The straight-arm bar pull-down is a variation of the straight-arm lat pull-down performed using a cable stack machine. It can either be performed in an athletic upright stance, or slightly bent-over. It both stretches and contracts the muscles of the lats (latissimus dorsi) as well as providing additional activation to the other upper back muscles and the core. Because the triceps are also isometrically involved in the movement, it is usually performed for higher reps, like 8-15 reps or above.
