How to Fix: If you cant do a lat pulldown with strict form then lighten up the weight! Perform this version as you would the standard-grip lat pulldown. To minimize boredom and maximize exercise adherence it may be best to perform a variety of grip positions during the lat pulldown exercise (except behind-the-neck pulldowns).
Wide grip lats pulldowns are great for targeting the upper lats. The best rep range for lat pulldowns will be anywhere from 8-15 reps. You can go higher than this if youre really focusing on time under tension and getting maximum contraction with each rep. Our website services, content, and products are for informational purposes only. To perform a lat pulldown you will get into seated position on the cable machine or lat pulldown machine then reach up to grab the bar with both hands using an overhand grip with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Teres Major: This is the larger of the teres muscles, the teres major helps with the extension and medial rotation of the humerus. Keep the volume relatively low to avoid overtraining and unnecessary muscle soreness. The method in how you incorporate lat pulldowns into your workout routine depends on a few factors including your fitness level, available equipment and training goals. Pull ups may serve as a test for overall upper body strength but it might be hard to exhaust the lats with pull ups. As such, individuals should aim to perform resistance training exercises with a neutral cervical spine posture.In addition, a behind-the-neck lat pulldown may cause greater stress to the shoulder capsule and ligaments. The results showed that the pronated grip, both close and wide activated the lats more than the supinated grips. The difference in muscle activation was in the close and medium grip the biceps showed more muscle activation. Related: Best Posterior Delt Dumbbell Exercises. See the online fitness platforms our expert handpicked. The lats tend to respond better to higher volume compared with some other large muscles.
With that said, lat pulldowns or a variation should be added to the day or days you work back and/or pulling exercises. This is not a complete list as many muscles are involved in the joint actions listed above. > Pull the bar toward your chest, by flexing your elbows while simultaneously performing shoulder adduction and scapulae retraction/depression (squeeze your shoulder blades together). While there are fewer studies investigating the lat pulldown compared to more popular exercises such as the squat or bench press, there is ample evidence describing its effectiveness for targeting many muscles of the back and arms (Lusk et al., 2010; Synder & Leech, 2009; Sperandei et al., 2009; Signorile, Zink, & Szwed, 2002). Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown: The neutral grip with your palms facing each other with allow you to lift more weight than an overhand grip as your lats will be in better biomechanical position. Keep your workouts fresh while the gains compounded by deploying a variety of lat pulldowns into your workout routine. Make sure to mix it up with some of the lat pull down variations that we covered above so that you dont get bored. Reach up and grasp the bar a little wider than shoulder width. The researchers compared three different pronated grip widths: close, medium and wide-grips (1, 1.5, and 2 times biacromial distance) using electromyographic (EMG) activity. Adjust the knee pad so your knees are bent at 90 degrees and firmly under the pad and your feet are flat on the floor. Almost anytime you walk into a gym youll see someone doing lat pulldowns but often times the form and technique is a bit off. From there, you will pull down on the bar by adducting the lats while depressing the scapulae and flexing at the elbows. This exercise is an excellent substitute for pullups or chinups if you have difficulty performing these exercises or if youre training to get there. Kinematic and electromyographic comparisons between chin-ups and lat-pull down exercises. 
This will help to increase the width at the top of the V taper.
Theres a small area in the upper center back where the traps cover and overlap the lats. When the arm is fixed overhead, the lats pull the body toward the arm in a climbing motion. Even though the grip might be similar to the V-bar lat pulldown, in this variation your arms start out to your sides at a wider angle. > Slowly return to the starting position by extending the elbows and abducting the shoulders.
This will enable you to pull more weight while your shoulders arent compromised. This means besides just working large muscles like the lats, youll also hit synergist muscles that aid the lats including the traps, teres major and rhomboids. Start by sitting as you would for the standard lat pulldown. No excuses! We consider the tried-and-true tradition lat pulldown or the wide grip lat pulldown to be the best. Provide exercise technique recommendations for fitness enthusiasts wishing to perform the lat pulldown exercise. The wide grip lat pulldown will be little more difficult to do compared with the regular lat pulldown, so remember to drop the weight a little and check your ego at the door. This doesnt mean people are doing them right!
Trapezius: Often referred to as the traps this triangular shaped muscle starts at the base of the skull and stretches down to the lower thoracic vertebrae and across to the scapula. Closed-chain exercises are physical movements in which the hands or feet are in a fixed position with an immobile surface (such as the ground or fixed anchor point) and cannot move. The primary function of the rhomboids is to assist in the movement of the scapula. Electromyographic Comparison of Standard and Modified Closed-Chain Isometric Knee Extension Exercises.
However, as already discussed the lat pulldown is an effective exercise for strengthening many muscles of the back.
The barbell glute bridge is an effective exercise to warm up, tone, and strengthen your gluteal muscles and core. You can also perform this variation while lying on your back, with the band anchored to a solid and stationary point above and behind the crown of your head.
Manual Therapy, 13(2), 148-154. We are assuming that your end goal is hypertrophy or muscle gain with the lat pulldown. As such, the researchers suggest a medium pronated-grip may be a slightly better option, but fitness enthusiasts and athletes alike should expect similar results in strength and muscle size no matter which grip they choose. on lat pulldowns and how the grip changes muscle activation was done in 2009. The version described below involves greater usage of the biceps brachii muscle (5). Slowly return the bar to overhead. Overall, this is a great lat pull down variation that offers a full range of motion and activates the entire lats. Because you wont be using any external resistance with this exercise, you need to make sure youre focusing on squeezing and contracting your lats the entire time. Last medically reviewed on February 15, 2022. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 23(8), 2204-2209. doi:10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181bb7213Sperandei, S., Barros, M., Silveira-Jnior, P., & Oliveira, C. (2009). This typically occurs when the bar is just above or touching the upper chest. How To Fix: To offset this awkwardness, set the knee pad at a height that will keep you in place when seated but is high enough to allow you to use it for leverage when sitting down. This may be due to excessive external rotation of the shoulder when performing this exercise, however more research is needed to support or refute this claim. This might be the easiest at home lat pulldown that your can do.
