Which knee should be on the floor?

The knee on the same side as the rowing arm goes down, with the opposite foot forward, which is the setup most coaches use and the one shown here. Some coaches kneel on the other knee instead; either works as long as the torso stays square and still, so use the same setup on both sides.

How high should the pulley be?

Set it at about chest height when you are kneeling, so the cable runs roughly level with the floor and the handle finishes beside your lower ribs. Set the pulley overhead and the exercise becomes the Cable Kneeling Single-Arm Lat Pulldown, a vertical pull with a different line of work.

Does rowing one arm at a time work the core more?

It works the side abdominals more. In a study of resistance-trained men, seated cable rows, machine rows and bent-over rows done one arm at a time produced more external oblique activity than the same rows done with both arms, while the lower-back muscles worked less in the one-arm cable and machine versions. That study used seated and bent-over rows rather than a kneeling stance, so it shows the effect of rowing one-sided, not of kneeling.

Can I do it without a bench?

Yes. The bench only gives your free hand somewhere to rest, so you can rest that hand on your front thigh or keep it at your side instead, which makes holding the torso still slightly harder.

How heavy should I go?

Lighter than you would use on a seated single-arm row, usually for 8 to 15 reps per side. The right weight lets you finish every rep without the torso turning, leaning back or the shoulder shrugging.

Cable Half-Kneeling Single-Arm Row

What Is the Cable Half-Kneeling Single-Arm Row?

Cable Half-Kneeling Single-Arm Row is a compound exercise that primarily targets the back and also engages the rear shoulders, biceps, forearms and the trunk muscles that keep the torso square. It is a beginner-level movement: kneeling on one knee with the other foot flat in front, you row a single D-handle from a pulley set at about chest height straight back to your lower ribs, while your free hand rests lightly on a bench beside you.

The row trains the lat, the muscles between the shoulder blades and the rear shoulder one side at a time, and the half-kneeling stance adds a trunk challenge. Because the cable pulls on one side of the body, the torso wants to turn toward the machine on every rep, and kneeling takes away most of the hip and knee movement you could otherwise use to hide that. It usually sits in the accessory part of an upper-body or full-body session, after the main lifts, either as back work or as part of a block that pairs pulling with trunk control.

Two cable exercises in the library look similar but train something different. The Cable Seated Single-Arm Row is done sitting at a row station with the feet braced on a footplate, so the seat and platform hold the hips in place and you can usually handle more weight. The Cable Kneeling Single-Arm Lat Pulldown uses a high pulley and pulls down from overhead, which makes it a vertical pull. This row sits between them: the pull is horizontal like the seated row, but nothing braces the hips, so the kneeling leg, the glutes and the trunk have to hold the position on their own.

Keeping the elbow close to your side and finishing with the hand beside the lower ribs puts most of the work on the lat. Letting the elbow drift out to the side and finishing higher, nearer the chest, shifts more of it to the upper back and rear shoulder. The neutral grip, palm facing in, brings in the brachioradialis along with the biceps. Reaching fully forward at the start and drawing the shoulder blade back at the finish gives the shoulder blade its whole range, which is much of the value of rowing one arm at a time.

It suits beginners learning to row with control, lifters who want to even out a stronger and a weaker side, and anyone whose lower back does not tolerate a bent-over row, since the torso stays upright. If balancing on one knee is the limiting factor, start with the Cable Seated Single-Arm Row or the two-handed Cable Seated Row, then come back to the kneeling version with a light weight.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Latissimus Dorsi: Primary
Rhomboid Major: High
Teres Major: High
Upper Trapezius: High
Biceps Brachii: Medium
Brachialis: Medium
Brachioradialis: Medium
Deltoid: Medium
Erector Spinae: Low
External Oblique: Low

Instructions

Set the pulley on a cable column to about chest height for when you are kneeling, attach a single D-handle, and place a flat bench lengthwise beside where you will kneel. Put a pad under your kneeling knee if the floor is hard.
Face the machine, take the handle in your right hand with a neutral grip, palm facing in, and move back until the cable has tension with your arm straight.
Kneel on your right knee, the same side as the rowing arm, and plant your left foot flat on the floor in front, with both knees bent to about 90 degrees and the back toes tucked.
Rest your left hand lightly on the bench. Sit tall, squeeze the glute of your kneeling leg, keep your ribs down, and keep your chest and hips square to the machine.
Start with your arm extended in front of you at about chest height, letting the shoulder blade glide forward slightly without your torso turning toward the machine.
Draw the shoulder blade back and drive your elbow back close to your side until your hand is beside your lower ribs and your elbow is just behind your torso.
Pause briefly, keeping your chest facing the machine and your shoulder down away from your ear.
Let the handle travel forward under control until your arm is straight and you feel a stretch along the side of your back.
Finish your reps, then switch sides: kneel on your left knee with your right foot forward and row with your left arm.

