High Row

Directions:

Preperation/body position

1. Set correct resistance on weight stack. Attach suitable attachment.
2. Grasp handle with suitable grip.
3. Sit on platform, keeping torso erect, back straight, and knees bent.

Excution/Movement

1. Whilst keeping good body posture, pull attachment to abdomen.
2. After peak contraction, control the attachment back to the starting position, allowing for a slight stretch of the back before returning to the concentric phrase.
3. Repeat movement for desired amount of repetitions.

Comments

If you have access to the correct equipment, the high row is a great exercise to stimulate the general back muscles; latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, middle and lower fibres of the trapezius. Also recruited during the lift are the elbow flexor muscles, the posterior deltoid, and erector spinae if you choose to bend the lower back forward during the eccentric phrase, then pull it back to position during the concentric phrase.

The upside of using the cable station is that it is simple to change the attachment. We can perform the movement with a whole variety of attachments to stress the back muscles in different ways. A narrow row attachment is usually used for the high row, but experiment with the wide bars, rope, and any other attachment which your gym may have.

For hypertrophy 6-12 reps will likely yield the best results, providing optimal time under tension. This will provide adequate stimulation for sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, and acute response to anabolic hormone concentrations, compared to that of lower rep ranges.
For strength and power 1-5 reps is optimal for stimulating the type iiB fibres and neural adaptations of the nervous system.