Cable One Arm Pulldown
Description
The cable one-arm pulldown is a unilateral lat exercise performed at a high cable pulley with a single D-handle, pulling down with one arm at a time. The single-arm version allows a longer range of motion than two-handed pulldowns and exposes left-right imbalances in the lats.
Muscle Group
Equipment Required
Cable One Arm Pulldown Instructions
- Attach a D-handle to a high cable pulley. Sit or kneel below the pulley.
- Reach up with one hand and grip the handle. Use your free hand for balance or place it on your hip.
- Sit tall with chest up. Brace your core. Pull your shoulder blades down and back.
- Pull the handle down toward your shoulder by driving your elbow down and back.
- Continue until the handle is at shoulder height. Squeeze your lat hard at the bottom.
- Slowly let the handle travel back up to a full stretch overhead.
- Complete all reps on one side, then switch.
- The longer range of motion is the key advantage — let the lat fully stretch at the top.
Cable One Arm Pulldown Form & Visual
Cable One Arm Pulldown Benefits
- Trains each lat independently
- Longer range of motion than two-handed pulldowns
- Exposes and corrects left-right lat imbalances
- Easier to feel the target muscle
- Easy to load progressively
- Builds lat width effectively
Cable One Arm Pulldown Muscles Worked
- Latissimus dorsi
- Teres major
- Trapezius (middle and lower)
- Rhomboids
- Biceps brachii
- Core (anti-rotation)
Cable One Arm Pulldown Variations & Alternatives
- Cable Bar Lateral Pulldown
- Cable One-Arm Lat Pulldown
- Cable Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown
- Cable Kneeling One-Arm Lat Pulldown
- Half-Kneeling One-Arm Pulldown
