Description
A cable exercise performed in a standing position, pulling a rope attachment down towards the chest, focusing on the lats and upper back muscles.
How to Do Cable Standing Pulldown (with rope)
- 1Setup
Set a cable pulley to a high position and attach a rope attachment. Stand facing the cable machine with your feet shoulder-width apart, about an arm's length away.
- 2Setup
Grasp the rope attachment with an overhand, neutral grip (palms facing each other) at the ends of the rope, ensuring your elbows are slightly bent and arms extended towards the pulley.
- 3
Keeping your upper arms relatively still and close to your body, initiate the pull by flexing your elbows and pulling the rope ends down and slightly back towards your outer thighs.
- 4
Continue pulling until the rope ends are beside your thighs, squeezing your forearms at the bottom of the movement while exhaling.
- 5
Slowly and controllably extend your arms back to the starting position, allowing the forearms to stretch. Inhale as you return to the start, maintaining tension throughout the movement.
Tips
- Focus on the squeeze: Actively contract your forearms at the bottom, imagining you're trying to crush something with your grip to maximize brachioradialis activation.
- Keep elbows slightly bent: Avoid fully locking out your elbows at the top to maintain continuous tension on the forearms and prevent hyperextension.
- Control the negative: Emphasize the slow, controlled return phase to maximize time under tension and enhance muscle growth in the brachioradialis.
- Maintain upper arm stability: Minimize movement in your shoulders and upper arms; the primary action should be elbow flexion driven by the forearms.
Common Mistakes
- ×Using too much momentum: Avoid swinging your body or shrugging your shoulders to pull the weight; instead, reduce the weight and focus on a controlled forearm contraction.
- ×Flaring elbows out: Keep your elbows tucked close to your body throughout the movement to better isolate the brachioradialis and prevent shoulder strain.
- ×Not fully extending at the top: Failing to allow a full stretch at the top reduces the range of motion; ensure your arms are nearly straight to maximize the muscle's working length.
Variations

Cable Hammer Curl (with rope)
Target your brachioradialis and brachialis with the cable hammer curl. This exercise uses a rope attachment and neutral grip to build strong, defined

Cable Standing Wrist Roll
Strengthen your forearms with the Cable Standing Wrist Roll. This isolation exercise targets wrist flexors and extensors for improved grip strength and
Related Exercises

Cable Standing Wrist Curl
Strengthen your forearms with the Cable Standing Wrist Curl. This isolation exercise targets wrist flexors for improved grip strength and forearm

Cable Standing Back Wrist Curl
Target your forearms with the Cable Standing Back Wrist Curl. This isolation exercise strengthens wrist extensors for improved grip and arm stability.

Cable Reverse Preacher Curl
Perform the Cable Reverse Preacher Curl to build forearm strength and target the brachioradialis with constant tension.

Cable Reverse One Arm Curl
Target your brachioradialis and forearms with the Cable Reverse One Arm Curl. This isolation exercise builds grip strength and arm definition by keeping

Bodyweight Kneeling Push-up Row
Build chest and back strength with this kneeling push-up variation that adds a rowing pull at the top.

Weighted Plate Standing Hands Torsion
Strengthen your forearms and wrists with this plate rotation exercise that builds grip and rotational power.
Track Cable Standing Pulldown (with rope) in your workouts
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