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Straight Arm Lat Pulldown
Standing at a high cable, you pull a bar down to your thighs with straight arms. Isolates the big back muscles under the arms without using the biceps.
beginnercable machinestraight bar attachment
BEFORE YOU START2
- Set the pulley above head height and attach a straight bar.
- Choose a light weight with the pin.
HOW TO DO IT
Get into position
- Grab the bar shoulder-width apart with your palms facing down.
- Step back until the weight lifts and your arms are stretched up in front of you.
- Lean forward slightly from the hips with a slight bend in your elbows.
Check: Your arms are straight up and forward, the weight is off the stack, and your back is flat.
Pull down
- Keeping your arms almost straight, pull the bar down in an arc to your thighs.
- Squeeze your back for a second at the bottom.
Check: The bar touches your thighs, your elbows are still only slightly bent, and your body has not moved.
Return slowly
- Let the bar rise slowly in the same arc until your arms are overhead again.
Check: You are back at the start with a stretch under your arms.
That is one rep. Repeat for your set, then step toward the machine before letting the bar go.
Breathe out as you pull down in about 1 second; breathe in as you return over 2 to 3 seconds.
MUSCLES WORKED
latsupper backtriceps
Red marks the muscles doing the work; amber the assisting ones. Same body for every exercise, so guides compare at a glance.
COMMON MISTAKES2
- Bending the elbows to pull the bar down. Turns it into a triceps exercise. Fix: Keep the same slight bend; the arms move as one piece from the shoulder.
- Rounding the back or bobbing the body. Fix: Keep your back flat and still; use less weight.
SAFETY1
- Keep the weight light; this exercise is about feel, not load.
EQUIPMENT SETTINGS
- cable machine · pulley: above head height
RELATED EXERCISES
harder: wide grip pulldown
variants: dumbbell pullover
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