How to do rowing with foot pulley?

Like other rowing variations, the foot cable row works many muscles in your back, including the latissimus dorsi, rear delts, trapezius, and rhomboids. But the real difference from other types of rows is the challenge it puts on your core and lower body. These muscles will be much more active in the exercise to help us maintain the position.

Also, pulley machines come with many grips (rope, straight bar, single handle, V-bar, etc). That means we have many different grip options, each challenging the hands and forearms in new, muscle-strengthening ways.

Step by Step

1. We will secure the rope grip to the cable. Then, we will grab the rope with both hands and step back until the arms are extended in front of the torso, approximately at chest height.
2. We will separate the feet to the width of the shoulders and slightly bend the knees.
3. We will extend the handles as we pull the rope towards the abdomen, just below the chest, bringing the shoulder blades together. It is recommended to keep the elbows close to the sides.
4. We will pause briefly and then let the arms extend again.

The rope accessory shown in the video is one of the most common options. The biggest benefit of using the rope handle is that it activates your wrist and forearm muscles to a greater extent than other accessories, making it a great way to challenge your grip strength.

Cable machines are no better than dumbbells; they simply offer a different challenging stimulus for the muscles. Dumbbells maintain a constant force on the muscles in each phase of an exercise, while pulleys allow us to work at multiple angles.

Advantages

This type of rowing has numerous positive effects on the body and sports performance. Therefore, it is advisable to include it in the weekly training routine.

improve posture

Most of us could use some extra posture aid. Sitting for long periods of time, as many of us do, can cause the chest and front of the shoulders to slump forward, leaving the upper back muscles in a constantly elongated position.

Rowing helps undo this by shortening the muscles in your upper back and lengthening the muscles in the front of your body. Basically, it pulls your shoulders back and into a more neutral position over time. And, logically, you get a better posture.

it is versatile

Pulley machines in general are a very versatile training material. With them, we can change the starting height of any exercise and use a variety of accessories, including a rope, V-handle, straight bar and simple handle. Depending on the starting height and the accessory we choose, we can easily adapt this exercise to prioritize different muscles in the back and arms.

• Narrow Grip : The most commonly used attachments for the stand-up cable rower are the double D-handle and the rope, both of which will give a close grip. Both involve a close grip that will help develop the large muscles of the back.
• ​Wide Grip:​ To spread your hands further apart, we’ll use a straight bar or side bar down. Doing so will put more emphasis on the muscles of the upper back (rhomboids and trapezius) and the muscles of the arms.
• Normal Grip: Most stand-up rowing variations use a neutral or pronated (overhand grip) grip. But, a supinated grip (underhand, palms up) will work the brachioradialis on the outside of the forearms.

balance the movements

It’s quite common for people to neglect back exercises in favor of pressing exercises that target the chest and shoulders. This can cause the muscles in the front of your shoulders to become overdeveloped, contributing to the forward slump from poor posture. It can also cause back and shoulder pain.

Doing foot cable rows can help balance out a high-pressure routine, which will only elevate performance both in and out of the gym.

Protects the lower back

Since we don’t have to bend over to do this exercise, it’s easier on the lower back than most other rowing variations. We can try this exercise if we find the other variations of the bent over row uncomfortable.

However, having a weak abdomen or not adopting the proper posture can make it easier to injure this area. If we have any muscular imbalance, the lower back will carry most of the tension.

Train multiple muscles at once

The foot cable row targets the rear delts, traps, rhomboids, biceps, forearms, core, and even legs to some extent.

So if we only have a short period of time to work as many muscles as we can, this exercise is a good choice. Compound exercises are also recommended to avoid muscular imbalances or uneven development.

Tips

There are some recommendations that we must take into account when doing foot pulley rowing.

split stance

Beginners are recommended to perform stand-up rowing in a split stance position: one foot in front of the other, feet hip-width apart.

A split stance offers more stability than standing with feet parallel (neutral stance), which can help us better focus on the muscles we need to work (lats and upper back muscles). Once you’ve mastered the split stance stand up row, you’ll be able to get into a neutral stance as it will work your core muscles more.

flexed legs

To row with a firm and stable form, keep your hips and knees slightly bent at all times. This will help us better resist the pull of the pulley machine.

You’ll also build strength and stability in your quads, hamstrings, and glutes, though to a lesser extent. However, this pose will relieve tension in the lower back.

Shoulders down and back

With rowing, it’s best to pull primarily from your upper back and shoulders. But that doesn’t mean we should shrug our shoulders. Raising your shoulders takes the emphasis off the lats and puts it on the upper traps.

We have to focus on keeping our shoulders back and down as we row. If we can’t, and the shoulders begin to rise near the ears, we may be trying to row with too much weight.

flat back

It is important to maintain a neutral spine from head to toe. Letting your back round or arch not only decreases the effectiveness of the exercise, it also puts stress on your spine. We must tighten the abdomen and stay upright throughout the exercise.

