What you'll gain

• Isolates the lats without elbow flexion, so the biceps do not limit the set.

• Keeps constant cable tension across a long shoulder extension arc.

• Low load and low skill, so it fits early in a program or as a finisher.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   Attach a straight bar or rope to a high pulley and stand a step back from the stack.

2. 2

   Take an overhand grip at shoulder width and hinge forward slightly at the hips.

3. 3

   Set a small bend in your elbows and hold that angle for the whole set.

4. 4

   Depress your shoulder blades and sweep the handle down toward your thighs.

5. 5

   Squeeze the lats at the bottom without folding the trunk forward.

6. 6

   Let the handle rise back overhead under control and repeat.

Common Mistakes

• Bending and straightening the elbows, which turns the lift into a triceps pressdown.

• Arching the lower back as the handle rises, which leaks range and loads the spine.

• Loading so heavy that the hips finish the rep, which takes the lats off tension.

• Locking the shoulder blades in place, which blocks the scapular travel this exercise trains.

About This Exercise

The straight-arm lat pulldown holds a small fixed bend in the elbow so the only joint action left is shoulder extension. Standing a step back from a high pulley with a slight forward hinge, you depress the shoulder blades and sweep the bar or rope down to your thighs, which keeps the lats under tension through a long arc without the biceps taking over. The abs brace to stop the lower back arching as the handle travels overhead, and the posterior deltoid, trapezius and rhomboids assist the scapular part of the motion. In a library this is the lat isolation clip that complements the compound pulls. It works as a pre-exhaust or finisher in app programming, as a cue-heavy demo for teaching lat engagement, and as a cable-only option when a program has no bar.

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