Low Pulley Row To Neck
A beginner compound movement that trains the shoulders with a cable machine.
Force Type
Pull
direction of effort
Difficulty
Beginner
training level
Variations
3
equipment swaps
Muscles
4
primary + secondary
The verdict
Low Pulley Row To Neck has 5-step instructions, more thoroughly documented than most of the 127 shoulders exercises PlainExercise catalogues.
Ranked against the 127 shoulders exercises PlainExercise currently catalogues, not the full exercise-science literature.
Catalog lens
Two ways this record sits in the source corpus
These are placement measures for the documented record, not a score for exercise quality, safety, or suitability.
Instruction steps
#266 of 868
More thorough than most
Numbered source steps, ranked across every documented exercise.
Instruction text
#121 of 868
More thorough than most
A separate character-length placement prevents step count from standing in for explanatory detail.
Low Pulley Row To Neck vs every catalogued exercise by instruction-text length
Where this record's instruction-character count sits among all 873 Free Exercise DB exercises with instructions, not a rating of the movement itself.
983 121st of 873 higher than 751 of 873 exercises
All exercises, banded by instruction-text character count
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more exercises. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source Free Exercise DB · 2026-07-10
Low Pulley Row To Neck is documented from the Free Exercise DB (CC0) extract, last ingested July 2026. Classification, muscle roles and instruction text are source facts; the placement and cohort measures on this page are computed by PlainExercise and are not a rating of the movement.
What the Low Pulley Row To Neck Data Reveals · DEEP · PULL/COMPOUND
Low Pulley Row To Neck stands out on force direction, the first filter on this record.
Longer step lists usually mean finer setup cues, not a harder movement by themselves.
Across 127 catalogued shoulders movements, the average instruction record is 623 characters and 4.2 steps; 82 of those (64.6%) clear the same ≥500-character rich bar used here. This page ranks #7 of 127 by instruction-character length (1.58× the cohort average).
Among the 81 exercises that also use a cable machine, average instruction length is 786 characters; 14 of those peers are longer than this record. Equipment-matched peers are the honest comparison when you are choosing a substitute implement for the same pattern.
Other well-documented shoulders movements (same ≥500-character bar):
- Clean and Jerk (8 steps, 2,551 chars)
- Clean and Press (7 steps, 1,667 chars)
- Cable Seated Lateral Raise (7 steps, 1,233 chars)
- External Rotation (6 steps, 1,212 chars)
- Reverse Flyes With External Rotation (7 steps, 1,105 chars)
Context matters: taxonomy (level, mechanic, force, musculature, equipment) does not account for individual biomechanics, joint history, or recovery. Common-mistake framing below is derived from classification fields, not case-specific coaching. Not medical or personal-training advice. Consult a physician or certified trainer before starting, especially with injuries, cardiovascular conditions, recent surgery, or pregnancy.
Low Pulley Row To Neck catalog footprint
Among 127 exercises whose primary muscle is shoulders, Low Pulley Row To Neck ranks #19 by catalogued variation count. The upstream file attaches 2 images to this slug. See the step-count ranking for shoulders for peer documentation depth.
Muscles worked
The Free Exercise DB classifies each muscle as primary or secondary. It does not measure activation, so we show involvement, not percentages.
Source: Free Exercise DB primary/secondary muscle classification. Actual recruitment varies by load and form.
Intensity context
For reference, here is where common activities sit on the MET intensity scale. Low Pulley Row To Neck does not have a measured MET in the source data, its intensity depends on the load and effort you use. Estimate calories for any activity with the calorie calculator.
MET values from the Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth et al., 2011). A general reference scale, not a rating of this specific movement.
How to do it
- Sit on a low pulley row machine with a rope attachment.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Common mistakes
- Rushing through reps before the pattern is grooved - at this stage, a slow, controlled tempo (2-3s down, 1-2s up) on Low Pulley Row To Neck teaches the nervous system the movement far faster than speed does.
- Cutting the range of motion short - moving the shoulders through its full safe range on Low Pulley Row To Neck is what most reliably separates effective reps from wasted ones.
- Treating a compound lift like an isolation movement - Low Pulley Row To Neck recruits multiple joints; bracing the core and engaging stabilizers matters as much as the prime movers.
- Shrugging the shoulders up toward the ears on pull movements, keep shoulder blades down and back to load the correct muscles.
- Breathing out of sync with the lift on Low Pulley Row To Neck - brace and inhale during the lowering phase, exhale on the exertion, especially important with a cable machine where control matters most.
Who this is for
- People new to resistance training who want to build a foundation in the movement pattern
- People who want to train the Shoulders and secondarily biceps, middle back
- People who have access to a cable machine
Who this is NOT for
- Anyone with acute pain in the joints or muscles involved, pain is a stop signal, not a soreness signal
- People with unresolved injuries in the loaded joints, seek clearance from a physical therapist first
- Anyone with a recent surgery, cardiovascular limitation, or pregnancy complication without physician clearance
Progression path
Once Low Pulley Row To Neck feels comfortable with your current load, progress by (a) adding reps until you can complete 12+ per set, (b) increasing resistance by 2.5-5%, (c) moving to harder variations such as single-limb or longer lever versions, and eventually (d) stepping up to intermediate-level movements that train the same muscle.
See the Progression guide for a full framework on when to advance, and the Compound vs Isolation guide to decide when to prioritize this movement in your program.
Safety notes · CABLE · PULL/COMPOUND · FLOOR
- On PULL/COMPOUND shoulders work, warm up 5–10 minutes before loading Low Pulley Row To Neck; keep first sets light until the path feels automatic.
- Sharp or joint pain is a stop signal. Muscle soreness during sets is normal; pain is not.
- Beginners on CABLE gear: cut volume before cutting form, drop a set rather than rush reps.
- General information only. Consult a physician or certified trainer before starting any new exercise program.
Variations
Alternate versions of this movement with different equipment.
Curated workout appearances
Low Pulley Row To Neck is not currently featured in one of the 186 curated workout routines on this site.
Nationwide exercises with similar documentation depth
Two Free Exercise DB peer sets for Low Pulley Row To Neck, drawn across all muscles (not the shoulders-only related list below). Each metric produces a different neighborhood.
Similar instruction step count
Nearest catalog records by numbered steps.
Similar instruction text length
Nearest catalog records by upstream instruction characters.
Related exercises
Other exercises that target the Shoulders.
See all Shoulders exercises.
Using the low pulley row to neck
Three ways to put it to work.
- Train the shoulders 2–3 times a week with 48+ hours between hard sets; pair this with other shoulders movements for balanced development. All shoulders exercises
- No cable? The documented variations swap the implement without changing the movement pattern. See variations
- As a compound lift, this trains several muscles at once, anchor your session around it before isolation work. Compound vs isolation
Form before load. If a movement causes sharp or joint pain, stop and substitute a safer alternative, this is general information, not medical or training advice.