How to Make the Seal Series: Format, Benefits and Alternatives

If you want to build a wide, strong back, the seal row should be part of your training arsenal.

It’s so effective because it allows you to train your entire back with heavy weights, minimizing stress on your spine so you can build muscle and strength without straining.

Because you’re lying on a bench to perform the seal row, you can’t use momentum to help lift the weights, which ensures that your back muscles are working hard and getting a great muscle-building stimulus.

The only downside is that setting up and executing the sealing sequence can seem difficult at first. However, this article will provide all the know-how you need to overcome it.

You’ll also discover the many ways to configure the seal row exercise, how to perform it correctly, which muscles it works, why it’s beneficial, the best seal row alternatives and variations, and more.

What is the Exercise series of stamps?

The seal row is a bar back exercise done while lying face down on a bench. Drive the bar toward your torso until it touches the bottom of the bench, then lower until your arms are straight.

The setup for exercising the series of seals depends on the equipment you have available. Most commercial gyms do not have the “ideal” layout, which includes a specialist stamp row bench, stamp series rodor sserial attachment.

Instead, most people use standard gym equipment to lift a bench off the floor, which allows you to perform the exercise with full range of motion.

Seal Series Configurations: Seal Row BenchBar & Attachment

The most common way to configure it series stamp bar (and the method we will focus on in this guide) is to raise a flat bench come off the floor using weight plates, grid boxes or step aerobics and place a straight bar under it.

That said, some gyms have specialized equipment that simplifies setup and construction execution of the series of seals easier, such as:

• Bench in a series of stamps: ONE stamp row bench is a high weight bench that allows your arms to hang straight without the weights touching the floor. Bench in a series of stampsThey also have hooks similar to a squat rack that do the squat and reset bar easier.

• Barbell line stamp: ONE stamp line bar is a curved one bar. People prefer a stamp series rod on a straight bar because its shape allows you to pull the bar higher toward your torso without it hitting the bench, thus expanding the range of motion of the exercise.
• Series seal component: ONE seal series attachment is a small pad that fits a power grid and allows you to perform series of bar seals while standing. While not exactly the same as a stamp row benchone seal series attachment it is cheaper and smaller, making it a good alternative for people training in a gym at home and they have no space for dedicated stamp row bench.

In other words, if you’re looking for the perfect deadlift set-up at a gym, look for one that has a bench and bar in a row, like this one:

And if you want to do deadlifts in a home gym, invest in a deadlift kit for your squat or power grid.

How to make the series of stamps

To master stamp row form, divide the exercise into three parts: setup, row, and descent.

1. Setup

Pick up a flat bench 6 to 12 inches off the floor by placing it on weight plates, plate boxes, or aerobic steps, then place a straight bar under it.

Load the bar with weights, then lie prone on the bench so that your eyes are level with the top of the pad. Grab the bar with one prone handle (palms facing your feet) slightly wider than shoulder width.

2. Series

Pull the barbell up your upper body until it touches the underside of the bench, keeping your elbows 6 to 10 inches from your sides. As you row the bar, pull it shoulder blades together.

3. Get off

Reverse the movement and return to the starting position.

Here’s what it should look like when you put it all together:

Seal Row: Muscles Worked

The main muscles worked by the seal row exercise are:

• Latissimus dorsi (“lat“)
• Table (“traps“)
• Rhombuses
• Teres major and minor
• Infraspinatus
• Posterior deltoid (“back grooves“)

It also trains your biceps and forearms to a lesser extent.

Here’s what the main muscles worked by the seal row look like on your body:

Seal Row: Benefits

1. It puts minimal pressure on your spine.

Since your spine isn’t supporting the weight during a seal set, it’s a comfortable exercise for people who manage or train back issues.

In addition, people usually find exercises that put minimal stress on the spine easier recover than those that tax the lower back, so you can perform the seal series more often than many back exercises without wearing yourself in a frazzle.

2. It trains your entire back.

Research shows that horizontal pulling exercises like the seal row train your entire back, including your lats, rhomboids, traps, deltoids, subacanthus, and lats major and minor.

Exercises that train several muscle groups at the same time are called complex exercisesand they are useful because they allow you to lift heavy weights safely, which are generally better to increase muscle and strength.

They are also cost effective as you don’t need to do multiple exercises to train each muscle group separately.

3. It prevents you from cheating.

Lying on a bench prevents you from building momentum with yours hips and the upper body to “cheat” the weight.

This forces your back muscles to do most of the work, which ensures they are adequately stimulated by the exercise.

The best alternatives and variations of stamp series

1. Dumbbell Seal Series

The dumbbell The seal row is almost exactly the same as the barbell seal row – the only difference is that you use dumbbells instead of a barbell. Therefore, you can think of the dumbbell and barbell series as interchangeable – do whatever you have equipment or prefer.

2. Batwing series

The batwing row is a dumbbell seal row performed on a weight bench that does not lift off the floor. You can also hold for 2 to 3 seconds at the top of each rep. The focus of this variation is not on lifting heavy weights. Instead, it’s a seal series alternative that will help you practice and get stronger retraction of the scapula (pulling shoulder blades together as you row).

3. Gradient Series of stamps

Switch between regular stamp rows and slanted stamp rows (also called “rows resting on the chest”) every 8 to 10 weeks of training (or more) can lead to better results than doing just one type of seal set. This is because each variation trains your back from different angles and through different ranges of motion, that produce more balanced muscle development compared to sticking with just one type.

Exercise series of stamps Frequent questions

FAQ #1: Are stamp sets worth it?

Yes, stamp sets are worth including in yours workout routine. Although they are more difficult to adjust than other back exercises, they allow you to train with heavy weights safely and proceed regularlymaking them excellent for gaining muscle and strength.

Because you don’t stress your spine, they’re also less tiring than other squat row variations, so you can perform them more often without causing too much fatigue.

FAQ #2: What is the difference between a Pendlay Series and a Stamp Series?

The main difference between the Hanging series and the order of the seal is the form. In a Pendlay row, you stand with your back as close to the floor as possible and pull a barbell from the floor to your torso.

In contrast, a deadlift row involves lying face down on a bench and pulling the bar on the underside of the bench.

Because of these differences, the Pendlay Series trains your lower back more than the Seal Series. In contrast, the sealing series does not put pressure on your lower back, making it more suitable for people with lower back problems or those who want to reduce fatigue in the lower back.

FAQ #3: Why are stamp series so hard?

Seal rows are challenging because they prevent you from using your own hips or upper body to create momentum, which forces your upper back and limbs to do more work.