Seal Row
BarbellStrength
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The Seal Row is a strict barbell row performed lying face-down (prone) on a raised, elevated bench, which removes any ability to use body English or momentum and forces the back muscles to do all the work pulling the bar up. Its primary purpose is to build upper back thickness and shoulder stability by isolating the lats, rhomboids, rear delts, and traps while completely eliminating lower back strain. It's ideal for athletes, powerlifters, or anyone wanting strict scapular retraction strength, and requires a barbell and a bench (or seal row platform) tall enough to let the bar hang freely beneath it.
How to Perform Seal Row
- 1Set an elevated flat bench (or a dedicated seal row platform) over a loaded barbell positioned on the floor beneath it, high enough that your arms can hang straight down without the bar resting on the floor at the bottom.
- 2Lie face down on the bench with your chest and torso fully supported, legs extended behind you, and grip the bar with a shoulder-width overhand grip, arms hanging straight down.
- 3Brace your core and keep your body flat and still against the bench throughout the set — there should be no swing or hip movement.
- 4Inhale, then exhale as you pull the bar straight up toward the underside of the bench by driving your elbows back and squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- 5Pause briefly at the top with the bar touching (or nearly touching) the bench, elbows high.
- 6Inhale as you lower the bar back down under control to a full arm hang, feeling a stretch through the lats.
- 7Repeat for desired reps without letting the bar touch the floor between reps if possible.
- 8Key form tips: Keep your forehead or chest pressed to the bench to prevent any cheating momentum; move slowly and control both the pull and the lowering phase. Common mistakes: Using shoulder shrugs instead of scapular retraction, or letting the bar bang against the floor and losing tension between reps.
