Back · Cable machine

Cable Standing Lat Pulldown

The cable standing lat pulldown is an isolation exercise designed to target the latissimus dorsi through shoulder extension with minimal biceps involvement. It fits best toward the end of a back workout as a metabolic finisher or at the beginning as a potent pre-exhaust movement.

Muscles: Back
Equipment: Cable machine
Type: Strength
Animation: Men

How to do it

Stand facing a cable machine with a straight bar attachment set at the highest position.
Grab the bar with an overhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart.
Keep a slight bend in your knees and hinge slightly at the hips.
Pull the bar down towards your thighs in an arc motion, keeping your arms relatively straight.
Return to the starting position with control.

Common mistakes

Bending the elbows excessively turns the movement into a triceps pressdown and takes tension off the lats.
Swinging the torso to generate momentum shifts the work to the lower back and reduces lat recruitment.
Allowing the shoulders to shrug up toward the ears at the top disengages the back muscles and places stress on the shoulder joints.

Tips

Focus on driving your elbows down toward your hips in an arc rather than pushing down with your hands.
Maintain a steady forward hinge at the hips with your core braced to stabilize the torso throughout each rep.
Pause for a full second when the bar touches your thighs to maximize peak contraction in the lats.

Sets and reps

For hypertrophy and local muscular endurance, perform 3–4 sets of 10–15 repetitions with 60–90 seconds of rest between sets.

Muscles worked

Your coach guides every set

Turn on the coach in Gloox: it asks how you feel, picks the weight from your history and cues technique and rest. Rate each set and the next one is tuned to you.

App Store Google Play RuStore

On a computer? Point your phone's camera here to get the app.

Questions

Can a rope attachment be used instead of a straight bar?

Yes, using a rope allows you to pull past your hips at the bottom, achieving a slightly longer range of motion and a deeper contraction.

How does this exercise differ from a standard seated lat pulldown?

Because the elbows remain relatively straight, this movement removes the biceps from the movement pattern and isolates the lats as the primary mover.

Similar exercises

All back exercises →