LatsCable machineBeginner

How to Do Straight-Arm Pulldowns

By Bryan Alger, Co-Founder of Gravitus

· Updated Oct 1, 2026

A straight-arm pulldown is a lat isolation exercise on a high pulley. Stand tall facing the stack and sweep a straight bar or rope from head height down to your thighs, elbows slightly bent and fixed. It trains the lats and teres major, with the triceps long head helping. Most lifters do 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.

Sets x reps 3 x 10-15
Median 10-rep weight 7535 lbkg men 4520 lbkg women
Muscles Lats, teres major, triceps long head
Setup High pulley, straight bar or rope
Straight-Arm Lat Pulldown start and finish positions
  1. 1Start. Pulley on the top setting, straight bar, overhand grip. Step back until the weight lifts, arms reaching up toward the pulley with a slight bend in the elbows.
  2. 2Finish. Sweep the bar down in an arc to your thighs, moving only at the shoulders, then let it rise under control.
Watch 3 video demonstrations
Video 1 of 3

Find more video demonstrations in the Gravitus app

Technique

How to do a straight-arm pulldown

  1. Set the pulley to the top notch and clip on a straight bar or a rope.
  2. Grab the bar overhand at shoulder width. Take one or two steps back so the weight lifts with your arms reaching up toward the pulley at about head height.
  3. Stand tall with soft knees and at most a slight forward lean. Brace your abs, pull your shoulders down and unlock your elbows slightly. Keep that bend for the whole set.
  4. Sweep the bar down in an arc until it touches the front of your thighs. Only your shoulders move; your torso stays still.
  5. Let the bar rise over 2 to 3 seconds until your arms are back at head height and you feel a stretch under your arms.
Setup

Upright or hinged: pulldown vs pullover

Upright, this pageStraight-arm pulldownArms start at head height and finish at your thighs. The easiest version to hold still.
Hinged 30 to 45 degreesCable pulloverArms start overhead, in line with your torso, for a longer stretch under the arms.
Knees on the floorTall-kneeling pulldownKneel facing the stack. Your hips cannot push back, so your torso stays upright.
One foot forwardSplit stanceEasier to stay balanced as the weight goes up, without leaning into the cable.

The straight-arm pulldown and the cable lat pullover use the same pulley and the same shoulder movement. The difference is your torso. Stand tall and your arms start in front of you at about head height, so the rep runs from your face to your thighs. Hinge 30 to 45 degrees and your arms start overhead, in line with your torso, which adds a longer stretch at the top. In testing, lat activity followed the same pattern in a pullover and a pulldown, while chest activity changed with shoulder angle (Teixeira 2022). Pick the torso angle for the range you want to train.

Gravitus data

How much weight should you use for straight-arm pulldowns?

On Gravitus, the median man lifts 75 lb (35 kg) for 10 reps on the straight-arm pulldown, and the median woman 45 lb (20 kg).

Men, typical 75 lb for 10 reps
Most lift
55 to 110 lb
Top 10% lift
135 lb or more
Starting out
under 55 lb
Women, typical 45 lb for 10 reps
Most lift
30 to 65 lb
Top 10% lift
80 lb or more
Starting out
under 30 lb
Men, typical 35 kg for 10 reps
Most lift
25 to 50 kg
Top 10% lift
60 kg or more
Starting out
under 25 kg
Women, typical 20 kg for 10 reps
Most lift
14 to 30 kg
Top 10% lift
35 kg or more
Starting out
under 14 kg
PercentileMenWomen
25th70 / 55 lb40 / 30 lb
Median100 / 75 lb60 / 45 lb
75th145 / 110 lb85 / 65 lb
90th180 / 135 lb105 / 80 lb
 One-rep max / 10-rep weight, rounded to 5 lb (2.5 under 40). From 7,882 men and 2,320 women who log the straight-arm pulldown on Gravitus, computed Oct 13, 2026 (Brzycki). Methodology
PercentileMenWomen
25th32.5 / 25 kg18 / 14 kg
Median45 / 35 kg27.5 / 20 kg
75th67.5 / 50 kg37.5 / 30 kg
90th80 / 60 kg47.5 / 35 kg
 One-rep max / 10-rep weight, rounded to 2.5 kg (1 under 20). From 7,882 men and 2,320 women who log the straight-arm pulldown on Gravitus, computed Oct 13, 2026 (Brzycki). Methodology
Stack numbers are not comparable between machines. Many functional trainers use a 2:1 pulley, where the 40 lb pin feels like 20 lb, and a rope or a hinged torso changes how heavy the same pin feels. Compare yourself to your own log on the same machine and attachment.
Anatomy

