High Row
A machine row with the handles set above you: with your chest on the pad, you pull down and back toward your chest, working your lats and upper back.
- Primary muscles
- Lats, Upper back
- Secondary
- Rear delts, Biceps
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weight × reps
Loads from YouTube only when you press play. The video is by an independent creator.
Why do it
The angled path sits between a row and a pulldown, so it trains your lats and upper back together, with a good stretch at the top. The chest pad holds you in place, which makes it easy to learn and easy to push hard without your lower back getting involved. It works as a main back exercise on a machine day, or as a way to cover both pulling angles in one movement when time is short.
How to do it
Sit at the high row machine with your chest against the pad and grab the handles above you.
Pull the handles down and back toward your chest, driving your elbows down and behind you.
Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the bottom.
Let the handles return slowly until your arms are straight and your lats stretch. The angled pull sits between a row and a pulldown and hits the lats hard.
Common mistakes
Coming off the chest pad
Leaning back to move more weight turns it into a body swing. Keep your chest against the pad for the whole set.
Stopping short at the top
Let the handles rise until your arms are straight and your lats stretch. Stopping early cuts out a big part of the work.
Curling the handles in
Squeezing the handles and bending your wrists toward you puts more load on your biceps. Think of driving your elbows down and behind you.
Shrugging at the bottom
Keep your shoulders down as you squeeze your shoulder blades together. Shrugging lets your neck and traps steal the finish of the rep.
Sets, reps and progression
How many sets you do and how close to failure you take them depend on your goal and your week, not on the exercise. These guides cover it:
Alternatives that train the same thing
Same movement, a different angle or piece of equipment.
