Straight Arm Pulldown

The straight arm pulldown is a cable isolation exercise that trains the lats with the elbows locked, so the arms never take over the way they do on a row or a pulldown. Standing in front of a high pulley with a straight bar, you drive the bar down to your thighs by pulling the shoulder blades down and back, then let it rise under control. Keeping the elbows straight is the whole exercise: the moment they bend, the movement becomes a triceps pushdown and the lats stop working. Because the resistance stays constant through the cable, the lats are loaded even at the top where a free weight would give you nothing. It suits beginners learning to feel their back working, and advanced lifters using it before pulls to wake the lats up.