Low Pulley Row To Neck

Also called cable high row, rope row to neck and seated face pull.

Works

Shoulders, plus biceps, upper back and traps

Equipment

Cable

Level

Beginner

Type

Compound

How to do it

Setup. Sit on a low pulley row machine with a rope attachment.

1. Grab the ends of the rope using a palms-down grip and sit with your back straight and your knees slightly bent. Tip: Keep your back almost completely vertical and your arms fully extended in front of you. This will be your starting position.
2. While keeping your torso stationary, lift your elbows and start bending them as you pull the rope towards your neck while exhaling. Throughout the movement your upper arms should remain parallel to the floor. Tip: Continue this motion until your hands are almost next to your ears (the forearms will not be parallel to the floor at the end of the movement as they will be angled a bit upwards) and your elbows are out away from your sides.
3. After holding for a second or so at the contracted position, come back slowly to the starting position as you inhale. Tip: Again, during no part of the movement should the torso move.
4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Cues

• Sit tall, arms straight.
• Elbows lift high and wide.
• Pull the rope to the neck.
• Lower slowly.

Common mistakes

• Leaning back.
• Shrugging.

Where to start

A starting point, not a law. Pick a weight you could lift two or three more times than the top of the range. Tempo is seconds down, pause, up. When every set hits the top of the range, add a little weight.

Go easy, or pick an alternative, if you have a sore shoulder. Pain that's sharp or gets worse set to set means stop.

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