Back · Cable

with Rope Attachment Cable Lateral Pulldown

How to do the with rope attachment cable lateral pulldown, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.

Animated demonstration of the with Rope Attachment Cable Lateral Pulldown
Equipment
Cable
Difficulty
Intermediate
Logged as
Weighted reps
Movement
VerticalPull
Mechanic
Compound

How to do it

Attach a rope to a high cable pulley and kneel or sit facing the machine. Grip both ends of the rope and pull down and slightly out to your sides, driving your elbows down toward your hips. Control the rope back up to a full stretch.

  1. 1Lats stretching at the top and contracting as you pull down
  2. 2Elbows driving down and back, not your hands doing the work
  3. 3Shoulder blades pulling down away from your ears

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back hard or using body momentum to move the rope
  • Shrugging your shoulders up toward your ears
  • Curling with your biceps instead of pulling with your back

Muscles worked

The with rope attachment cable lateral pulldown mainly works the lats, with the biceps, lower traps, forearms, mid traps, and rear delts assisting.

  • LatsPrimary
  • BicepsSupport
  • Lower TrapsSupport
  • ForearmsSupport
  • Mid TrapsSupport
  • Rear DeltsSupport
  • Upper AbsMinor
  • Lower AbsMinor

Kovo programs the with rope attachment cable lateral pulldown 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

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Last reviewed June 2026.