The Seated Row Machine – Blast Your Back!

The Seated Row Machine – no, not typical seated rows with a low cable, but a plate-loaded, chest-supported seated row machine with uni-lateral handles that allow a hammer grip! What an exercise! You can hit your back and your biceps hard with this very impressive machine. In this edition of Exercise Spotlight, we’ll break this exercise down, provide 2 sample routines, and more – so let’s get started!

What Is The Seated Row Machine 

As noted, this is a Seated Row Machine with a chest pad you lean into. In this case, it’s plate loaded (but could be a weight stack), you’re sitting on an angled seat with your feet on an angled platform. You rest your chest against the pad, and the machine I use has uni-lateral handles that offer multiple grip options.

The beauty of the Seated Row Machine is that you can use a hammer grip a bit lower down from the top of the handles. What does that do? Two things: eases the pressure on your lower back, and hits the biceps just like a hammer curl would. For me, the lower grip eases the pressure on my chest, which is important for anyone with a pacemaker.

A Quick Look At The Chest Supported Seated Row 

Seated Row Machine	Muscles Worked	Tempo	Best For
Plate loaded	Lats	2 second concentric	Strength
Uni-lateral	Rhomboids	4-6 second eccentric	Size
Chest pad	Traps, middle, lower	4 second hold in the fullystretched position	Use progressive overload
angled seat, angled foot platform	Biceps brachii
	Brachialis
	Brachioradialis

Muscles Worked

The uni-lateral Seated Row Machine, plate loaded with the chest pad primarily targets the muscles of the upper and mid-back, including the lats, rhomboids, and traps. Secondary muscles are the biceps brachii, rear delts, and the long head of the triceps. Using a hammer grip on the lower part of a uni-lateral machine works the brachioradialis. For me, this is huge because I use a hammer grip (or sometimes an underhand grip) to turn the focus on the biceps. I do this on this machine, and a uni-lateral lat machine.

The chest pad eliminates upper body momentum, which ensures the back does the work, while as noted above also engaging the biceps (especially with a hammer grip). In addition, this exercise takes pressure off your lower back. (1)

How To Do The Chest Supported Seated Row

• The seat and your grip should be adjusted to allow wrists to follow elbows. 
• Sit on the seat and position your chest against the pad. 
• Grasp lever handles with a hammer grip. I suggest a grip about half way down the handles.
• Pull levers back until elbows are behind back and shoulders are pulled back. 
• When completing the pull, keep your chest on the pad and pull shoulder blades together.
• Return until arms are extended and shoulders are stretched forward.
• Repeat for your target rep number.

How To Use It In Your Routine

You can use the Seated Row Machine as your main rowing movement in any back routine. Below is a general back routine covering both width and thickness, after that is a thickness only routine.  Use the sample routines on Pull Day and follow with biceps, forearms, and abs.

Sample Routine # 1 – General Back Workout

Deadlifts

Warm up over 3 sets:

• Bar x 15 reps
• 20% RM x 10 reps
• 40% RM x 8 reps

3 working sets x 6-8 reps

Seated Row Machine

3 sets x 6-8 reps

Lat Pulldowns

3 sets x 6-8 reps

Performance Notes

Concentrate on proper exercise form. This is especially true on the deadlift, an exercise you should fully understand before performing. If you have questions on the correct execution, find and enlist the aid of a personal trainer at the gym to show you the correct way to do it.

On deadlifts, the Seated Row Machine, and all exercises, make sure you lift the weight under complete control, from beginning to end. I don’t want to see half-hearted half or quarter reps! I also don’t want to see you rushing through your sets. Don’t let momentum do the work! Here’s the tempo you should use: 2 seconds to lift the weight (concentric phase), 4 seconds to return to the start position (eccentric phase), and a 3 second pause right before lockout, in the fully stretched position. 

Also, use progressive overload. If you can easily hit the listed reps, add weight. Don’t just knock rep after rep and then abruptly stop when you could have done more. The point is, you shouldn’t be able to do any more! You should be hitting failure by the last rep, and you can use a lot of weight on the Seated Row Machine, so don’t shortchange yourself!

Regarding progressive overload, when you fail at 2 reps more than your rep goal on your last set for 2 workouts in a row, add 10% to the big exercises and 5% to the smaller exercises. What’s that? Too complicated? That’s fine, in that case you can add 2.5 pounds a week, but sooner or later you might plateau!

Rest 60-120 seconds between sets. No sitting on your phone for 10-15 minutes in between sets! If you can’t pull yourself away from your phone, leave it in your locker. Focus on your workout, not your texts!

