Cable Straight Arm Pulldown

1. Attach a straight bar or rope to a high pulley and grab it with an overhand grip about shoulder width apart.
2. Step back until the cable is taut, hinge slightly forward at the hips, and let your arms extend overhead with a soft elbow bend.
3. Feel the stretch through your lats in the start position, shoulders reaching but not shrugged.
4. Exhale and sweep the bar down in a wide arc to your thighs, keeping your arms straight the whole way.
5. Squeeze the lats hard at the bottom with the shoulder blades pulled down.
6. Inhale and let the bar rise back overhead under control, resisting the stack rather than letting it yank you.
7. Keep your torso angle fixed for the entire set.

Common Mistakes

• Bending the elbows on the way down: pulling with bent arms turns the movement into a weak pulldown and brings the biceps in; keep the arms long.
• Rocking the torso: swinging the body to move the stack replaces lat work with momentum; only the arms should move.
• Shrugging at the stretch: letting the traps hike up at the top position takes the lats out of the movement; keep the shoulders pulled down away from the ears.
• Stopping short of the thighs: cutting the bottom range skips the peak contraction; finish each rep with the bar at your legs and a deliberate squeeze.