Exercise Comparison
Cable Incline Pushdown vs Rope Climb
Side-by-Side
Muscle Analysis
Shared
Only in Rope Climb
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.
Rope Climb
Grab the rope with both hands above your head. Pull down on the rope as you take a small jump.
Wrap the rope around one leg, using your feet to pinch the rope. Reach up as high as possible with your arms, gripping the rope tightly.
Release the rope from your feet as you pull yourself up with your arms, bringing your knees towards your chest.
Resecure your feet on the rope, and then stand up to take another high hold on the rope. Continue until you reach the top of the rope.
To lower yourself, loosen the grip of your feet on the rope as you slide down using a hand over hand motion.
Verdict
Both exercises target the lats. Cable Incline Pushdown is a beginner exercise using cable, while Rope Climb is intermediate and uses other. Choose Cable Incline Pushdown if you're looking for a more accessible option, or Rope Climb for a greater challenge. Rope Climb is a compound movement working multiple joints, making it better for overall strength. Cable Incline Pushdown isolates the target muscle for focused development.