Band Straight Arm Pulldown

How to do it

1. Anchor a long resistance band high, above head height, to a rack or door anchor.
2. Hold one end of the loop in each hand, palms down, and step back until the band is taut with your arms raised in front.
3. Hinge slightly at the hips, knees soft, and lock the elbows almost straight.
4. Sweep the hands down in an arc until they reach your thighs.
5. Return slowly along the same arc until the arms are at about head height.

Tips

• Keep the arms long and move only at the shoulders so the lats do the work.
• Pull the shoulders down away from the ears before each rep.

Common mistakes

• Bending the elbows and turning it into a pressdown.
• Letting the band snap the arms back up.
• Rounding forward to push the hands down with the torso.

Muscles worked by the Band Straight Arm Pulldown

• Lats (upper) Primary30%
• Lats (lower) Primary26%
• Triceps (long head) Secondary12%
• Rear delts Secondary8%
• Lower chest Minor6%
• Lower traps Minor6%
• Upper abs Stabilizer4%
• Rhomboids Stabilizer4%
• Rotator cuff Stabilizer4%

Share per muscle in the Zulta muscle model. The model spreads the load of one rep over 40 muscles, based on EMG and biomechanics research.

With the elbows locked, shoulder extension isolates the lats and the long head of the triceps; lying pullovers bring the sternal pec in strongly.

Band Straight Arm Pulldown alternatives

Different equipment

• Cable Lat PulloverCable
• Kneeling Cable PulloverCable
• Lat PrayerCable
• Machine Lat PulloverMachine
• Straight Arm PulldownCable
• Straight Arm Pulldown (Rope)Cable

Make it harder

• Lat PrayerCable
• Barbell Pull OverBarbell
• Dumbbell Lat PulloverDumbbell
• Dumbbell PulloverDumbbell

Frequently asked questions

What muscles does the Band Straight Arm Pulldown work?

Mainly the lats (upper) and lats (lower). The triceps (long head) and rear delts assist.

Is the Band Straight Arm Pulldown good for beginners?

Yes. The Band Straight Arm Pulldown is rated beginner in the Zulta library: the technique is easy to learn with a light weight.

What is a good alternative to the Band Straight Arm Pulldown?

For example the Cable Lat Pullover, Kneeling Cable Pullover and Lat Prayer. They train mostly the same muscles, some with different equipment.

How do you make the Band Straight Arm Pulldown harder?

Add weight or reps, or move on to the Lat Prayer and Barbell Pull Over.

Sources

• Marchetti and Uchida 2011, J Appl Biomech 27(4):380-384 (pullover, pec and lats)

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