# Cable Lat Prayer

A straight-arm cable pulldown that starts hinged forward with the arms overhead and finishes standing with the bar at the thighs. Targets the lats through a long range of shoulder extension.

- Intermediate · Compound
- Equipment: Cable machine
- HD video: https://media.seto.fit/exercises/cable-lat-prayer/video/male.mp4
- HTML: https://seto.fit/exercises/cable-lat-prayer/

## Muscles worked

- Lats: 9/10
- Teres major: 6/10
- Triceps: 4/10
- Rear delts: 4/10
- Lower chest: 3/10

## How to do the Cable Lat Prayer

1. Face a head-height pulley holding a straight bar with an overhand grip.
2. Hinge forward until your torso is near parallel, arms reaching overhead.
3. Sweep the bar to your thighs with straight arms as you stand up.
4. Hinge back down, letting the bar return overhead under control.

### Full technique — 7 steps

1. Attach a straight bar to a pulley at about head height and face the machine.
2. Take an overhand grip about shoulder width and step back to create tension.
3. Hinge at the hips until your torso is near parallel to the floor, arms extended overhead in line with your torso.
4. Keep your elbows nearly straight and set your shoulders down away from your ears.
5. Sweep the bar down toward your thighs as you drive your hips forward and stand up.
6. Finish standing tall with the bar at your upper thighs and your lats fully shortened.
7. Hinge back down as the bar returns along the same arc until your arms are overhead again.

## Common mistakes

- Bending elbows into a pressdown
- Shrugging shoulders toward ears
- Stopping short of full overhead reach
- Standing up before the arms move
- Rounding through the lower back

## Form cues

- Move from the shoulders
- Keep elbows nearly fixed
- Pull bar to thighs
- Reach fully overhead
- Let lats stretch overhead

## How much to do

- **Strength**: 3–4 sets of 6–8 reps · rest 1 min 30 s · 2–3 reps in reserve · lower 2 s, lift 1 s, pause 1 s
- **Muscle growth** (best fit): 3–4 sets of 10–15 reps · rest 1 min 15 s · 2–3 reps in reserve · lower 2 s, lift 2 s, pause 1 s
- **Endurance** (good fit): 2–3 sets of 15–20 reps · rest 45 s · 3–4 reps in reserve · lower 2 s, lift 2 s

Reps in reserve: how many more you could still do when you end the set.

## Substitutes by equipment

Same muscles, same movement — pick the version you have the gear for.

- **Machine**: [Single Arm Machine High Row](https://seto.fit/exercises/single-arm-machine-high-row/), [Machine High Row](https://seto.fit/exercises/machine-high-row/)
- **No equipment**: [Outdoor Gym Lat Pulldown](https://seto.fit/exercises/outdoor-gym-lat-pulldown/)

## Quick answers

### What muscles does the Cable Lat Prayer work?

Primary: Lats 9/10. Also works: Teres major 6/10, Triceps 4/10, Rear delts 4/10, Lower chest 3/10.

### When should I do the Cable Lat Prayer in a workout?

Finisher. Goes last, once the heavy work is done. ≈ 6 min with rest.

### How many sets and reps of the Cable Lat Prayer?

Strength: 3–4 sets of 6–8 reps, rest 1 min 30 s, 2–3 reps in reserve. Muscle growth: 3–4 sets of 10–15 reps, rest 1 min 15 s, 2–3 reps in reserve. Endurance: 2–3 sets of 15–20 reps, rest 45 s, 3–4 reps in reserve.

### What can I do instead of the Cable Lat Prayer?

Machine: Single Arm Machine High Row, Machine High Row. No equipment: Outdoor Gym Lat Pulldown.

How we rate exercises: https://seto.fit/guides/methodology/

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