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Exercise guide
Straight-Arm Pulldown
An isolation exercise for the lats using a cable with arms kept straight.
What this exercise works
- Muscles
- latissimus dorsi · posterior deltoid · triceps brachii
- Goals
- hypertrophy
- Equipment
- Cable machine
- Category
- Strength
- Difficulty
- intermediate
Demonstration
Step 1
Step 2
How to perform the movement
- Stand facing a cable machine with a straight bar attached to the high pulley.
- With arms nearly straight, push the bar down in an arc toward your thighs.
- Squeeze your lats at the bottom.
- Slowly return the bar to the starting position.
- Repeat.
Technique cues and common mistakes
- Maintain a slight elbow bend without turning the movement into a pressdown.
- Hinge slightly at the hips and keep your back flat.
- Avoid using body momentum to swing the bar down.