Tight cable rowing

Let's assume you are at the cable pull. Your feet rest on the designated supports, your legs are almost fully extended, and the knees are slightly bent. Your upper body is upright, with a slight arch to protect the lower back. Your gaze is straight ahead as you grasp the bar with both hands in a close grip. The arms are slightly bent to protect the elbows. When using the V-grip, you essentially follow the same steps, but you use the characteristic V-grip in a close grip.

Movement execution

While rowing with the bar in a close grip, you pull your arms close to your body. The elbows do not move outward but stay close to the body. You pull the bar towards your navel. Exhale during the pull, and inhale again as you return to the starting position.

In this exercise, you use the close V-grip. The cable on the cable pull is at chest height. Exhale as you pull the V-grip towards you and slightly downward. Stop the movement just below your chest and return to the starting position after a brief pause, inhaling.

This time, the cable is positioned at the bottom, at the height of your legs. Your body is slightly inclined forward, but your back remains straight. Then, pull the V-grip towards you from this position while exhaling. Inhale as you return to the starting position.

Alternatively, when sitting at the cable pull, you can lean your entire upper body forward. However, try not to curve your back too much. Exhale as you return to an upright position with your entire back. Your body tends to lean slightly backward while simultaneously pulling the V-grip from a stretched arm position to your abdomen. The cable is at chest height. Compared to other exercises while sitting at the cable pull with a close grip, you move your upper body by using your hips.

This variation is similar to sitting at the cable pull with the bar in a close grip. You sit upright with a slight arch, and your arms are straight and extended forward. The cable holder is at chest height. Exhale as you pull the V-grip towards you, and inhale as you move your arms away from you at a moderate pace.

Stressed muscles and common mistakes

The focus shifts when it comes to close-rowing on the cable machine, with attention on the targeted muscles and potential mistakes. Further details on this exercise can be found on the corresponding page for seated rowing on the cable machine.

Alternative variants to tight cable rowing

To diversify your training, you can explore similar exercises or additional variations of close-rowing on the cable machine.