Sample Routine # 2 – Thickness Day only

Rows build thickness, pulldown movements build width. You can alternate this workout with a Width only routine that consists of lat pulldowns and/or pull-ups utilizing various grips. 

Deadlifts

Warm up over 3 sets:

• Bar x 15 reps
• 20% RM x 10 reps
• 40% RM x 8 reps

3 working sets x 6-8 reps

Barbell Rows

2 sets x 6-8 reps

Seated Row Machine

2 sets x 6-8 reps

T-Bar Rows

2 sets x 6-8 reps

Performance Notes

The same as above. Focus on rep tempo and execution! 

Add These Supplements

To make the most of a tough back workout focusing on the Seated Row Machine, your supplement arsenal should begin with a great pre-workout, such as Gorilla Mind Gorilla Mode. This legendary Pre shocked the market when it was introduced by dosing citrulline much, much higher than everyone else – and it wasn’t just citrulline! Even so, the ultra-high citrulline dose started the citrulline dosing wars, and Gorilla Mode is the reason you see serious pre-workouts dosed around 10 grams of citrulline per serving.

That’s a good thing, because sadly there are still pre-workouts being released every day that are pathetically dosed. I saw one this morning with a laughable 550 mg prop blend containing ingredients that should be individually dosed at 5 or 6 times that amount!

In May 2026, we are trying to cope with high prices across the board, and have been for quite some time. That probably means you’re in the market for a more value-minded pre-workout, right? I suggest turning to the new “core” pre-workout category, a value priced category with a streamlined but effective formula at a budget price that works for everyone.

Enter NutraBio Base. This is hands down one of the best “core” pre-workouts on the market. It’s made by NutraBio which means it has an extremely transparent label, a concept pretty much invented by this exceptional company. Take a look at any NutraBio product Supplement Facts label and you can clearly see everything that goes into it, including the “Other Ingredients” such as the flavoring and sweeteners. 

The next must-have supplement is, of course, a quality protein powder. I always suggest Hi-Tech Precision Protein. Here we’re talking about a hydrolyzed whey protein powder that provides 25 grams of protein per serving. Precision Protein is superior to any other protein powder on the market.

Why?

It’s because it features a patented technology that releases leucine, the most anabolic of all amino acids, in the first stages of protein synthesis. As you most likely know, protein synthesis is a direct trigger of muscle growth, and as it happens, leucine is one of the most potent compounds involved in stimulating protein synthesis.

Next up, I advise adding creatine monohydrate to your supplement arsenal, even though it is in Gorilla Mode. That covers your training days, but you need to take creatine on your off-days, so I advise AllMax Nutrition Creatine Monohydrate, which features patented CreaSyn® micronized creatine monohydrate, an ultra-pure, highly absorbable creatine.

Finally, I advise a good multivitamin/mineral formula – a good choice for optimal health. One of the better multivitamin/mineral formulas on the market is MTS Nutrition Immortal Elite Vitamin Pack. Immortal is a 6-complex Pack that is one of the most comprehensive on the market – and it’s a great way to cap off this Stack!

Nutrition Tips

I suggest at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight for all serious lifters. Notice I said serious lifters! If you aren’t a hardcore bodybuilder, powerlifter, or athlete, you can go a little lower, say .75 to .8 grams per pound, but that’s as low as I would ever go, and there are some that advise going higher than I suggest. 

Also, you should be spacing out your protein intake evenly during your day. For example, here’s the classic way to do it: 3 main meals and 2-3 protein shakes with, say, an apple, a healthy granola bar, or even a protein bar. This is a logical approach to protein timing that works with the average person’s daily routine. What if you are too busy for 3 meals? I’ve been there. Shakes and a bar are the answer (sometimes just a shake). 

Workout Nutrition Blueprint – Strategic Carb Intake

When it comes to carbohydrates, I suggest consuming mostly complex carbs. I also suggest keeping your total daily intake to 1 to 1.5 grams per pound of bodyweight. If mass is your goal, you can try to go up to 2 grams per pound, but watch that waistline!

In addition, I advise consuming about 50% of the day’s carbohydrates (and all of your simple carbs) in the hours before and after your workout.

It goes without saying that you should be eating a clean, low sugar diet, and keeping your fat intake in check, focusing on healthy fats. In fact, when it comes to fats, go with 20% of your daily protein and carb calories. 

Summary

In this article, The Seated Row Machine – Blast Your Back, I provided a detailed look at this incredible machine, and included 2 sample routines, supplement suggestions, and nutritional tips. All that’s left to do before you hit the gym is to stop by illpumpyouup.com and stock up! Once you’re done, let’s go work back and biceps!

References:

1. https://exrx.net/WeightExercises/BackGeneral/LVNarrowGripSeatedRowH