How high does the bench need to be for a seal row?

High enough that the bar hangs below you with your arms fully straight and the plates still clear of the floor. A standard flat bench is too low for full-size plates, so raise it on a rack, sturdy blocks or boxes, use a dedicated seal row bench, or load smaller-diameter plates.

Will I lift less on a seal row than on a bent-over row?

Usually, yes. With the chest on the bench there is no leg or hip drive to help the bar up and the bench stops it at the chest, so most lifters handle less weight than on a Barbell Bent-Over Row.

Is the seal row easier on the lower back than a bent-over row?

Yes. The bench holds your torso, so the lower back no longer has to support a bent-over position under load, which is why the seal row is a popular swap when bent-over rows bother the back. Stop if it still causes back pain and get it checked.

Where should the bar touch on a seal row?

Pull until the bar touches the underside of the bench, roughly beneath your lower chest. If it cannot reach the bench, the weight is too heavy or the elbows are not traveling high enough.

Can I do a seal row with dumbbells?

Yes. Dumbbells pass beside the bench instead of stopping under it, which allows a slightly longer pull at the top. An incline bench works too, as in the Dumbbell Incline Row.

Barbell Seal Row

What Is the Barbell Seal Row?

Barbell Seal Row is a compound exercise that primarily targets the back and also engages the rear shoulders, biceps and forearms. It is an intermediate-level movement, mostly because of the setup: it needs a flat bench raised high enough, on a rack, blocks or a dedicated seal row bench, for a loaded barbell to hang beneath it with the arms fully straight.

Lying face down on the bench takes the legs, hips and lower back out of the lift. There is no hip hinge to hold and no way to heave the bar with body English, so the upper back has to do all of the work on every rep. That makes it one of the strictest barbell rows there is, and a common choice for building upper-back size and strength as an accessory after the main lifts, or for rowing heavy on days when the lower back is already tired from squats or deadlifts.

In rowing, canoeing and kayaking the same lift is called the prone bench pull, and it is a long-standing training lift and strength test for those athletes. In a study of 113 German national-level rowers, those with a heavier bench pull one-rep max tended to post faster 2,000 m rowing ergometer times.

With an overhand grip a little wider than the shoulders and the elbows traveling out from the body, the rhomboids, middle trapezius and rear deltoids take a large share of the work alongside the lats; bringing the elbows in closer to the sides shifts more of it to the lats. Because the bench stops the bar at the chest, the top of the pull is slightly shorter than in a free-standing row, so a brief pause with the bar touching the bench is what makes the end range count.

The seal row suits anyone who wants a back exercise that stays honest as the weight climbs, and lifters whose lower back limits how much they can row bent over. Anyone new to rowing can learn the pattern on a Machine Seated Row or a Dumbbell Incline Row first, then move to the barbell once they can pull with the shoulder blades rather than the arms alone.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Latissimus Dorsi: Primary
Rhomboid Major: Primary
Upper Trapezius: Primary
Deltoid: High
Teres Major: High
Biceps Brachii: Medium
Brachialis: Medium
Infraspinatus: Medium
Lower Trapezius: Medium
Brachioradialis: Low

Instructions

Raise a flat bench on a rack, blocks or sturdy boxes so the plates stay clear of the floor when you hang the bar at arm's length. Set the barbell on the hooks or supports beneath the bench.
Lie face down along the bench with your chest at the end of the pad, your head just past the edge, and your legs straight with your feet resting on the far end.
Reach down and grip the bar overhand, hands slightly wider than shoulder width.
Lift the bar off the supports and let it hang with your arms fully straight and your shoulder blades spread apart.
Keep your chest and hips on the bench and your head in line with your spine, eyes on the floor.
Pull the bar up by driving your elbows toward the ceiling and squeezing your shoulder blades together, letting the elbows travel out at about 45 degrees from your torso.
Pull until the bar touches the underside of the bench below your lower chest, and pause briefly.
Lower the bar under control until your arms are fully straight again and your shoulder blades spread, without letting the plates touch down.
After the last rep, set the bar back on the supports before getting off the bench.

Common Mistakes

Bench set too low
If the plates touch the floor or the supports before your arms are straight, every rep is cut short at the bottom, so raise the bench or use smaller plates.
Lifting the chest off the bench
Arching the lower back to peel the chest up and heave the bar brings back the lower-back stress and momentum the seal row is meant to remove.
Craning the neck
Looking forward or up while pulling strains the neck, so keep the head in line with the spine and the eyes on the floor.
Pulling with the arms only
Bending the elbows without drawing the shoulder blades together turns the row into a curl and leaves the upper back underworked.
Shoulders rolling forward
Letting the shoulders round forward and shrug toward the ears at the top shifts the work away from the back and stresses the front of the shoulder.
Dropping the bar
Letting the bar fall back down instead of lowering it under control wastes half of each rep and jerks the shoulders and elbows at the bottom.

Injuries

Barbell Seal Row is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The bench supports the whole torso, so the lower back does not have to hold a bent-over position under load, and the bar cannot be swung with the hips. Most of the risk comes from the setup and from trying to force more weight than the upper back can pull.

The shoulders are the main strain point. Letting them roll forward and up toward the ears at the top, or yanking the bar off the supports, can irritate the front of the shoulder and the biceps tendon at the elbow. Lifting the head or chest off the bench to finish a heavy rep strains the neck and brings the lower back back into the lift. Heavy sets also press the chest and ribs hard into the pad, so a well-padded bench and a load that lets you keep breathing steadily matter more than they would on a standing row. Make sure the bench and whatever raises it are stable before loading the bar.

To regress, use a lighter bar or switch to a Dumbbell Incline Row or a Machine Seated Row, where the pad angle is easier on the chest. To progress, add a pause with the bar touching the bench, slow the lowering phase, or add load in small steps.

Stop the set if you feel sharp or pinching pain in the shoulder, pain in the ribs or chest, pain at the elbow, or numbness or tingling in the arms or hands. Anyone recovering from a rotator cuff or labral injury should get clearance before rowing heavy.

Overview

Primary Focus: Back
Equipment: Barbell and bench
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Intermediate

Alternative Exercises

Other Names for the Barbell Seal Row

The Barbell Seal Row is also known as:

Prone Bench Pull
Barbell Bench Pull

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How high does the bench need to be for a seal row?: High enough that the bar hangs below you with your arms fully straight and the plates still clear of the floor. A standard flat bench is too low for full-size plates, so raise it on a rack, sturdy blocks or boxes, use a dedicated seal row bench, or load smaller-diameter plates.
Q: Will I lift less on a seal row than on a bent-over row?: Usually, yes. With the chest on the bench there is no leg or hip drive to help the bar up and the bench stops it at the chest, so most lifters handle less weight than on a Barbell Bent-Over Row.
Q: Is the seal row easier on the lower back than a bent-over row?: Yes. The bench holds your torso, so the lower back no longer has to support a bent-over position under load, which is why the seal row is a popular swap when bent-over rows bother the back. Stop if it still causes back pain and get it checked.
Q: Where should the bar touch on a seal row?: Pull until the bar touches the underside of the bench, roughly beneath your lower chest. If it cannot reach the bench, the weight is too heavy or the elbows are not traveling high enough.
Q: Can I do a seal row with dumbbells?: Yes. Dumbbells pass beside the bench instead of stopping under it, which allows a slightly longer pull at the top. An incline bench works too, as in the Dumbbell Incline Row.