Shoulders · Cable
Cable Rear Delt Row with Rope
How to do the cable rear delt row with rope, 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
- HorizontalPull
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Attach a rope to a pulley set at upper chest or face height and step back into the tension. Grip both ends with a neutral grip and pull the rope toward your face, flaring your elbows out high and wide. Squeeze the rear delts, then control the rope back to a full stretch.
- 1Rear delts and upper back working as you pull the rope to your face
- 2Elbows flaring out high and wide, not tucking down
- 3Shoulder blades squeezing together at the end of the pull
Common mistakes
- Dropping your elbows so it becomes a regular row
- Leaning back or using momentum to yank the rope
- Shrugging the shoulders up toward your ears
Muscles worked
The cable rear delt row with rope mainly works the rear delts and mid traps, with the biceps, lats, upper traps, and lower traps assisting.
- Rear DeltsPrimary
- Mid TrapsPrimary
- BicepsSupport
- LatsSupport
- Upper TrapsSupport
- Lower TrapsSupport
- External RotatorsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
- Side DeltsMinor
Kovo programs the cable rear delt row with rope 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 shoulders exercises
- How to do the battle rope alternating waves
- How to do the arm circles
- How to do the arnold press
- How to do the resistance band front raise
- How to do the resistance band lateral raise
- How to do the resistance band overhead press
Last reviewed June 2026.