Back · Bodyweight
Seated High Row with a Towel on a Padded Stool
How to do the seated high row with a towel on a padded stool, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- HorizontalPull
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Sit tall on a padded stool holding a towel taut between both hands out in front of you at upper chest height. Pull the towel back and apart toward your collarbones, driving your elbows high and squeezing your upper back, then return under tension.
- 1Upper back and rear shoulders pulling the towel apart
- 2Shoulder blades drawing back and down
- 3Constant tension by keeping the towel pulled tight
Common mistakes
- Shrugging the shoulders up toward your ears
- Letting the towel go slack between reps
- Leaning back to cheat the pull
Muscles worked
The seated high row with a towel on a padded stool mainly works the mid traps and rear delts, with the lats, lower traps, biceps, forearms, and upper traps assisting.
- Mid TrapsPrimary
- Rear DeltsPrimary
- LatsSupport
- Lower TrapsSupport
- BicepsSupport
- ForearmsSupport
- Upper TrapsSupport
- Upper AbsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
- External RotatorsMinor
Kovo programs the seated high row with a towel on a padded stool for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More back exercises
- How to do the archer pull-up
- How to do the resistance band assisted pull-up
- How to do the machine assisted pull-up
- How to do the back extension bench back extension
- How to do the machine back extension
- How to do the back lever
Last reviewed June 2026.