Straight-Arm Pulldown
- Pro
- Intermediate
- Gym
The straight-arm pulldown has you hinge slightly forward and pull a bar down to your thighs in a wide arc while your arms stay straight throughout. It isolates the lats without recruiting the biceps the way a bent-arm pull does. Intermediate lifters use it in the gym for weight and reps as a main lift.
- Muscles
- Lats
- Equipment
- Cable
- Logged as
- Weight and reps
How to
- Face the high pulley and grip the bar with straight arms.
- Hinge slightly forward, core braced.
- Pull the bar down to your thighs in a wide arc.
- Return overhead slowly, arms staying straight.
Form cues
- Keep a soft bend in your elbows, not locked.
- Squeeze your lats before the bar moves.
- Exhale as the bar reaches your thighs.
Common mistakes
- Elbows bend to turn it into a row. Hinge your shoulders only, not your elbows.
- Torso swings to help pull the bar. Brace your core and keep hips still.
- Bar path drifts away from the body. Keep the bar close to your body.
Wellboy is a wellness and fitness app, not a healthcare service, and it does not provide medical advice. Talk to a doctor or another healthcare professional before starting a new exercise or diet routine if you have a medical condition, an injury, are pregnant, or have symptoms.
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