How to Perform the High Row: Proper Form and Technique
Master the high row to build back thickness and width. Follow our expert guide on form, common mistakes, and how to target your lats effectively.
How to Perform
- Adjust the seat height so that your arms are fully extended and reaching upward at a slight diagonal when grabbing the handles.
- Place your feet flat on the floor and secure your thighs firmly under the support pads to prevent your body from lifting during the set.
- Grasp the handles with a neutral or overhand grip and sit tall with a slight arch in your upper back and your chest pushed forward.
- Pull the handles down and back toward your mid-torso by driving with your elbows and imagining you are tucking them into your back pockets.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the bottom of the movement without leaning back excessively.
- Control the weight as you slowly return the handles to the starting position until your lats are fully stretched.
- Maintain tension throughout the entire range of motion and avoid letting the weights crash between repetitions.
Common Mistakes
- Leaning back too far to use momentum instead of muscle fiber recruitment.
- Pulling with the hands and forearms instead of driving through the elbows.
- Shrugging the shoulders upward toward the ears during the contraction.
- Shortening the range of motion by not allowing a full stretch at the top.
Muscles Worked
Primary movers
- Lats
Stabilizers
- Rhomboids
- Rear Deltoids
- Biceps
- Trapezius
Related Guides
- 1-Arm Half-Kneeling Lat Pulldown — Back
- Alternating High Cable Row — Back
- Alternative DB Gorilla rows — Back
Lats · Back