Exercise Comparison
Cable Incline Pushdown vs Rocky Pull-Ups/Pulldowns
Side-by-Side
Muscle Analysis
Shared
Only in Rocky Pull-Ups/Pulldowns
Instructions
Cable Incline Pushdown
Lie on incline an bench facing away from a high pulley machine that has a straight bar attachment on it.
Grasp the straight bar attachment overhead with a pronated (overhand; palms down) shoulder width grip and extend your arms in front of you. The bar should be around 2 inches away from your upper thighs. This will be your starting position.
Keeping the upper arms stationary, lift your arms back in a semi circle until the bar is straight over your head. Breathe in during this portion of the movement.
Slowly go back to the starting position using your lats and hold the contraction once you reach the starting position. Breathe out during the execution of this movement.
Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Rocky Pull-Ups/Pulldowns
Grab the pull-up bar with the palms facing forward using a wide grip.
As you have both arms extended in front of you holding the bar at the chosen grip width, bring your torso back around 30 degrees or so while creating a curvature on your lower back and sticking your chest out. This is your starting position.
Pull your torso up until the bar touches your upper chest by drawing the shoulders and the upper arms down and back. Exhale as you perform this portion of the movement. Tip: Concentrate on squeezing the back muscles once you reach the full contracted position. The upper torso should remain stationary as it moves through space and only the arms should move. The forearms should do no other work other than hold the bar.
After a second on the contracted position, start to inhale and slowly lower your torso back to the starting position when your arms are fully extended and the lats are fully stretched.
Now repeat the same movements as described above except this time your torso will remain straight as you go up and the bar will touch the back of the neck instead of the upper chest. Tip: Use the head to lean forward slightly as it will help you properly execute this portion of the exercise.
Once you have lowered yourself back down to the starting position, repeat the exercise for the prescribed amount of repetitions in your program.
Verdict
Both exercises target the lats. Cable Incline Pushdown is a beginner exercise using cable, while Rocky Pull-Ups/Pulldowns is intermediate and uses other. Choose Cable Incline Pushdown if you're looking for a more accessible option, or Rocky Pull-Ups/Pulldowns for a greater challenge. Rocky Pull-Ups/Pulldowns is a compound movement working multiple joints, making it better for overall strength. Cable Incline Pushdown isolates the target muscle for focused development.