Muscles worked
The straight arm pulldown mainly trains your lats, which draw your arms down and back from overhead. The teres major, the rear delts and the long head of the triceps, which crosses the shoulder joint, help. With your elbows almost straight, your biceps barely work, so it is usually your lats that tire first. Many people use it to learn to feel their lats, or alongside pulldowns and rows. Your abs keep your torso still. A rope attachment lets your hands move apart and travel slightly further back at the bottom.
Common mistakes
- Standing too close to the cable. The cable then runs almost straight down and the resistance disappears at the top. Take a step or two back, so the cable pulls forwards and upwards even with your arms overhead.
- Rocking your upper body. A slight forward lean from the hips is fine, but it should stay the same for the whole set. If you fold forward and straighten up on every rep, your body is moving the bar, not your back.
- Your shoulders roll forward at the bottom. As the bar reaches your thighs, many people push the last bit by rounding their shoulders. Keep your chest up and your shoulders back, and stop at your thighs.
Variations and alternatives
- The dumbbell pullover is a similar shoulder movement lying on a bench, for when the cable is busy.
- The band pullover gives the same pull at home, with a band anchored high.
- The close grip lat pulldown lets your arms help, so you can pull heavier.
Sets and reps
This isolation exercise is not trained heavy. To build muscle, 10 to 15 reps over 2 to 3 sets works well. Many people put it first in a back session to feel their lats before heavier pulling, or last as a finisher. For endurance, 15 to 20 reps suits. Heavy, low-rep sets make little sense, as your body and elbows take over before your lats tire. See the guide to sets and reps.
Cable steps are often large for the weight you use. Add reps first, and raise the weight once you reach the top of your range on every set with your arms almost straight and your torso still. That is progressive overload in an isolation exercise. Note whether you used a bar or a rope.