Back · Cable
Cable Lateral Pulldown with Rope Attachment
How to do the cable lateral pulldown with rope attachment, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- 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.
- 1Lats stretching at the top and contracting as you pull down
- 2Elbows driving down and back, not your hands doing the work
- 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 cable lateral pulldown with rope attachment mainly works the lats, with the biceps, lower traps, forearms, and mid traps assisting.
- LatsPrimary
- BicepsSupport
- Lower TrapsSupport
- ForearmsSupport
- Mid TrapsSupport
- Rear DeltsSupport
- Upper AbsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
Kovo programs the cable lateral pulldown with rope attachment 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
- How to do the archer pull-up
- How to do the resistance band assisted pull-up
- How to do the machine assisted pull-up
- How to do the back extension bench back extension
- How to do the machine back extension
- How to do the back lever
Last reviewed June 2026.