Shoulders · Cable
Cable Standing Backhand
How to do the cable standing backhand, 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
- Rotation
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Set a cable to about waist height and stand side-on to the stack. Grip the handle with the far hand across your body, arm slightly bent. Keeping your torso braced, sweep the handle away from the machine in a backhand arc, leading with the back of your hand, then return under control. Finish your reps and switch sides.
- 1Feel your rear delt and mid-back drive the backhand sweep
- 2Keep your core tight so your torso does not rotate
- 3Lead with the back of the hand, not the wrist
Common mistakes
- Avoid twisting your hips to fling the handle across
- Do not shrug your shoulder up toward your ear
- Avoid letting the cable yank your arm back at the finish
Muscles worked
The cable standing backhand mainly works the rear delts, with the mid traps, external rotators, forearms, upper abs, lower abs, and obliques assisting.
- Rear DeltsPrimary
- Mid TrapsSupport
- External RotatorsSupport
- ForearmsSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- LatsMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- Side DeltsMinor
Kovo programs the cable standing backhand 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.