Cable Incline Pushdown

A beginner strength exercise for the lats, done with a cable.

Cable Incline Pushdown: finishing position

Main muscles: Lats
Equipment: Cable
Level: Beginner
Type: Isolation
Movement: Pull

How to do the Cable Incline Pushdown

Lie on incline an bench facing away from a high pulley machine that has a straight bar attachment on it.
Grasp the straight bar attachment overhead with a pronated (overhand; palms down) shoulder width grip and extend your arms in front of you. The bar should be around 2 inches away from your upper thighs. This will be your starting position.
Keeping the upper arms stationary, lift your arms back in a semi circle until the bar is straight over your head. Breathe in during this portion of the movement.
Slowly go back to the starting position using your lats and hold the contraction once you reach the starting position. Breathe out during the execution of this movement.
Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Sets and reps

Muscle	3–4 sets of 10–15 reps, rest 60–90 seconds
Pump or finisher	2–3 sets of 15–20 reps, rest 45–60 seconds

Log every set in MyoStats and it works out your estimated one-rep max and suggests the next weight or rep target, so you keep progressing without guessing.

Alternatives to the Cable Incline Pushdown

Questions

What muscles does the Cable Incline Pushdown work?

Mainly the lats.

Is the Cable Incline Pushdown good for beginners?

Yes. It's rated a beginner exercise: start light and learn the movement before adding weight.

What can I do instead of the Cable Incline Pushdown?

Good alternatives that train the lats: Rope Straight-Arm Pulldown, Straight-Arm Pulldown, Close-Grip Front Lat Pulldown or Kneeling High Pulley Row.

How many sets and reps of the Cable Incline Pushdown should I do?

Muscle: 3–4 sets of 10–15 reps, rest 60–90 seconds. Pump or finisher: 2–3 sets of 15–20 reps, rest 45–60 seconds.

Exercise steps and photos: free-exercise-db (public domain).