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.
Required Equipment
Muscle Groups
Primary
Secondary
Instructions
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.