Straight-Arm Lat Pulldown
Standing cable pulldown with near straight arms that isolates shoulder extension and keeps the lats loaded.
How to do it
- Attach a straight bar or rope to a high pulley and stand a step back from the stack.
- Take an overhand grip at shoulder width and hinge forward slightly at the hips.
- Set a small bend in your elbows and hold that angle for the whole set.
- Depress your shoulder blades and sweep the handle down toward your thighs.
- Squeeze the lats at the bottom without folding the trunk forward.
- Let the handle rise back overhead under control and repeat.
Key technique cue
Hold the same elbow angle all set — sweep the handle down with the shoulder.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Bending and straightening the elbows, which turns the lift into a triceps pressdown.
- ✕ Arching the lower back as the handle rises, which leaks range and loads the spine.
- ✕ Loading so heavy that the hips finish the rep, which takes the lats off tension.
- ✕ Locking the shoulder blades in place, which blocks the scapular travel this exercise trains.
Benefits
- ✓ Isolates the lats without elbow flexion, so the biceps do not limit the set.
- ✓ Keeps constant cable tension across a long shoulder extension arc.
- ✓ Low load and low skill, so it fits early in a program or as a finisher.
Progression: from easier to harder
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Step 1 -
Step 2 You are here - Straight-Arm Lat Pulldown
- Straight Arm Rope Pulldown
About the exercise
The straight-arm lat pulldown holds a small fixed bend in the elbow so the only joint action left is shoulder extension. Standing a step back from a high pulley with a slight forward hinge, you depress the shoulder blades and sweep the bar or rope down to your thighs, which keeps the lats under tension through a long arc without the biceps taking over. The abs brace to stop the lower back arching as the handle travels overhead, and the posterior deltoid, trapezius and rhomboids assist the scapular part of the motion. It works as a pre-exhaust or finisher, and as a cable-only option when no bar is available.
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