The Cable Single Arm Underhand Grip Row is a beginner-friendly cable strength exercise that targets the lats and middle back, with the biceps working alongside. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesLats, Middle Back
Secondary musclesBiceps
EquipmentCable
LevelBeginner
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Cable Single Arm Underhand Grip Row
Set the cable pulley to chest height and attach a single handle, then grip it underhand with one hand.
Step back until the cable has tension at full arm extension and stand in a staggered stance.
Brace your core and place your non-working hand on your hip or a stable surface for support.
Pull the handle toward your lower ribs with the elbow tucked tight to your side, palm facing up.
Squeeze the lat hard at the end of the pull, keeping the chest tall and the shoulder packed down.
Slowly let the handle travel back to full arm extension over 2 to 3 seconds, then repeat for 10 to 15 reps per side.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Builds the lats with a stronger lower-lat bias from the underhand grip.
Trains one side at a time to expose and fix imbalances.
Engages the biceps more directly for added pull-day arm work.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Rotating the torso to throw the elbow back, stealing load from the lat.
Letting the elbow flare out wide, which kills the lower-lat focus the underhand grip is meant to create.
Curling the handle toward the shoulder instead of rowing toward the ribs, turning the lift into a biceps curl.
Snapping the handle back forward and skipping the slow return, where most of the growth lives.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Cable Single Arm Underhand Grip Row, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
