeze.
Fix: Add a small pull at the very end of the range, drawing the shoulder blade toward your spine.
Letting the weight stack snap the arm forward on the return.
Fix: Control the eccentric on a slow two or three count instead of letting the cable pull your arm.
How to program it
- As a unilateral compound pull, 3 or 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps per arm once a week is a solid dose alongside your other back and pulling work.
- Train the weaker arm first each session so it sets the rep count and effort level, rather than always matching whatever the stronger side did.
- It pairs naturally with a pressing movement in the same session, since rowing and pressing balance each other across a training week.
- If your grip fails before your back does, use straps for a few sets so grip fatigue is not limiting your rowing volume.
Safety notes
- Keep your lower back in a neutral position rather than rounding or over-arching as you pull.
- If your shoulder pinches at the start of the pull, sit slightly further from the pulley to reduce the stretch at the bottom.
Exercise profile
- Force
- Pull
- Mechanics
- Compound
- Category
- Strength
Frequently asked questions
How many sets and reps for the seated one-arm cable row?
3 or 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps per arm, once a week, fits well alongside your other back training.
What is the difference between this and the seated cable row?
The seated cable row uses both arms together on a wide bar, while this version isolates one side at a time, which is useful for fixing left-to-right strength differences.
Can I do this without a cable machine?
A one-arm dumbbell row trains the same unilateral pulling pattern using a bench and a dumbbell instead of a cable station.
Why does my lower back ache after this exercise?
Rocking your torso to help the pull shifts load into your lower back. Brace your core and keep your torso still, letting your arm and shoulder blade do the work instead.