Full Range-Of-Motion Lat Pulldown

What it is

This is a compound pulling exercise performed with a cable machine that targets your latissimus dorsi, or lats. It also engages your biceps, middle back, and shoulders as secondary muscles. You perform this movement by pulling handles down in an arc, focusing on a deep stretch and contraction. The full range of motion emphasizes muscle activation throughout the entire movement.

Technique tips

• Begin with crisscrossed arms and palms facing forward to set up correctly.
• Maintain a proud chest and a slight arch in your lower back.
• Focus on pulling the handles in a broad, arcing motion downward.
• Rotate your palms to face each other at the bottom of the pull.
• Control the return phase, allowing for a deep, full stretch.

How to track your progress

Log the weight and reps of each set. Straddly turns every set into an estimated one-rep max, so a heavier single and a strong set of eight both count as progress, and it flags a personal record the moment you beat your best.