How many sets of the underhand seated cable row should a beginner do?

Three sets of 10 to 12 reps, once or twice a week alongside other back work, is a solid starting point since the underhand grip is comfortable enough to train fairly often. Add weight gradually and keep the torso close to upright rather than leaning back to move more.

What can replace a cable row machine for the underhand row pattern?

A resistance band anchored at a low point and pulled with an underhand grip reproduces the same tucked-elbow pulling angle. A single dumbbell or barbell row with a supinated grip, done bent over, is another way to train the same underhand pattern without a cable station.

What is the underhand seated cable row good for, and when would you choose a different grip?

The underhand grip tucks the elbows close and shifts more emphasis to the lower lats and biceps, making it a comfortable variation for building both width and thickness with easy loading. Choose a neutral or wide-grip row instead if your biceps already fatigue before your back does, since a different grip shifts more of the work back to the target muscles.

Beginner

Underhand Seated Cable Row

Rowing with an underhand grip on a straight bar tucks the elbows close to the body and shifts emphasis toward the lower lats while giving the biceps a bigger supporting role. It is a comfortable, easy-to-load variation that adds lat width and thickness. Use it alongside or in place of the standard neutral-grip cable row for a different pulling angle.

Equipment: Cables
Body part: Back, Lats
Type: Strength
Browse by muscle: Latissimus Dorsi, Trapezius Middle
Browse by movement: Horizontal Pull

How to do it

1
Attach a straight bar to a low seated-row pulley and sit with knees slightly bent.
2
Grip the bar with palms facing up, arms extended, and chest tall.
3
Row the bar to your lower abdomen while keeping your elbows tucked close to your sides.
4
Squeeze the lats and mid-back at the top.
5
Extend the arms under control to a full stretch without rounding the back.

Tips

Keep the wrists neutral and let the back, not the biceps, drive the pull.
Draw the bar low to the belly to emphasize the lower lats.
Avoid leaning far back; keep the torso close to upright.

Variations

Common mistakes

The elbows flare out wide instead of staying tucked close to the body, which is the exact angle the underhand grip is meant to create for free.
The bar gets allowed to snap back toward the stack at the end of each rep instead of extending under control, trading away the stretch this position is meant to load.
The seat sits too close to the pulley for the length of your arms, so the cable angle steepens and cuts the effective range of the row short.
Once the shoulders round forward at the start of each rep, the stretch happens through a rounded spine instead of through the lats where it belongs.
The hands sit closer together than the bar's handles are meant to be gripped, narrowing the underhand angle and shifting some of the work onto the forearms.

Frequently asked

How many sets of the underhand seated cable row should a beginner do?: Three sets of 10 to 12 reps, once or twice a week alongside other back work, is a solid starting point since the underhand grip is comfortable enough to train fairly often. Add weight gradually and keep the torso close to upright rather than leaning back to move more.
What can replace a cable row machine for the underhand row pattern?: A resistance band anchored at a low point and pulled with an underhand grip reproduces the same tucked-elbow pulling angle. A single dumbbell or barbell row with a supinated grip, done bent over, is another way to train the same underhand pattern without a cable station.
What is the underhand seated cable row good for, and when would you choose a different grip?: The underhand grip tucks the elbows close and shifts more emphasis to the lower lats and biceps, making it a comfortable variation for building both width and thickness with easy loading. Choose a neutral or wide-grip row instead if your biceps already fatigue before your back does, since a different grip shifts more of the work back to the target muscles.

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