Straight-arm pulldown: how to do it
Main muscles: Latissimus dorsi (lats), Teres major. Helpers: Serratus anterior, Triceps long head. Below: step-by-step form, common mistakes, a muscle map, reps and rest, and what to swap it for.
Equipment
Cable
Reps
8–12
Rest
105 s
Muscle group
Back
How to do it
- Stand in front of the high pulley, torso leaning forward, arms straight with a slight bend at the elbow.
- Pull the bar down to the thighs with the shoulders only, do not bend the elbows.
- Return up to a stretch of the lats.
Common mistakes
Bending the elbows and turning it into a triceps pushdown.
Muscles worked
primary·secondary
- Primary
- Latissimus dorsi (lats), Teres major
- Secondary
- Serratus anterior, Triceps long head
A secondary muscle gets roughly half the stimulus of a set — that is also how the log’s stats count it.
Alternatives: similar exercises
Lat pulldown
Cable · Latissimus dorsi (lats), Teres major
Close-grip lat pulldown
Cable · Latissimus dorsi (lats), Teres major
Pull-ups
Bodyweight · Latissimus dorsi (lats), Teres major
One-arm dumbbell row
Dumbbells · Latissimus dorsi (lats), Teres major, Rhomboids
Pullover
Dumbbells · Latissimus dorsi (lats), Serratus anterior
Chin-ups
Bodyweight · Latissimus dorsi (lats), Biceps
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