If we notice that the butt begins to protrude behind us or the arch of the lower back, we will put the coccyx. Then we will tighten the core to keep it there.

Variations

If the pulley row is easy to do, there are some variations that make it more challenging.

Unilateral pulley rowing

Unilateral (one side) training offers unique benefits. Mainly, it helps build strength equally on both sides, since the dominant side can’t help move the weight. This can help balance muscle imbalances. Although muscle imbalances are very common and nothing to worry about if they are not too drastic, a significant imbalance can predict injury.

1. We will secure the single handle grip to the cable. Then, we will hold the handle with one hand (palm facing in) and move back until the arm is extended in front of the torso, approximately at chest height.
2. We will separate the feet to the width of the shoulders and slightly bend the knees.
3. We’ll keep our hips square to the cable machine as we pull our elbow toward our hips. We will squeeze the shoulder blade and end with the elbow pointing backwards.
4. We’ll pause briefly and then let the arm extend again.

Standing Low Pulley Row

This variation puts more emphasis on the fan-shaped dorsal muscles that make up a large part of the back.

1. We will secure the grip and adjust the height of the cable to the lowest point. Then, we will grab with both hands (palms facing in) and move back until the arms are extended.
2. We will separate the feet to the width of the shoulders and slightly bend the knees.
3. We will pull the elbows towards the hips and bring the shoulders together. We will stop when the elbows reach just beyond the midline.
4. We will pause briefly and then let the arms extend again.

Seated Pulley Row

Doing the seated row means that the legs no longer have to work to support us. We won’t get as much core engagement, but we’ll be able to focus on the back muscles better, an important benefit if building strength or size is the goal.

1. We will secure the accessory of our choice to the cable and adjust the height of the cable to the lowest point.
2. We will sit on the floor and hold the grip with both hands.
3. We will slide back until the arms are fully extended. Let the legs extend as well, or bend the knees and place both feet flat on the ground.
4. Sitting upright, we will pull the elbows towards the hips and bring the shoulder blades together. We will stop once the elbows reach just beyond the midline.
5. We will pause briefly and then let the arms extend again.

Alternatives

If we don’t have a pulley machine because we’re doing it at home or at a gym that doesn’t have this equipment, we’ll duplicate the standing pulley row by looping a resistance band around a sturdy stair railing or securing it to a door anchor. Or, we’ll try another rowing variation, like a dumbbell or TRX row.

Supported Unilateral Dumbbell Row

Using the bench or chair for support can help you lift more weight, making it a great strength-building exercise. And while the bench removes some of the balance and stability challenges that we would have with standing exercises, the core muscles still have to work hard to keep the spine neutral.

1. We will face a bench or a chair while holding a dumbbell with the left hand down to the side.
2. Keeping the back flat, we will take a step forward with the right foot and place the palm of the right hand on the bench or chair.
3. We will allow the left knee to bend slightly and the left arm to hang towards the ground, palm facing in.
4. We will pull the weight towards the rib cage and the elbow towards the hip, squeezing the shoulder blade at the top of the movement.
5. We will lower the weight with control until the arm is fully extended. We will repeat and change sides.

If we need additional support for the lower back, we can kneel in the chair so that the knee is directly below the hip and the supporting hand is directly below the shoulder.

Chest-Supported Dumbbell Row

This variation of the row completely removes the legs and core from the equation, so we can really focus on pulling with the back and biceps.

1. We’ll place a 45-degree adjustable incline bench and a pair of dumbbells just below it.
2. We will lie face down on the bench, so that the head clears the top. The legs should be extended and the feet planted on the ground.
3. We will hold a dumbbell in each hand and let the arms hang down, with the palms facing each other.
4. We will begin the movement by bringing the elbows back and bringing the shoulder blades together. We will stand when the elbows reach just beyond your midline.
5. We’ll pause briefly and then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position with control.

Standing Resistance Band Row

If we don’t have access to a pulley machine, we can still work many of the muscles used in the standing pulley row with a resistance band. However, there are some drawbacks to using bands for rowing movements. When we use a band, the resistance increases as you go through the lift. This is great for making an exercise like a squat or upper body press more challenging, because your muscles are stronger at the top of the movement.

But when rowing, the opposite happens: the weight gets “heavier” as you reach the top of the movement because the muscles are in a weaker position. This can lead to cheating on banded rows and ending up with a jerky motion.

1. We’ll wrap a resistance band around a sturdy object, like a stair railing or post frame.
2. We will hold the band with both hands and move back until the arms are extended in front of the torso, approximately at chest height.
3. We will separate the feet to the width of the shoulders and slightly bend the knees.
4. We will pull the band towards the midsection, just below the chest, bringing the shoulder blades together. And we’ll keep our elbows close to our sides.
5. We will pause briefly and then let the arms extend again.