Posts: 2,308. Straight-Arm Pushdown Muscles Worked. Being able to pull the rope apart at the end of the movement gives your upper back some love along with the lats. Here are the steps for performing the straight arm pulldown (4): Hook up your rope attachment to the cable machine. Beginner's Guide: Lat Pulldown Watch on 1. Cable Straight Arm Pulldown - Muscles Worked Target - Latissimus Dorsi Synergists - Pectoralis Major, Sternal Synergists - Triceps, Long Head Synergists - Teres Major Synergists - Deltoid, Posterior Synergists - Rhomboids This variation reduces tension on your biceps and it can also improve your mind-muscle connection. More so, these exercises are good for straightening the upper body muscles. Straight Arm Lat Pulldown. . The lat pulldown is a multi-joint exercise that targets many back, shoulder, and arm muscles. The difference between the straight arm pull down (lat sweep) and the barbell or dumbbell pullover is due to the the motion and the orientation of the involved forces. Reach up and grasp a standard lat-pulldown bar or long straight bar with an overhand (pronated) grip, hands shoulder-width apart, arms straight. With your core engaged, shoulder blades pulled back, and a slight bend in the hips, you should find yourself at around a 45-degree angle. Keep breathing gradually. Working your lat muscles will make them thicker and wider. 1 x Kettlebell. For the straight-arm pulldown, begin by performing 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions. Here's how to do it properly and how it can benefit you. The lat pulldown is versatile and can be done using a cable machine, resistance bands, or dumbbell. . Different from standing pulldowns, straight-arm pulldowns work your lats without engaging the biceps, though your triceps and pectorals assist the movement. This allows the muscles of the back to be worked intensely, as bicep endurance is often the limiting muscle factor during a back workout. The cable machine and pulley make this task seem slightly . Score: 4.5/5 (22 votes) . If you suffer from low-back issues, this exercise is a safe way to work the rest of your back muscles. Repeat for 12-15 reps. Whether you are a full-blown bodybuilder or a complete beginner, lat pull-downs work great whereas pull-up exercises help you improve your overall . The straight arm lat pulldown is also performed while standing. The straight arm pulldown works the latissimus dorsi muscle, the wing-like muscle in your mid-back. For those of you who don't know, this muscle group is commonly referred to as the lats and is found in the middle of your back. Yes, lat pulldowns work the triceps muscle. Even if you're a champ at pullups . Brachioradialis. Straight Arm Pulldown. The primary muscle worked during the Lat Pulldown is the Latissimus Dorsi. Reverse Grip Pulldown Muscles Worked. Arm Muscle And Tendon Anatomy Muscle groups of the higher There are alternative versions to this workout. 3. Both pull-ups and lat pull-downs work on lats and scapula muscles. Muscles Worked by the Lat Pulldown. Although the straight arm pulldown is a good work out many find it a bit complexing. Facing the machine, grab each handle on the rope attachment. Back up a few steps and raise your arms above your shoulders. Straight arm pulldown alternatives to try now. The straight-arm pulldown primarily emphasizes the latissimus dorsi (lats) and the teres minor muscle. Brachialis. Both of these muscles work to extend the arm, which is the main action in this exercise. Bend your elbows so that your hands are at eye level. . Both of these muscles work. 1 x Dumbbell. In the lat pulldown, the lats work harder if you use a wider grip. In addition, this article provides findings from relevant research discussing various grip positions of the lat pulldown exercise. Starting position. This can help alleviate joint stress some may develop utilizing other variations. Posterior Deltoid. It also changes the movement from a multi-joint exercise to a single-joint movement at the shoulders. 2 x Dumbbell. These two muscles aren't strong enough to override the lats though, so the lats still take the brunt of the work. Lock your knees under the pads to prevent your body from coming off the seat. Follow the instructions below to do the exercise; . Keep the arms straight and pull down the lat bar towards your thighs. Muscles Worked by Straight Arm Cable Pushdowns The straight arm cable pushdown is somewhat of an upper-body powerhouse. Here's how to do lat pulldowns the right way. 2) Rope Straight Arm Pulldown: The rope straight arm lat pulldown uses a rope attachment which allows a neutral grip. The Straight Arm Lat Pulldown is exactly as it sounds! Push your butt back and lean forward until your torso is set to a 35 to 45-degree angle. Your triceps will get some indirect work as well, as they also assist with extension of the arm. Alternative Exercises to Straight-Arm Lat Pulldown. The lat pulldown and straight-arm pulldown are both shoulder extension exercises, which primarily work the latissimus dorsi, which is the largest muscle in your upper body. These exercises engage similar muscles. The back is a muscle group that requires a fair amount of variation. Start with the bar at shoulder level, arms