The cable rope pullover is an accessory exercise that works on the majority of the back muscles, specifically on the lats. If you’re looking for effective exercises that will increase the activation of your lats and get a wider back as a by-product, then the cable pullover is worth adding to your fitness journey.
Of course, the shoulders are also utilized during the extension phase of the movement, so both your shoulders and back will be playing a huge role in this exercise. Given that a rope is used for this cable pullover variation, the natural hand positioning lands on a close to Neutral grip. This makes it a great isolation exercise for the latissimus dorsi.
By the end of this article, you should know how to perform the cable pullover properly, its major benefits, and all muscles worked. In addition, feel free to bookmark this article to have a quick list of the variations and alternatives you can do in place of the cable rope pullover.
This Ultimate Guide Will Cover:
- How To Perform The Cable Rope Pullover Correctly
- Benefits of Doing Cable Rope Pullover
- Common Cable Rope Pullover Mistakes To Avoid
- Cable Rope Pullover Muscles Worked
- Cable Rope Pullover vs Lat Pulldown
- Our Trainer’s Suggested Reps, Sets, & Programs
- Cable Rope Pullover Variations
- Cable Rope Pullover Alternative Exercises
- FAQs About Cable Rope Pullover
How To Perform The Cable Rope Pullover Correctly
What You’ll Need:
- Cable machine: The cable machine is where you will essentially perform the cable rope pullover and all its close variations.
- Cable pulley: This will serve as an anchor for your chosen attachment.
- Rope handle attachment: For this specific exercise, a rope attachment will be utilized for lat activation through a neutral grip.
Alternative Equipment:
- Straight bar: You may opt for a straight bar, which will enable you to perform the cable pullover with a wide or narrow grip.
- Dumbbells: If a cable machine is not an option, you may use a pair of dumbbells for a great range of extensions. This variation is to be done on a flat bench or on the floor.
- Kettlebell: In lieu of dumbbells, you can also use a kettlebell of your preferred weight.
Step 1: Prepare The Machine
The first thing you need to do is prepare the cable machine and put the rope attachment in place, preferably on the highest setting. The goal is to have the cable pulley over your head so you can properly extend your arms and provide more activation on your lats.
Step 2: Grip The Rope
Next, grip the rope with a neutral hand position with your palms facing each other and about shoulder-width apart. Step 2 to 3 feet away from the foot of the machine to allow proper hinging of the hips later on.
Step 3: Do The Pullover
Before the actual cable pullover, engage the working muscles. Activate your core, retract your shoulder blades, and hinge your hips slightly at about a 45º angle. Then, extend your arms straight during the entire movement, allowing just a slight bend on the elbows for lat activation. Pull the rope with your lat muscles, then pause and squeeze at the bottom.
Step 4: Control The Eccentric Phase
Slowly return your arms to the starting position while still keeping a hip hinge throughout the movement. Count this as one repetition. Once you’re done with your working sets, slowly return the rope to the top of the cable pulley. Avoid letting go of the rope and whipping it back to position.
4 Cable Rope Pullover Benefits
1. Better Mind-Muscle Connection
If you’re having a hard time contracting your lats in other exercises, the cable rope pullover will give you better access to the mind-muscle connection you need. This results in better lat activation, greater range of motion, and even crossover benefits to other exercises that greatly involve the lats and the entire back as a whole.
2. Shoulder Development
Recruiting shoulder extension into the cable pullover contributes to shoulder strength, muscle development, and performance. It adds up to your overall back development and provides more structure and strength to your upper body. In a practical sense, we use our shoulder joints and lats a lot, whether it be reaching for an item from a high shelf or pulling open a heavy door.
3. Stronger Core
The core plays an important role in every exercise performance, whether it directly targets the abs or not. Core stabilization has a great impact on better movement and form. By engaging your core properly, you can have more efficient performance and gain support for your working muscles. A stronger core has crossover benefits to other exercises as well, especially ones that require hips and core stability.
4. Stronger Upper Body
The cable pullover places great emphasis on the lats. With increased and even maximum contraction on your lats, you can have better and more precise performance, have great spine alignment, and reap more benefits from the cable pullover. With the physical aspect, you can achieve a well-sculpted V-taper with an efficient workout program.
Common Cable Rope Pullover Mistakes to Avoid
Not Engaging The Core
Core stabilization is important in cable pullovers as it allows you to focus activation on your lats and prevent injury. Without optimizing your core muscles, your form and posture become compromised. In order to achieve the correct form, make sure to involve your core throughout the movement.
