Cable Rear Delt Row (With Rope)

Setup

1. 01Set a rope attachment at upper chest to face height on the pulley.
2. 02Grip the rope ends with thumbs facing you and step back to tension the stack.
3. 03Take a split or shoulder-width stance with a slight backward lean into the cable.
4. 04Depress the shoulders and brace before the first rep.

Execution

1. 01Pull the rope toward the base of the neck, driving the elbows out and slightly up.
2. 02Pull the rope ends apart as they reach the shoulders.
3. 03Hold the squeeze with the elbows behind the body for a full beat.
4. 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.