Straight-Arm Pulldown

How to do the Straight-Arm Pulldown

1. You will start by grabbing the wide bar from the top pulley of a pulldown machine and using a wider than shoulder-width pronated (palms down) grip. Step backwards two feet or so.
2. Bend your torso forward at the waist by around 30-degrees with your arms fully extended in front of you and a slight bend at the elbows. If your arms are not fully extended then you need to step a bit more backwards until they are. Once your arms are fully extended and your torso is slightly bent at the waist, tighten the lats and then you are ready to begin.
3. While keeping the arms straight, pull the bar down by contracting the lats until your hands are next to the side of the thighs. Breathe out as you perform this step.
4. While keeping the arms straight, go back to the starting position while breathing in.
5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Muscles worked

Role	Muscles
Primary	lats
Equipment	cable machine
Difficulty	beginner
Type	isolation

No cable machine? Train the same muscles with these

Ordered by how likely you are to own the 6 options.

Chin-Up Bodyweight Pullups Bodyweight V-Bar Pullup Bodyweight Wide-Grip Rear Pull-Up Bodyweight Bent-Arm Barbell Pullover Barbell Leverage Iso Row Machine

Harder than the Straight-Arm Pulldown

Wide-Grip Rear Pull-Up intermediate · Bodyweight Wide-Grip Pulldown Behind The Neck intermediate · Cable Machine Weighted Pull Ups intermediate · Other Equipment

Superset the Straight-Arm Pulldown with

Opposing shoulders and chest work — alternate sets without extra rest.

Bent Over Low-Pulley Side Lateral shoulders Cable Crossover chest Cable Iron Cross chest Cable Rear Delt Fly shoulders

Common questions

What muscles does the Straight-Arm Pulldown work?

The Straight-Arm Pulldown primarily works the lats. Cable Incline Pushdown, Rope Straight-Arm Pulldown, and Bent-Arm Barbell Pullover train the same muscle, across 7 equipment types.

What equipment do you need for the Straight-Arm Pulldown?

A Cable Machine. Without a cable machine, Chin-Up, Pullups, and V-Bar Pullup train the same muscle, and 8 of the catalogue's options for this muscle need no equipment.

Is the Straight-Arm Pulldown suitable for beginners?

Yes, the Straight-Arm Pulldown is rated beginner. Wide-Grip Rear Pull-Up, Wide-Grip Pulldown Behind The Neck, and Weighted Pull Ups are the progressions from here.

Where should the Straight-Arm Pulldown go in a workout?

Late — the Straight-Arm Pulldown is isolation work, so it follows your compounds. Supersetting it with Bent Over Low-Pulley Side Lateral and Cable Crossover cuts session time without extra rest.

Similar exercises

Cable Incline Pushdown Cable Machine Rope Straight-Arm Pulldown Cable Machine Bent-Arm Barbell Pullover Barbell Chin-Up Bodyweight Close-Grip Front Lat Pulldown Cable Machine Elevated Cable Rows Cable Machine