Stretch long, pull deep, build a wider back.
Own the full range top to bottom. No half reps and no swinging.
Letting the bar take your arms into a full overhead stretch loads the lats at their longest, and research keeps pointing to that stretched position as prime real estate for growth. From there, driving the elbows down and back pulls the bar to your upper chest with the biceps assisting, and the controlled ride back up doubles the working time per rep. It earns its place as the width builder on the cable stack, the strict full range answer to half rep pulldown habits.
At the top, arms fully extended with your lats stretching and shoulder blades rising, at the bottom, the bar at your upper chest with elbows driven down and back. If the bar never gets above your forehead on the return, you are doing half reps.
The lats are worked hardest and grow best when loaded at length, and the overhead reach is exactly that. Rushing the top of the rep throws away the most productive part of the movement.
A slight lean, around 10 to 15 degrees, is fine and helps the bar clear your face to reach your upper chest. Rocking back and heaving means the weight is too heavy for a true full range set.
