Straight Arm Rope Pulldown (Light)

What you'll gain

• Trains the lats through shoulder extension without a bench pullover.

• The rope lets the hands finish closer to the thighs than a stiff bar.

• A light load is the point: feel the sweep, not a max effort.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   Clip a rope to a high cable and stand facing the stack, feet about hip width.

2. 2

   Take a neutral grip on the rope and hinge slightly at the hips, chest tall.

3. 3

   Keep both elbows nearly straight, not locked hard and not bent into a row.

4. 4

   Depress the shoulder blades and sweep the hands down toward the thighs.

5. 5

   Stop when the lats are short, then raise the rope back to the high start under control.

6. 6

   Keep the torso angle fixed; do not squat or curl as the rope moves.

Common Mistakes

• Bending the elbows into a pulldown or row so the biceps take over.

• Arching the low back instead of keeping tone through the trunk.

• Letting the head jut forward as the rope comes down.

• Squatting or rocking the hips to move a load that should be a shoulder sweep.

About This Exercise

The straight-arm rope pulldown is a standing lat pullover on a high cable. One library targets lats, lists abs, biceps, shoulders, and upper back as helpers, requires a cable, uses a bilateral pull, and grades it beginner. A second rope guide lists lats with rear shoulders and core as helpers, a cable plus rope, a pull pattern, and grades it intermediate. Neutral palms on the rope, a slight hip hinge, elbows nearly straight, then the shoulders extend so the rope travels toward the thighs. The approved still is a side-on hinge, rope in both hands, elbows long, lats red and triceps pink, facing a selectorized stack. Light in the canonical name is a load cue, not a different movement. For apps this is the rope pullover in back and cable libraries, distinct from a bent-elbow pulldown.

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