Common Mistakes

Twisting with the cable
Letting the torso turn toward the machine as the arm reaches forward, then twisting back to finish the pull, turns the row into a rotation and takes work away from the back.
Leaning back to finish
Arching the lower back and leaning away from the pulley uses body weight to move the handle and puts the strain on the lower back instead of the lat.
Letting the kneeling hip sag
When the glute of the kneeling leg relaxes, the pelvis tips forward and the lower back arches, which makes the stance wobbly and the trunk harder to hold square.
Shrugging toward the ear
Pulling with the shoulder hiked up shifts the effort to the upper trapezius instead of drawing the elbow back past the torso.
Over-pulling the elbow
Driving the elbow far behind the body tips the front of the shoulder forward, so stop once the elbow is just behind the torso.
Cutting the reach short
Stopping the return before the arm is straight skips the stretch on the lat and the forward glide of the shoulder blade that make up half of the movement.

Injuries

Cable Half-Kneeling Single-Arm Row is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The torso stays upright, the cable keeps the load smooth, and the weights used are modest, so the spine sees far less load than in a bent-over row. The usual strain points are the front of the shoulder, the lower back, the biceps tendon at the front of the elbow and the kneeling knee itself.

The shoulder is most at risk at the end of the pull, when the elbow is driven so far back that the front of the shoulder tips forward; stop once the elbow is just behind your torso. The lower back takes strain when you lean away from the machine or twist to finish a rep, so squeeze the glute of the kneeling leg, keep your ribs down and keep your chest facing the pulley. Return the handle under control rather than letting the stack pull your arm straight, which jerks the shoulder and the biceps tendon. Put a folded mat or pad under the kneeling knee, especially on a hard floor.

If kneeling or balance is the problem, regress to the Cable Seated Single-Arm Row or the Band Single-Arm Seated Row, where the seat holds your hips. Progress by adding weight only while the torso stays still, by pausing for a second at the finish or by slowing the return, and later by moving to free-weight rows such as the Dumbbell Single-Arm Bent-Over Row.

Stop the set if you feel sharp or pinching pain at the front of the shoulder, pain at the front of the elbow, pain in the lower back, or knee pain that a pad does not ease. Numbness or tingling running down the arm is also a reason to stop and get it checked.

Overview

Primary Focus: Back
Equipment: Cable and bench
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Beginner

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Which knee should be on the floor?: The knee on the same side as the rowing arm goes down, with the opposite foot forward, which is the setup most coaches use and the one shown here. Some coaches kneel on the other knee instead; either works as long as the torso stays square and still, so use the same setup on both sides.
Q: How high should the pulley be?: Set it at about chest height when you are kneeling, so the cable runs roughly level with the floor and the handle finishes beside your lower ribs. Set the pulley overhead and the exercise becomes the Cable Kneeling Single-Arm Lat Pulldown, a vertical pull with a different line of work.
Q: Does rowing one arm at a time work the core more?: It works the side abdominals more. In a study of resistance-trained men, seated cable rows, machine rows and bent-over rows done one arm at a time produced more external oblique activity than the same rows done with both arms, while the lower-back muscles worked less in the one-arm cable and machine versions. That study used seated and bent-over rows rather than a kneeling stance, so it shows the effect of rowing one-sided, not of kneeling.
Q: Can I do it without a bench?: Yes. The bench only gives your free hand somewhere to rest, so you can rest that hand on your front thigh or keep it at your side instead, which makes holding the torso still slightly harder.
Q: How heavy should I go?: Lighter than you would use on a seated single-arm row, usually for 8 to 15 reps per side. The right weight lets you finish every rep without the torso turning, leaning back or the shoulder shrugging.