Straight-Arm Pulldown

Isolates the lat without the biceps limiting you: pure shoulder extension against the cable. Perfect for feeling your lat before pulls, or for cheap extra volume at the end.

• Isolation
• Cable
• Beginner

How to do it

• Bar or rope on a high pulley, arms almost straight
• Bring the bar to your thighs in an arc, without bending your elbow
• Think about pushing the floor away with your hands via your armpits
• Torso leaning slightly and stable; this is not an ab exercise

Sets, reps and tempo

Ranges: 12–20 reps · 0–1 RIR

Tempo: Pull down for 1 s with straight arms squeezing your lat, return for 2–3 s under control

Common mistakes

• Bending your elbows (it becomes a triceps extension)
• Using torso momentum
• A short range without reaching your thighs

Muscles worked

Primary

• Lats

Secondary

• Triceps
• Core / abs

Alternatives

• Lat Pulldown
• Dumbbell Pullover