extended and parallel to the floor. To begin with Straight Arm Pulldown, you must clip a wide-grip bar to your cable machine. The lat pulldown is a different form of workout from what you may be doing today, which may assist to spice up your present routine or break through plateaus. Do several sessions that consist of 10-15 reps, with short rest periods in the range of (30-45 minutes). But it's also even more effective for improving scapular strength and stability, which is essential for effectively performing multi-joint compound movements such as deadlifts, squats, pull-ups, etc. The straight-arm pulldown is ideal for lifters who can't feel their lats working on traditional pulldown exercises. The straight-arm cable pushdown may appear to be an arm workout, but it actually strengthens several other muscles throughout your body. Age: 30. Lift your chest, pull your shoulders down and back, and brace your abs tight. Loop Bands. Bend your torso forward at the waist by around 30-degrees with your arms fully extended in front of you and a slight bend at the elbows. You will be standing for this variation and your hips will be pushed . You should feel a stretch in your lats, especially under your armpits. Straight-arm pulldowns engage your core, while lat pulldowns activate your trapezius and biceps. Wide-Grip Lat Pull-Down Muscle Worked: Lats, Biceps One of the main exercises with this equipment. Try programming them into your training after the standard Lat . The muscle spans from your lower back to the middle of your spine and out to your shoulder, where it attaches. . Muscles worked: Although they target many of the same musclesparticularly the latsthese two upper-body exercises target secondary muscles slightly differently. . While the lat pulldown does work the lats to a significant degree ( 2 ), the lats work through a shorter range of motion when compared to the straight arm pulldown. In contrast, the lat pulldown engages the infraspinatus, biceps, and trapezius muscles. Straight-arm lat pull-down (standing cable pullover) is a good exercise for the middle back, but it does not allow you to load up with much weight, because the cable would pull you upward.Even so, it works the latissimus dorsi from a different angle than conventional machines.In contrast to other lat exercises, the biceps is hardly involved while the . Slowly lower your arms back to the starting position . The straight-arm pulldown is a single-joint isolation movement that specifically targets your lats, and the flat bench is the cable equivalent of the dumbbell pullover. A traditional pulldown is performed while seated while with a straight arm pulldown workout you typically go into a standing position. How to do Close Grip Front Lat Pulldown. Start with your arms stretched straight above you, your back straight, and your chest out. Change your torso angle for variation. Repeat the rope straight arm pulldown a few times to get the desired benefits. Sit on a lat-pulldown machine and have a straight-bar attachment positioned at the top. Adjust the thigh pad to rest atop your legs and plant your feet on the floor. To perform, take the initial position, grasp the handle with a wide grip and slightly tilt the body back. How To Do A Wide Grip Lat Pulldown. Sit up straight, and grip the bar with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders. Health Conditions. Muscles Worked in the Straight-Arm Pulldown. 2. R ecommendation: You should aim to complete 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps of the straight arm lat pulldown. Your lower back is in a slight hollow position, your abdominal muscles are tense and your gaze is straight forward. Differentiate various grip positions of the lat pulldown. Exhale and draw the bar down to your thighs. Choose your sets and repetitions based on your ability to maintain good technique throughout all sets and repetitions. It is performed by bringing the arms from an upward to the downward direction, which helps in strengthening your lats and broadens your posterior deltoid muscle thereby giving you a perfect V-taper. Because it creates an intense lat stretch in the upper (starting) position, the straight arm lat pulldown can be beneficial to beginning exercises to improve shoulder and back mobility. For a longer range of motion and better muscle contact, you could try to lean slightly forward and bend your knees. Step backwards two feet or so. Lean forward a bit and inhale deeply. Greater range of motion than standard pulldowns. August 21, 2022 by Sandra Hearth. This exercise will train major muscles in your upper back latissimus dorsi or lats, trapezius, and rhomboid muscles in your mid/upper back as well as your triceps. Attach a wide-grip bar or lat bar to one of the higher points on the cable machine. Straight-arm lat pulldown This version isolates the lats much more than the other versions. That thought process led to a fairly simple exercise known as the straight-arm pulldown, a movement that should not be a cornerstone of your workout Grab the bar with an overhand grip and your hands 1.5-2x shoulder-width. Straight-Arm Pulldown Instructions You will start by grabbing the wide bar from the top pulley of a pulldown machine and using a