Single-Arm Machine Row
Rowing one arm at a time on a seated or chest-supported machine lets you push each side to full range and even out left-to-right strength differences. The fixed path keeps the movement clean, and the extra reach at the stretch position adds a useful bit of range for the lats. Use it to correct imbalances or as a controlled accessory after your main pulls.
- Equipment
- Machine
- Type
- Strength
- Browse by muscle
- Latissimus Dorsi, Trapezius Middle
- Browse by movement
- Horizontal Pull
- Target
- Latissimus Dorsi, Trapezius Middle
- Secondary
- Trapezius Lower, Deltoid Posterior, Biceps Brachii Long Head, Biceps Brachii Short Head
- Tertiary
- Infraspinatus, Brachioradialis
How to do it
- 1
Set the seat and chest pad so one handle sits at arms length in front of you.
- 2
Brace against the pad and grip a single handle with a neutral or pronated grip.
- 3
Let the shoulder blade protract forward to reach a full stretch.
- 4
Row the handle back by driving your elbow past your ribs and retracting the scapula.
- 5
Pause at the top, lower under control, and complete all reps before switching sides.
Tips
- Resist the urge to rotate the torso toward the working arm.
- Reach forward at the bottom to load the lat through a longer range.
- Match reps and tempo on both sides to build symmetry.
Variations
Common mistakes
- Loading half of your two-arm weight and expecting it to feel the same. Pulling on one side also means resisting the machine trying to turn you, so start under half and work up.
- Sitting dead center in the seat. Shifting your hips a few inches toward the working handle lets that arm reach farther forward and finish farther back.
- Side-bending toward the handle at the stretch so your ribs travel instead of your shoulder blade. Keep both hips down in the seat and let the arm and scapula do the reaching.
- Rushing the second side because the set feels half over. That arm is fresh muscle doing full work, so give it the same tempo and the same rest beforehand.
Frequently asked
- How many sets and reps of the single-arm machine row should I do?
- Three sets of 10 to 12 per side, run as an accessory after your main pull rather than as the heavy work of the session. Budget for the time: one-arm work doubles the number of sets, so two unilateral exercises can eat a whole session. Progress with the smallest plate the machine offers, and add it only once both sides have finished all three sets at the top of the rep range.
- What can I do instead of the single-arm machine row?
- A single-arm dumbbell row with a knee on a bench is the classic free-weight version and costs nothing but one dumbbell. A one-arm landmine row gives a similar guided arc if your gym has the attachment. On a cable stack, a one-arm row holds tension at both ends of the range. Each of these asks more of your trunk than the machine does, which is a fair trade for most people.
- What is the single-arm machine row good for, and when should I use the two-arm version?
- Its job is symmetry: rowing one side at a time shows which arm is behind and lets the weaker side work to its own limit instead of hiding behind the stronger one, while the fixed path and chest pad keep the movement clean. Use the two-arm version instead when your sides are already even and you want the same back volume in half the time, or when the row is the heavy lift of your day and you want to load it as much as possible.
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