Bending The Elbows
A slight bend of the elbows is necessary to bring the rope all the way down towards your thigh. However, they shouldn’t be bent too much to the point that your muscle engagement is moving from the lats to the shoulders. Avoid doing a 2-step pullover or bending your elbows all the way as either of the two forms utilize the shoulders and triceps more.
Shrugging The Shoulders
Another novice mistake people commonly do with the cable pullover is using the shoulders to pull the rope downward. The key is to have your shoulder blades retracted at all times. Keep them down and back. Doing so keeps your back engaged and does not exceed the normal range of motion. This also avoids overstretching, which could only strain the shoulders.
Rapid Reps
There are appropriate times to apply momentum or “rip the bar off,” however, the cable rope pullover is not one of them. Smooth and controlled is the way to go. In this case, it’s better to engage the muscles than target a certain number of reps. Even with lightweight, take control of the reign instead of letting the cable pull your arms back to the anchor point.
Using Momentum
Favoring momentum to pull impressive numbers means missing out on proper muscle activation. To build muscle or gain strength efficiently and effectively, pull every repetition with intention and move with complete stability.
Cable Rope Pullover Muscles Worked
The cable rope pullover involves the following muscles:
- Latissimus dorsi
- Triceps (long head)
- Pectoralis muscles
- Teres major
- Rhomboids
- Posterior deltoids
- Core
From the triceps to the core, every main muscle group helps assist the lats or upper back muscles in successfully pulling the rope during the cable pulldown. The deltoids play a big role in shoulder extension and flexion, while the core acts as stabilizers, which help with proper alignment and a straight spine.
Cable Rope Pullover vs. Lat Pulldown
The Lat Pulldown is a great alternative to the cable pullover. They are similar in the muscle groups worked and benefits. On the other hand, they differ in form and posture.
The lat pulldown targets the lats, biceps, rear delts, rhomboids, and traps. The form has the back slightly leaning and not completely upright. The lat pulldown utilizes the straight bar, which gives you a chance to choose between a wide, close, and neutral grip.
With the cable pullover, a standing position is required where the hips are hinged back a bit, and there’s a slight bend on the elbows. As this workout utilizes a rope, the hands are prompted into a natural neutral grip to emphasize contraction put on the lats.
Our Trainer’s Suggested Reps, Sets, and Programs
For Muscle Gains
One great benefit of the cable rope pulldown is muscle hypertrophy. You can effectively build muscle through this exercise by performing 8 to 10 reps for 4 to 5 sets. Rest for 2 minutes in between each set.
For Muscle Endurance
By performing the cable rope pulldown repeatedly, you can gain endurance and, therefore stronger lats and also back in general. Do 12 to 15 reps for 2 to 3 sets with a rest period of 30 seconds to 1 minute per set.
For Strength Training
To gain strength through cable rope pulling, perform 10 to 12 reps for 3 to 4 sets. Rest for 1 to 2 minutes between each set.
Cable Rope Pullover Variations
These variations allow more activation on the lats using a cable pulley system. In some instances, you may need a bench to properly perform the exercise.
Supine Cable Pullovers
Supine cable pullovers are done while flying on a bench with the arms over the head. You may perform this with a stability ball, flat bench, or Incline bench.
Kneeling Cable Pullovers
This variation helps you achieve muscle contraction when the highest setting on the cable machine is too low. You can also prefer this position to have more stability on the knees. Remember to keep your knees shoulder-width apart with the same slight hinge on the hips.
V-Bar Lat Pulldown
This variation allows you to lift more weight with more muscle activation on the lats. This lets you achieve the size and strength that’s just right for you.
Cable Rope Pullover Alternatives
If you have no rope attachment on hand, you can regress into easier variations that use more traditional and affordable equipment such as dumbbells or a barbell.
Dumbbell Pullover
This alternative hits the lats and chest more. There is also greater strength extension since you’re working against the pull of gravity instead of working with constant tension.
Barbell Pullover
The barbell pullover mimics a straight bar pullover, but this time while lying on the floor or a bench. You can start off with an empty barbell until you can work your way up while maintaining a stable position and proper form.
Reverse Grip Barbell Row
If a Barbell is all you have, then this alternative will serve you well. This exercise targets the upper and lower back, specifically the lats, rhomboids, lower back, and even the biceps.