wider than shoulder-width pronated (palms down) grip. Tips Squeeze your lats at the bottom of the movement, and squeeze your chest muscles at the top. Once you reach the bottom, pause for a few seconds. Muscles Worked by the Straight-Arm Pulldown The straight-arm pulldown primarily emphasizes the latissimus dorsi (lats) and the teres minor muscle. Pulldowns are commonly known as "lat pulldowns" because the exercise targets the latissimus dorsi muscles, or lats, at the sides of your back and below your shoulders. b) Pause briefly at the bottom of the rep, squeeze your lats hard, and slowly return to the starting position. Keep the knee pads suitably placed for your height. The straight-arm pulldown exercise targets the latissimus dorsi muscles in the back. straight-arm pulldown is a exercise machine exercise that primarily targets the lats. The straight-arm pulldown is one of the best lat-targeting exercises available. Keep your grip style the same (hands down; pronated), but vary the width-narrower or wider. Grasp the bar with an overhand (pronated, palms facing down) grip with the elbow slightly bent. Understand the movement requirements, joint actions, and involved musculature of the lat pulldown exercise. While the exercise will primarily target the lats, you will also notice a fair amount of bicep and middle back activation. Press the bar down on the almost straight arms towards the thighs and exhale while doing so. The straight arm lat pulldown is an exercise that isolates the work to your lats and other muscles that pull your upper arm closer to your body. . Allows you to train high-quality broad back muscles. It also works the: Grip; Forearms; Biceps; Delts; Core; Upper Back; Lower Back; . Featured. Ensure that the pulley is situated at one of the highest positions on the cable machine. The cable straight arm pulldown is an isolation exercise used for building muscle and strength in the Latissiumus Dorsi (Lats) muscles. Do it after your workout. These muscles are involved in a variety of shoulder and shoulder-blade movements. This will be your starting position. Maintain a distance from the cable machine. The straight arm pulldown and it's many variations is the perfect activation drill to teach athletes how to achieve and maintain proper tension through the shoulders, core and pelvis, and really acts as a catch all stability primer before big compound movements like the deadlift. Pause in that position and squeeze your lats. The only straight-arm pulldown equipment that you really need is the following: cable machine. 1. Keeping your arms straight, extend the shoulder to pull the rope down to your thighs. The most dedicated trainees are always looking for exercises to target muscles from different angles and to reach parts of the muscles that they think are not being trained well. The lat pulldown is a multi-joint exercise that targets many back, shoulder, and arm muscles. 1. Perform the straight-arm pulldown by standing in front of a cable pulley machine and lowering the cable attachment with a slight bend in your arms. Target Muscles. Grab the pulldown bar with an overhand grip and sit on the bench facing the cable machine. Additional Lat Pulldown muscles worked include, Biceps Brachii. The pull-ups mimic the lat pulldown exercise movement. What muscles does straight arm lat pulldown work? 2 x Kettlebell. Weight level: The lat pulldown helps you lift more weights than the straight arm pulldown because it uses your biceps and traps. Straight arm lat pulldown and lat pulldown work the lat muscles and posterior deltoid, triceps, and teres major muscle groups. Begin by setting your straight bar or lat bar attachment to shoulder height. Bodyweight. Inhale and release back up to the starting position for one complete repetition. Keep this in mind when putting either exercise in your training plan. The pull-ups also engage the core and stabilizing muscles in addition. Adjust your hands, so they're just outside of shoulder-width with a slight bend in your elbows. Obviously, the anatomy of the lats and the triceps is set in stone. Straight Arm Cable Pushdowns Worked Muscles. This isolation movement targets the back. c) Maintain tightness in your core and repeat! The handgrips in pull-up exercise are wide, similar to the lat pulldown machine handle, making it a better wide grip lat pulldown home alternative. The straight arm pulldown mainly hits the lats and then secondary it works the shoulders, abs, upper back, and biceps. Straight Arm Pulldowns isolate the lats by taking away any effect from the biceps. Try to tighten your fists around the bar as much as you can.. 2. Stand in front of the pulley machine with your feet shoulder width apart. What is a Straight Arm Pulldown? A straight arm pulldown is a variation of the classic lat pulldown and is one of the best exercises for your back. It is also an alternative exercise to lat pull down. These muscles are important for . The lat pulldown and straight-arm pulldown are both shoulder extension exercises, which primarily work the latissimus dorsi, which is the largest muscle in The lat pulldown engages more muscles than the straight-arm pulldown. Unsurprisingly the exercise mainly targets the lats. Lean forward from the hip, keeping your back straight, with your arms extended up in front of you. Common mistakes Engage your lats and lower your arms, keeping them straight, until the weight is behind and slightly below your head. Lat Pulldown Muscles Worked. 