Low Row Machine

Execution

1. Sit into the seat, brace both feet on the footplate in front, take the handles with your arms fully extended and your torso upright.
2. Exhale and pull the handles toward your lower belly, driving the elbows back along your ribs.
3. Pause for one beat when the handles touch your belly, squeezing the shoulder blades together.
4. Inhale and let the lever arm bring the handles back forward over 2-3 seconds, without your torso following them.
5. Keep the torso close to upright for the whole set; lean back only slightly on the pull instead of using body momentum for extra weight.
6. If you run out of strength mid-set, keep your hands on the handles and let the lever arm travel slowly all the way forward under the load, wait until the plates rest fully against the stop, then release and stand up out of the seat; letting go partway lets the handles snap forward fast.

Quick cues

• Torso upright, don't lean back.
• Pull with your elbows, not your wrists.
• Squeeze the blades at the end of the pull.
• Feet glued to the footplate.
• Picture rowing against a current.

Common faults

• Fault: Leaning back too far to yank extra range

  Fix: Drop one plate increment and keep the torso close to upright for the whole set.

• Fault: Feet sliding off the footplate mid-set

  Fix: Reset the footplate position and brace both heels before you start.

• Fault: Curling with the forearms while the back stays passive

  Fix: Start every rep by depressing and retracting the shoulder blades, then bend the elbows.

• Fault: Releasing the handles abruptly when strength runs out mid-set

  Fix: Follow the end-of-set step: let the lever arm travel all the way forward and wait for the plates to hit the stop before releasing.