Cable Rope Lat Prayer

Attach a rope to a cable set around shoulder height, hold it with both hands, step back, and hinge deeply at the hips until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor. Bend your knees slightly and reach your arms long in front of you so you start with your lats stretched.

Keeping your elbows nearly straight, sweep the rope down in a wide arc toward your thighs. Keep your hips back as your torso rises slightly, and squeeze your lats hard as your hands reach your thighs.

Pause briefly at your thighs, then slowly raise your arms forward and return to the deep hinge. Feel your lats lengthen as the rope travels forward, and control it instead of letting the weight pull you.

With no elbow bend, the key is feeling your lats sweep your arms down without help from your biceps. If your triceps or forearms take over, think of bringing your upper arms toward your body rather than your hands.

Bending your elbows to pull turns it into a row or pushdown and reduces lat tension. Standing all the way up and dragging the rope with your hips adds momentum, so hold the hinge and move your arms through the arc.

Exhale as you sweep down and inhale as you return your arms forward. Keep your abs braced when inhaling in the hinged position so your ribs do not flare up.

The key difference from a regular rope straight-arm pulldown is the deeper hinge, which stretches your lats further at the start. Control in the stretched position matters more than load, so use a light weight and take the full range.