Liftworthy
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Liftworthy

Every exercise ranked by research, by lifters and by results. Find what’s S-tier for your goal, then train it.

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Straight-Arm Pulldown

Also called Lat prayer

CableIsolationEasy to learn
Front
Back
Primary Secondary

Works

Upper back & lats

Also triceps

You need

Cable station

Also works on the lat pulldown

How to do itPictures · 3 steps
1Start
2Bottom
Main musclesAlso working
  1. 1Hinge slightly, arms nearly straight
  2. 2Sweep the bar from eye level to your thighs
  3. 3Feel the lats, not the triceps

Most common mistake

Bending the elbows into a triceps pushdown.

Watch a demo

Good for

  • Ranked #2 for swimming
  • Easy on the joints and recovery
  • Carries straight over to swimming

Compare with

vs Seated Cable Rowvs Pull-Upvs Lat Pulldown
A
For back
#15 of 40
See the full list →
Research
80
Scored by hand
Results
Soon
From the app
How lifters rate itBe the first
S
A
B
C
D
F
Why research scores it 80
Target tensionStrong
Loaded stretchStrong
ProgressionStrong
Low costExcellent

Straight arms take the biceps out, so the lats work through a long overhead range.

Research behind these criteria

  • Target tension: Zabaleta-Korta et al., 2021 · Kinoshita et al., 2023
  • Loaded stretch: Maeo et al., 2021 · Maeo et al., 2023 · Pedrosa et al., 2022 · Kassiano et al., 2023
  • Progression: Plotkin et al., 2022 · Pelland et al., 2026
  • Low cost: Schoenfeld et al., 2021 · Refalo et al., 2023
How scores work

Machine taken? Swap to

  • SMachine RowMachine
  • SAssisted Pull-UpMachine
  • SPlate-Loaded PulldownMachine
  • SLat PulldownCable

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