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Cable Rear Delt Row (With Rope)
A standing high row with a rope pulled toward the neck and shoulders, hitting the rear delts and mid-traps with a strong end-range squeeze as the rope splits.
ShouldersCableHorizontal pull
GoLightWeight mediacable-rear-delt-row-with-rope
Demonstration coming soon
Primary
Rear deltoids
Secondary
Middle trapeziusRhomboidsBiceps
Equipment
Cable
Pattern
Horizontal pull
Setup
- 01Set a rope attachment at upper chest to face height on the pulley.
- 02Grip the rope ends with thumbs facing you and step back to tension the stack.
- 03Take a split or shoulder-width stance with a slight backward lean into the cable.
- 04Depress the shoulders and brace before the first rep.
Execution
- 01Pull the rope toward the base of the neck, driving the elbows out and slightly up.
- 02Pull the rope ends apart as they reach the shoulders.
- 03Hold the squeeze with the elbows behind the body for a full beat.
- 04Return to a long-arm stretch under control.
Checkpoints
- -Elbows stay high and wide, roughly in line with the shoulders.
- -Rope ends separate at the finish instead of staying pinned together.
- -Torso angle stays constant; the stack does not drag you forward.
- -Neck stays relaxed while the upper back does the work.
Common mistakes
- -Pulling to the sternum with tucked elbows, which shifts work to the lats.
- -Using momentum from a backward lean to start each rep.
- -Skipping the rope split and losing the peak contraction.
- -Shrugging into the ears as fatigue builds.
Programming notes
- -Use 3 to 4 sets of 12 to 20 reps with light stacks and strict pauses.
- -This doubles as face-pull-style shoulder health work; it earns a near-permanent slot in most upper body weeks.
- -Add a 2 second hold at the split position when the standard version gets stale.
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