Exercise guide · Back
Cable Pullover
The cable pullover from a high pulley targets the lats with a long arc of motion. Standing facing the stack, you pull the attachment from overhead down toward your thighs while keeping your ribs down and elbows softly bent.
- Targets: Lats
- Equipment: Cable
- Type: Isolation
Step by step
How to do the Cable Pullover
- Attach a straight bar or rope to a high pulley and select a weight you can control through the full arc.
- Stand facing the stack, grasp the attachment with both hands overhead, arms extended with a soft bend in your elbows.
- Brace your core and keep your ribs down as you pull the attachment in a long arc down toward your thighs.
- Squeeze your lats at the bottom of the movement—feel the pull through your back, not your triceps.
- Return the attachment overhead along the same arc with controlled tempo—do not let the stack yank your arms back.
Form cues
- Maintain a constant soft bend in your elbows
- Pull with your lats, not a triceps pressdown
- Use a long arc from overhead to thighs
- Keep your ribs down throughout
Common mistakes
- Bending elbows sharply into a triceps pressdown
- Shrugging shoulders up toward your ears
- Arching the back and swinging the torso for momentum
- Going too heavy and cutting the range of motion short
Muscles worked
Primary
Lats
Secondary
Chest and Triceps
Safety: Start light and reduce the weight if your elbows or shoulders take over instead of your lats.
Alternatives
