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Seated Rowing Wide Grip

The wide-grip seated row swaps the close handle for a long bar held outside shoulder width, pulling with elbows flared toward the upper abdomen. The wider line of pull shifts emphasis from the lats toward the rhomboids, mid-traps and rear delts — the posture muscles that round forward at a desk. Coached by Maddy (NASM-CPT) — these are the exact form cues he gives on every client's first week.

Muscles worked

Lats · latissimus dorsi Mid back · rhomboids Mid traps · middle trapezius Rear shoulders · posterior deltoid Biceps · biceps brachii

Sets & reps by goal

Goal	Sets × Reps	Rest
Strength	4 × 3–6	2–3 min
Muscle	3–4 × 9–12	60–90 s
Endurance	3 × 18–27	45–60 s

Rep ranges per Helms 2014 · Schoenfeld 2016.

Level — Beginner

Beginner-friendly, though the wide elbow path deserves lighter loads than your close-grip row.

Proper form — 5 cues

Take the bar just outside shoulder width, overhand grip
Pull the bar toward the base of your sternum
Let the elbows travel wide, around 45–60 degrees from your sides
Drag the shoulder blades together and slightly down as the bar arrives
Keep the wrists straight — the bar hangs from your fingers into a firm grip, not a curled wrist

Breathing: Breathe out as the bar comes to your chest, breathe in on the long return.

The 3 mistakes Maddy corrects most

Pulling the bar to the navel like a close-grip row. A low pull with a wide grip bends the wrists and drops the elbows, losing the upper-back emphasis that justifies the wide bar. Fix: Aim the bar at the lower chest and keep the forearms parallel to the floor at the finish.

Flaring the elbows all the way to shoulder height. Fully winged elbows pinch the front of the shoulder in a loaded position rep after rep. Fix: Cap the flare around 60 degrees from your torso — wide enough to load the mid-back, low enough to keep the shoulders comfortable.

Chasing heavy weight with a shortened squeeze. The rhomboids and mid-traps respond to the pinch at the back of the rep; heavy half-reps train the arms and ego instead. Fix: Drop the stack one or two pins and hold a deliberate one-second squeeze on every rep.

Common questions

Wide-grip vs close-grip seated row — which should I do?

They target different territory. The close neutral grip keeps elbows tucked and biases the lats, building width and pulling strength. The wide overhand grip flares the elbows and biases the rhomboids, mid-traps and rear delts — the muscles that hold your shoulders back. A complete program usually includes both across the week.

Does the wide-grip row help rounded shoulders?

It targets exactly the muscles involved. Strengthening the rhomboids and mid-traps gives your body the capacity to hold the shoulder blades back, and pairing that with regular breaks from sitting is a sensible strategy. Posture is a habit as much as a muscle, so the exercise supports the change rather than doing it alone.

Why do I feel wide-grip rows in my rear shoulders?

That is part of the design. With the elbows flared, the posterior deltoid works hard alongside the mid-back — it is a synergist here, not a fault. If the rear delts dominate completely and the mid-back stays quiet, slow the rep and focus on pinching the shoulder blades together rather than just driving the elbows back.

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