Muscles worked

Lats and teres majorPull the arm down from head height to your thighs. The straight-arm pulldown drew more lat activity than a lying barbell pullover (Muyor 2022).
Primary
Triceps, long headCrosses the shoulder, so it helps pull the arm down even with the elbow still. Triceps activity was also higher than in the lying pullover (Muyor 2022).
Secondary
Rear deltsHelp extend the arm, most near your thighs.
Secondary
Chest, lower fibersHelp a little at the top of the rep, less than in a lying pullover (Muyor 2022).
Secondary
Core, spinal erectors, shoulder blade musclesHold the torso upright and the shoulder blades down.
Stabilizer
Research

Back or triceps? What the research says

The straight-arm pulldown is a lat exercise first. In 20 adults, it drew more lat and triceps activity than a lying barbell pullover at the same load, while the lying pullover drew more chest and ab activity (Muyor 2022). That held with the hands at shoulder width and at 1.5 times shoulder width. A narrative review of lat EMG studies came to the same view: the lying pullover is not a first choice for the lats (Di Fonza 2026).

Three common claims the research does not back:

  • The triceps only hold the arm straight. The triceps long head crosses the shoulder and helps pull the arm down, and its activity was highest in the straight-arm pulldown (Muyor 2022).
  • Cables give constant tension. The pull on the cable stays the same, but its leverage on your shoulder changes as your arms move and as you step closer or further back.
  • A band version loads the stretch. A band anchored high is shortest with your arms up and longest at your thighs, so it is hardest at the finish, not at the stretch.
Compare

Straight-arm pulldown vs cable pullover vs lat pulldown

Straight-arm pulldownCable pulloverLat pulldown
TorsoUpright, slight lean at mostHinged 30 to 45 degreesSeated, leaning back slightly
Arms startAt head heightOverhead, in line with the torsoOverhead
ElbowsFixed, slight bendFixed, slight bendBend fully
Works mostLats, teres major, tricepsLats, teres major, tricepsLats, biceps, mid-back
Verdict

Keep the lat pulldown as your main lat lift, since it moves more weight and trains the biceps too. Add one straight-arm move after it. The pulldown and the pullover overlap, so pick one: upright to stay strict, hinged for more stretch overhead.

Programming

Sets, reps and progression

3Sets
10-15Reps
0-2Reps left

Do straight-arm pulldowns after your pulldowns and rows, or first as a lighter warm-up for the lats. Stop each set 0 to 2 reps short of failure. Sets taken close to failure build muscle across a wide range of reps (Schoenfeld 2021), so pick a range you can keep strict.

Add reps before weight. When every set reaches 15 with your torso still, move up one pin and drop back to 10.

Form

Common mistakes

Variations

Straight-arm pulldown variations

Rope straight-arm pulldownNeutral grip on a rope. Your hands can split past your thighs at the finish.
Single-arm straight-arm pulldownOne side at a time with a D handle, standing or half kneeling.
Cable lat pulloverThe same movement hinged 30 to 45 degrees, with the arms starting overhead.
Straight-bar cable pulloverThe hinged pullover on a straight bar.
Dumbbell PulloverLying across a bench. The lying barbell version drew more chest and less lat activity than the straight-arm pulldown (Muyor 2022).
FAQ

Questions people ask

What muscles do straight arm pulldowns work?

The lats and teres major, with the triceps long head, rear delts and lower chest helping. The core holds your torso still.

Is straight arm pulldown a compound exercise?

No. Only the shoulder moves, so it is an isolation exercise. The lat pulldown, where the elbows bend too, is the compound version.

Does straight arm pulldown work triceps?

Yes, the long head. It crosses the shoulder and helps pull the arm down, and its activity was higher in the straight-arm pulldown than in a lying pullover (Muyor 2022).

What is the difference between a straight arm pulldown and a cable pullover?

Torso angle. The straight-arm pulldown is done standing tall, with the arms starting at head height. The cable pullover hinges 30 to 45 degrees, so the arms start overhead and get a longer stretch. The muscles worked are the same.

Is the straight arm pulldown better than the lat pulldown?

Not as a main lift. The lat pulldown moves more weight and trains the biceps too. The straight-arm pulldown works the lats without the biceps, so add it after pulldowns or rows.

Should I lean forward or stand upright on straight arm pulldowns?

Stand upright with at most a slight lean for the straight-arm pulldown, and keep that angle all set. A 30 to 45 degree hinge turns it into a cable pullover, which starts with the arms overhead for more stretch.

How much weight should I use for straight arm pulldowns?

For 10 reps, the median on Gravitus is 75 lb (35 kg) for men and 45 lb (20 kg) for women. The strongest quarter lifts 110 lb (50 kg) and 65 lb (30 kg) or more.

Gravitus See where your straight-arm pulldown ranks

Log every set and see your percentile on every lift, straight-arm pulldown included.

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References
  1. Muyor, López-Miñarro and Alacid 2022. Appl Sci 12(21):11138.
  2. Teixeira et al. 2022. Int J Exerc Sci 15(4):797-807.
  3. Di Fonza et al. 2026. J Funct Morphol Kinesiol 11(3):315.
  4. Schoenfeld et al. 2021. Sports 9(2):32.