Muscles worked
The single arm cable row trains your back one side at a time. Your lats and the muscles between your shoulder blades, the middle trapezius and the rhomboids, do most of the work, helped by your rear delt, biceps and forearm. Pulling with one arm makes your body want to twist, so your obliques and trunk work to keep you square. The direction of the pull changes the emphasis. Pulling low towards your hip with your elbow close is usually felt most in the lats, while pulling higher with your elbow out gives your upper back and rear delt more to do.
Common mistakes
- The pulley is at the wrong height. Set far above or below the path of the handle, the pull becomes angled and hard to control. Start with the pulley at about stomach height, so the cable runs almost level as you pull.
- Your shoulder creeps up towards your ear. Your neck and upper traps then take over. Keep your shoulder low and drive your elbow down and back towards your hip, not up.
- Your shoulder blade stays still. If only your arm moves, it becomes mostly an arm exercise. Let your shoulder blade glide forward slightly when your arm is straight, without your torso turning, and let it move back as you start the pull.
Variations and alternatives
- The dumbbell row also trains one side at a time, with a bench for support.
- The close grip seated cable row pulls with both arms and lets you handle more weight.
- The single arm band row is the same movement at home, with a band anchored in front of you.
Sets and reps
This exercise suits building muscle best, with 8 to 15 reps per arm over 3 to 4 sets. Standing limits how heavy you can go before your trunk twists, so save heavy, low-rep sets for other rows. For endurance, 15 to 20 reps works. Start with your weaker arm and match the reps on your stronger side. See the guide to sets and reps.
Cable steps can be large for one arm. Add reps first, and raise the weight once you reach the top of your range on every set on both sides. That is progressive overload on a cable. Log the pulley height along with the weight.