How to do the Cable Straight Arm Pulldown
- Stand facing the cable machine, holding a bar with an overhand grip.
- Step back to create tension, then hinge slightly forward at the hips.
- Pull the bar down towards your thighs, keeping your arms relatively straight.
- Slowly return the bar to the starting position around face height.
Full technique — 7 steps
- Attach a straight bar to a high pulley and stand facing the machine.
- Take an overhand grip just outside shoulder width and step back to create tension.
- Hinge slightly at the hips, set a slight knee bend, and let the bar start around face height.
- Keep your elbows nearly straight and set your shoulders down away from your ears.
- Sweep the bar down in an arc toward your thighs by driving shoulder extension.
- Finish with the bar near your upper thighs and your lats fully shortened.
- Return the bar upward along the same path until your shoulders are flexed again.
Common mistakes
- Turning it into a triceps pressdown
- Bending elbows through the pull
- Standing too upright under the cable
- Shrugging shoulders toward ears
- Swinging torso to move weight
Form cues
- Move from the shoulders
- Keep elbows nearly fixed
- Pull bar to thighs
- Pull shoulders down first
- Use a slight hip hinge
