One Arm High Row

Press your chest into the pad, grip the handle, and pull your shoulders down into position. Relax your neck and make full use of the chest support so you can focus on your upper back and rear shoulder.

Pull the handle by driving your elbow up and back. Think about your elbow rising behind you rather than dragging with your hand; your upper back and rear shoulder will contract together, with less tension in your neck.

Briefly squeeze your upper back at the most contracted point, then slowly straighten your arm and return to the starting position. Keep the sense of your upper back spreading wide as you return to make the movement much more stable.

Pull as if your upper back and rear shoulder are sending your elbow behind you. You are using the right muscles when your elbow travels higher than your hand and you feel the area around your shoulder blade tighten.

Pulling hard only with your arm or reaching your neck forward makes your traps and neck fatigue before your upper back. If your elbow height changes from rep to rep, the area receiving the load changes too, so make elbow height consistent first.

Exhale as you pull and inhale as you return. Matching your breath to the movement lets you hold the pause steadily without building excessive tension in your upper back.

Even with the same weight, a small change in elbow height or handle position can change the feel dramatically. Once you find the height where your back contracts best, keep it consistent on every rep.