Exercise guide · Back
Machine High Row
The High Row (Machine) is a compound back exercise with assistance from the biceps and rear delts. The handles begin high and travel diagonally down and back toward the upper ribs, distinguishing it from a vertical pulldown and a level horizontal row.
- Targets: Mid back
- Equipment: Machine
- Type: Compound
Step by step
How to do the Machine High Row
- Check the machine placard, select an even load, and adjust the seat, thigh restraint, chest pad, or start position as the design allows. You should be able to reach the high handles without leaving the seat or forcing the shoulders into an uncomfortable stretch.
- Sit facing the machine with feet supported and your torso stable against the chest pad, if present. Take a full grip with straight wrists; on independent-arm models, use the fixed support handle when setting up one side at a time if the manufacturer provides one.
- Brace your trunk and begin with the arms reaching upward and forward while keeping the shoulders controlled rather than shrugged toward the ears.
- Drive your elbows diagonally down and back, pulling the handles toward your upper ribs. Keep your torso against the support and follow the machine's converging, diverging, or independent path without twisting.
- Pause when the elbows have moved behind or beside the torso as far as you can control without the shoulders rolling forward or the chest lifting from the pad.
- Return the handles upward and forward slowly until the arms are long and the shoulder blades can move naturally, then guide the handles fully to their resting position before leaving the seat.
Form cues
- Pull high to low toward the upper ribs
- Lead with the elbows
- Keep wrists straight and torso supported
- Reach under control at the top
Common mistakes
- Pulling straight down like a lat pulldown
- Dragging the handles level toward the waist like a low horizontal row
- Rocking backward or lifting the chest away from its pad to finish
- Shrugging through the pull or letting the shoulders collapse at the top
- Twisting during one-arm repetitions instead of keeping the trunk stable
Muscles worked
Primary
Mid back
Secondary
Lats, Rear delts, Biceps and Forearms
Safety: Use a start position that allows a controlled reach, not a forced overhead stretch. Follow the placard for entering and leaving the machine, and reduce the load or range if the guided path causes shoulder or elbow pain.
Alternatives
