Cable Kneeling Rope High Row

Attach a rope to the high pulley, face the tower, kneel on both knees with your hips up, and hold both ends of the rope. Kneeling on both knees locks your lower body and makes momentum harder to use, so start with your arms reaching forward and up and your torso leaning back slightly.

Keep your elbows high and spread them out and back as you pull the rope ends beside your forehead. Keeping your elbows at or above shoulder height as your hands split to either side of your face focuses the work on the rear delts and upper back.

Pause briefly in the pulled position, then slowly reach your arms forward and up to return to the start. Control the tempo while holding your knee and torso angles so the cable does not pull you forward.

Focus on the rear delts drawing your elbows out and back. Check that your shoulder blades come together lightly at the end and that your biceps only assist.

Leaning far back to pull with your body weight makes your lower back and momentum work before your shoulders. If your elbows drop, it turns into a regular lat-focused row, so hold your elbow height all the way.

Exhale as you pull and inhale as you reach your arms out. Exhaling while bracing your abs keeps your torso steadier in the kneeling position.

Kneeling on both knees gives you better left-right balance than a half-kneeling stance, so both shoulders work more evenly. If your knees feel uncomfortable, use a mat and pick a weight that lets the rope ends split wide beside your face.