Cable Seated Kelso Shrug
Target your mid-traps and rhomboids with the Cable Seated Kelso Shrug. This refined rowing variation emphasizes scapular retraction for enhanced back thickness and improved posture.
The Cable Seated Kelso Shrug mainly works the back, with help from the traps, biceps and shoulders. You'll need: seated row machine.
Required Equipment
Cable Seated Kelso Shrug Muscles Worked
Primary
Lats (latissimus dorsi); Rhomboids (Shoulder Blade) (rhomboids, major & minor)
Secondary
Mid Traps (trapezius, middle fibers); Biceps (biceps brachii); Rear Shoulder (Delts) (posterior deltoid)
How to do the Cable Seated Kelso Shrug
Setup
Sit on a bench facing the cable stack with your feet firmly planted on the floor or the machine's plate platform. Attach a straight bar to the low cable pulley. Grip the bar with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Execution
Reach forward and slightly round your upper back to allow the weight to pull your shoulders forward, creating a full stretch in the upper back.
Initiate the movement by depressing your shoulder blades and pulling them down and together, as if you are trying to squeeze a pencil between your shoulder blades.
Crucial: Keep your arms almost completely straight throughout the entire movement. The motion is driven strictly by your mid-back and scapular movement, not by your biceps or lats.
Hold the peak contraction briefly, squeezing the mid-trapezius region, before slowly returning to the starting position under control.
Cable Seated Kelso Shrug FAQs
What muscles does the Cable Seated Kelso Shrug work?
The Cable Seated Kelso Shrug mainly works the back, with help from the traps, biceps and shoulders. The main muscles are the latissimus dorsi and rhomboids.
What equipment do you need for the Cable Seated Kelso Shrug?
Seated row machine.
What workout day should the Cable Seated Kelso Shrug go on?
It belongs on pull day in a push/pull/legs routine.
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