4. Grip and Torso Angle Do the straight-arm pulldown with a palms-down grip on the bar. If possible, adjust the height of the seat to allow sufficient muscle tension at the top. Both double-arm and single-pulldowns focus on the lats. Now, engage your chest muscles to raise your arms back up to the starting position. The primary muscles used include: Latissimus Dorsi; Teres Major; As mentioned above . Retract your shoulder blades and pull down through your elbows so the bar is lowering down in a straight line until the bar reaches your upper chest Squeeze your lats at the bottom of the movement Slowly return the bar to the starting position Repeat for desired repetitions With slow control, reach your arms up until you reach full extension above your head. Breast Cancer; IBD ; Migraine; Multiple Sclerosis (MS) The straight arm pushdown is an isolation exercise. Although the straight-arm pulldown primarily activates the latissimus dorsi muscles on the sides of your back, it also works the posterior deltoids, triceps, rhomboids, and teres major muscles in your upper arms. Expert Answers: The straight-arm pulldown, also called the straight-arm lat pulldown, is an isolation exercise that targets the muscle groups in your upper back, shoulders, Trending; Popular; . Straight arm pulldown or straight arm lat pulldown is an effective isolation exercise that involves shoulder extension movement for training the lats. 2. In particular, the rope straight arm lat pull down is used to work the lats by mimicking a pullover movement pattern. . . Grab the bar with an overhand grip. a) Keeping your arms straight, squeeze your lats to bring the bar down to your thighs. Though these workouts are in essence the same, they work the muscles from a slightly different angle. Handle Bands. Bend your knees slightly, keeping your head straight and lower back in a natural arch. Unlike the previously mentioned lat pulldown, the straight arm . Grab the bar with an overhand, shoulder-width grip. In addition to helping strengthen the back, the exercise secondarily works the triceps and shoulders. However, the straight arm pulldown also recruits abs muscles (rectus abdominis and external obliques). The straight-arm pulldown, also called the straight-arm lat pulldown, is an isolation exercise that targets the muscle groups in your upper back, shoulders, and arms. Keeping the arms straight prevents the mid-back and biceps from taking over the movement, so you can focus on the lat muscles you're trying to work more directly. The straight arm lat pull down is a variation of the lat pull down and an exercise used to build the muscles of the back. Standing, facing the high pulley cable machine, with your knees slightly bent, your torso bending over, back straight and your chest bulged. A straight arm pulldown isolates and works your latissimus dorsi muscles, commonly know as the lats. 3. You guys have seen it, the straight arm pulldown, some people say it's great for back, others say it's a waste of energy and time, others use it as a finishing movement on back day! Stand a couple feet back from the pulley with your feet staggered and take the rope with both hands. Grab the handle with an overhand grip. You will feel your lats getting a good stretch, then as you go through the rep you hinge your at your hips and have back pretty much straight up while keeping your knees bent and only moving your hips forward as little as possible sort if like you are starting to sit down but just staying there as you reach full contraction. Suspension (TRX) 2. Primarily, the straight arm push down targets the lats by isolating them. Muscles Worked During A Straight Arm Pulldown. Then you let the rod slowly and controlled back to the starting position at the level of your chest by pulling the cable. Are straight-arm pulldowns necessary? Learning Objectives: 1. In the case of the straight arm pulldown, the idea is to isolate the latissimus dorsi - the biggest and most powerful muscle group of the back. Target Muscle The target of the straight-arm cable pull down is. Extend your arms over the head to hold the bar, with your palms facing forward and the hands spaced out 3-5 inches apart, which is smaller than the shoulder width. The rope straight arm lat pull down utilizes a rope attachment to provide the trainee a more neutral hand positioning. Originally Posted by ricardogonz01. This helps to reduce the stress on your wrists, elbows, and shoulders if this is an issue for you. Step back and straighten your arms. You'll be hitting nearly every upper-body muscle in some way or another, including: Lats (upper back) Abs (specifically to hold good posture) Biceps Deltoids(shoulders) Upper back and middle back muscles Pectorals (chest) Triceps Rep Power: 271. Specifically, pulldowns work the long head of the triceps brachii because, like the latissimus dorsi, the long head of the triceps performs shoulder extension (bringing your arm toward your body). Straight-Arm Lat Pull-Down Exercise Guide.