How To Do Cable Rear Delt Row: Proper Form, Benefits, Variations And Muscles Used

The standing cable rear delt row with rope is an effective exercise for building muscle and strength in the posterior deltoids, as well as the traps, rhomboids, and biceps. It can be done safely and effectively by people of any fitness level, and using cables helps maintain tension on the rear delts for optimal muscle growth.

The cable rear delt row is typically performed with moderate to high reps, such as 8-12 reps per set, as part of an upper-body or shoulder workout. In this post, you will learn how to perform this exercise with perfect form, benefits and the muscles worked.

How To Do Cable Rear Delt Row With Proper Form

• Attach a double-grip rope to a cable pulley at about mid-chest level so that it’s even with your shoulders.
• Stand a few feet away from the cable pulley with feet slightly wider than hip-width apart. Grab both rope handles firmly and pull them toward your mid-chest while flaring your elbows out to the sides.
• Pull the handles outward to stimulate the rear delts, exhaling during this portion of the exercise.
• Slowly straighten your arms by extending them forward, inhaling during this portion of the exercise.
• Repeat for the desired number of reps.

What Are The Muscles Worked In Cable Rear Delt Row?

By focusing on the back of the shoulders, the cable rear delt row helps strengthen those muscles. Your rear deltoid inserts on the outside of your upper arm, allowing it to both extend (= pull your arm back in a row) and externally rotate your shoulder. But it’s not only the rhomboids and brachialis that get a workout from this exercise; the infraspinatus, teres minor, lateral deltoid, middle trapezius, and rhomboids all get a piece of the action, too.

Together with the rotator cuff muscles, the biceps brachii provides dynamic stabilization of the shoulder. In addition, the gripping muscles are also worked out and strengthened in the process. Both the intrinsic and extrinsic flexors and extensors of the wrist and fingers are included here.

Cable Rear Delt Row Benefits

The cable rear delt row is an exercise that targets the posterior portion of the shoulder, which is often neglected in traditional workout routines that focus on the anterior and lateral delts.

This exercise involves using a cable that is pulled towards the chest, and it has been shown to increase both strength and muscle size in the rear delts. This helps to improve shoulder definition and address muscle imbalances that can occur from focusing too heavily on pushing exercises. Additionally, by targeting the rear delts, this exercise also improves muscle stability.

Cable Rear Delt Row Alternatives

there are several alternatives to the cable rear delt row that also target the posterior delts. Some examples include the cable rear delt fly and the dumbbell rear delt fly. These exercises also involve using resistance to target the rear delts and can be incorporated into a workout routine to help improve shoulder definition and address muscle imbalances.

I suggest you to check our articles about these exercises for more detailed information on how to properly perform these exercises and how they can benefit your workout routine.

Take Away

The posterior deltoid is a difficult muscle to single out since it relies on the coordinated efforts of so many other muscles. The cable rear delt row is a complex exercise, but it is effective in strengthening the posterior deltoid and may be as near as you can get to an isolation move for this muscle.

This dynamic resistance exercise is great for building muscle, improving shoulder definition, and fostering shoulder stability because it works not only the rear deltoids but also the traps, rhomboids, and biceps.