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Straight-Arm Cable Pulldown
How to do the Straight-Arm Cable Pulldown 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 bar to a high pulley cable and grab it with a pronated, shoulder-width grip.
- Step back two feet from the machine, hinge your hips back slightly, and brace your core.
- Start with your arms extended out in front of you at roughly eye level with a slight, fixed bend in your elbows.
- Using your lats, pull the bar down in a sweeping arc until it reaches your thighs.
- Squeeze your lats forcefully at the bottom, ensuring your torso remains perfectly stationary.
- Slowly control the bar back up to eye level, feeling a deep stretch through your armpits.
Coaching cues
- Sweep the bar down
- Keep elbows locked at a slight bend
- Keep the chest proud
Common mistakes
- Turning the movement into a triceps pressdown by bending and extending the elbows
- Bowing the back excessively to heave the weight down
- Letting the weight yank the arms up too quickly on the eccentric
Equipment and setup
Cable station, straight bar attachment
High cable pulley with a straight bar attached.
Also known as: Lat Pushdown, Straight-Arm Lat Pulldown
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