Straight Arm Cable Pulldown

Form Cues

• Stand facing a high cable with feet shoulder-width apart and a slight forward lean from the hips — knees slightly bent for stability

• Grip the bar or rope attachment with both hands and start with arms extended at or slightly above shoulder height

• Depress and retract the shoulder blades before initiating the pull — this is essential for targeting the lats

• Pull the cable down toward your thighs in a wide arc with arms completely straight and elbows locked — drive the movement through the lats, not the arms

• Squeeze the lats hard at the bottom when the handle reaches your thighs, then return with control over 2 seconds to the starting position

• Keep your torso stable throughout — avoid crunching forward with the abs or rocking back and forth to move the weight

• If you need to swing or jerk the weight, it is too heavy — reduce and focus on feeling the lat contraction