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Back · Cable
Cable Pullover
How to do the Cable Pullover with good form: step-by-step technique, the muscles it works (upper back), coaching cues and the mistakes to avoid.
Muscles worked
- Primary
- Upper back
- Secondary
- Triceps, Abs
How to do it
- Attach a straight lat bar or rope to a high cable pulley and grasp it with a shoulder-width pronated grip.
- Step back two to three feet from the machine, hinge forward slightly at the hips about 15 degrees, and brace your core.
- Start with your arms extended overhead and slightly forward, keeping a fixed, slight bend in your elbows.
- Pull the bar down in a wide, sweeping arc until it rests against the front of your upper thighs.
- Pause for one second at the bottom, contracting your lats and armpits tightly.
- Control the bar slowly back up along the exact same arc until your arms return to the starting overhead position.
Coaching cues
- Sweep the bar down to the thighs
- Keep elbows locked at a slight bend
- Drive with the armpits
Common mistakes
- Bending and straightening the elbows, turning it into a triceps pressdown
- Using excessive body momentum by swinging the torso
- Allowing the weight stack to slam at the top
Equipment and setup
Cable station, lat bar or rope
High cable pulley with a lat bar or rope attachment.
Also known as: Straight-Arm Pulldown with Rope, Kneeling Cable Pullover
Track your Cable Pullover in ROAN
ROAN fills in last session’s weight and reps, estimates your 1RM and keeps your best sets.
