Standing single-arm cable row

Cable at chest height, single handle

Also called one arm standing cable row

Stand facing a cable and row one handle to the side of the ribs. With nothing to brace against, the trunk has to resist the twist the one-sided pull creates.

Staggered stance, hips square to the cable
Pull the elbow back past the ribs
Do not let the torso rotate toward the cable

Movement

Pattern: Horizontal pull
Type: Compound, several joints move
Sides: One side at a time
Equipment: Cable
Variation of: Seated cable row

Muscles worked

Main movers get full credit for a set, helpers half.

Upper body

LatsMain
Upper backMain
Rear deltsHelper
BicepsHelper

Core

ObliquesHelper

Ratings

Scores 1-5 averaged over sources. Tap a rating for the claims behind it. Claims are our summaries of the linked sources, fact-checked by AI.

Spinal load lower is better3.0
Moderate. 1 source.
- 3/5 In 7 men the standing one-arm cable row loaded the spine between the other two rows and mainly challenged torsional trunk strength. Fenwick et al., Comparison of different rowing exercises: trunk muscle activation and lumbar spine motion, load, and stiffness. @ AbstractpaperMechanism2009checked by AI