Strength Training · Bodybuilding
Rope Straight-Arm Pulldown
The rope straight-arm pulldown trains the muscles along the sides of your back by sweeping a high cable toward your thighs with nearly straight arms.
- Beginner
- Isolation
- Low injury risk
- Rest 1 min
How to do it
- Attach the rope to the cable column’s highest pulley setting.
- Grip one rope end in each hand with your palms facing each other.
- Step back until the cable is taut with your arms reaching diagonally overhead.
- Hinge slightly forward at your hips with your feet about hip-width apart.
- Soften your elbows into a slight bend.
- Sweep the rope downward in an arc toward the outside of your thighs.
- Slowly return your arms to the starting position.
Form cues
- Keep your ribs over your pelvis.
- Keep your neck long.
- Exhale as you pull.
Common mistakes
- Turning it into a triceps pressKeep the same elbow angle throughout rather than bending and straightening your elbows.
- Rocking your torsoReduce the weight until your torso stays at the same angle throughout the rep.
- Pulling behind your bodyEnd the pull when your hands reach your thighs instead of driving your arms farther backward.
Safety
Too much weight or a forced overhead reach can strain your shoulders. Arching your lower back to move the cable can also irritate it.
- Check that the rope attachment is securely clipped in before starting.
- Use only an overhead range you can reach comfortably without pain.
- End the set when you can no longer control the return.
- Step toward the pulley until the weight stack rests before releasing the rope.
If you have shoulder or lower-back pain, use a lighter load and shorter range, or ask a physiotherapist for guidance before continuing.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
Secondary muscles
Equipment
- Cable Column
- Cable Rope Attachment
Sets and reps
- Sets
- 2–3
- Target
- 10–15 reps
- Rest
- 1 min
Choose a weight that leaves you able to perform about two more controlled reps at the end of each set.