For upper-back growth
For upper-back growth, the two are close. Machine high row rates slightly higher: easier to progress, easier on the joints.
Seal row keeps more of the work on the upper back.
Both are good choices, and they train the upper back differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed. (Fonseca et al., 2014; Costa et al., 2021)
The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work
Machine High Row. A supported row that pulls down and back, loading the lats and upper back with almost no lower-back cost.
Seal Row. Lying face down on a high bench removes momentum and lower-back strain, so the upper back does the pulling.
For upper-back growth, the two are close. Machine high row rates slightly higher: easier to progress, easier on the joints. Seal row keeps more of the work on the upper back. Both are good choices, and they train the upper back differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed.
About the same: both are easy to learn.
Machine high row needs a machine, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Seal row needs a barbell and a bench, so for most people it’s a gym exercise.
Machine high row: it rates Excellent for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric, against Strong for seal row.