Also, because youre seated during the lat pulldown, you can use your hip flexors and abdominals to stabilize your body as you perform it. Sign up to get the latest on sales, new releases, killer workouts, actionable fitness content and more. Differentiate various grip positions of the lat pulldown. Body Positioning: You can change up how you position your body with different types of lat pull downs. However, both pull ups and lat pulldowns should be a part of your workout program. Whether you're working on mastering one or trying to improve or increase the pullups. There are multiple variations to this exercise that will keep it interesting and emphasize different muscles.
This means for most people you should be doing lat pulldown or a variation at least once a week for 3-4 sets. You can use the following types of grips then mix and match them to various exercises.
Make sure to squeeze at the bottom of the movement to get the most out of this motion. You can change up how you position your body with different types of lat pull downs.
How To Fix: Try placing your thumb on top of the bar rather than wrapping fully around the bar to help with the mind muscle connection.
There is confusion within the fitness industry if a wide-grip lat pulldown activates the latissimus dorsi and other muscles more so than a narrow-grip. Understand the movement requirements, joint actions, and involved musculature of the lat pulldown exercise. Many people ending up leaning back and pulling back through the elbows instead of straight down. 3. Adjust the pads so your knees are placed securely underneath. To put it simply, you should switch up the grips you use when doing lat pull downs to keep your workouts interesting while stimulating your muscles differently.
Apart from the bench press, the lat pulldown is one of the most recognized exercises in the gym. The wide grip lat pulldown is one of the favorite exercises of bodybuilders to hone in on working the upper area of the lats. The goal is to maximize pulling strength while keeping your shoulders safe from injury or impingement. Using this grip position, you will transfer more tension to your lower lats. The lat pulldown will let you work the muscles to failure while getting a higher volume of work in.
Related: The Close Grip Lat Pulldown Exercise Guide. Resistance bands are awesome for lat pulldowns because they place continuous tension on your muscles but result in less wear and tear on your joints.
You can do this exercise lying on your stomach, kneeling or standing up straight. Keep your elbows straight and focus on pulling the bar to your hips. Keep your back straight and try not to lean back.
As confidence grows, fitness enthusiasts can begin to explore a variety of grip positions. We find that the body positioning of this exercise makes it easier to really focus on squeezing and contracting the lats. Maintain good control and try not to lean back too far as you pull down.
The lats are responsible for extension, adduction, horizontal abduction, and internal rotation of the arm. Hold the bar at your mid to upper chest for 12 seconds while squeezing your shoulder blades back and down. You want your lats to be the exhausted muscles in the lat pulldown. It can and should be supplemented with other closed-chain strength training exercises such as the pull-up or chin-up.
A strong, well-built back will make you look better and feel better, resulting in more confidence all around. Then use this force to push your body down to the seat instead of having to pull the bar down to get into place.
Once the bar is just under chin level or at your chest with your elbows at your sides. However, the brachialis does provide 50% more power than the biceps in the function of elbow flexion. You should first grip the bar then sag your body and get your knees under the pads. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 27(1), 3-8.Brindle, T., Nyland, J., Ford, K., Coppola, A., & Shapiro, R. (2002).
The same or greater levels of muscle activation occurs with front-of-the-neck lat pulldowns, in addition to the body maintaining better posture and joint alignment.Behind-the-neck-pulldowns require the individual to jut their head forward to provide a clear path for the bar towards the base of the neck. The advantage of using this bar is that it allows you to pull the weight through a greater range of motion. Note: Keep your core engaged and dont arch your back. Pull ups and lat pulldowns are both great exercises in their own respect. You will be able to lift more weight when doing the V bar lat pulldown because more muscles will be activated.
While behind-the-neck pulldowns can effectively target the latissimus dorsi, the pros do not outweigh the cons. The lat pulldown is one exercise that should be in everyones arsenal if you want a bigger, stronger back and wide lats. All youll need is a towel to do this lat pulldown. For ideal posture, the hips and knees should be roughly at 90 angles with the feet flat and securely on the floor about hip-width apart.
Brian Sutton is a 20-year veteran in the health and fitness industry, working as a personal trainer, author, and content manager. You will however see other lat pulldown variations below that target slightly different muscles or the same muscles in different ways. If youre doing lat pull downs at home then you could use resistance bands or a towel (yes you read that right). The authors found numerous differences between all of the grip positions. Brachioradialis: This muscle found on the anterior of the forearm is the most superficial muscle on the radial side of the forearm. Sumo Deadlift vs Conventional: What's the Difference? Levator Scapulae: This muscle sits on the back side of the neck. Well also give you 10 of the best lat pulldown variations that you should add to your workout programming. Note: Its not possible to isolate a specific area of the lats but you can use different training variables to try to target a certain area of the lat more than the others. The Biomechanics of the Lat Pulldown: Muscles Worked, Grips, & Form, Brian Sutton, MA, MS, CSCS, NASM-CPT, CNC, CES, PES, Isometric Exercises: Examples, Benefits, and Applications, The Muscles Used in Squats - Squat Biomechanics Explained, Bench Press Targeted Muscles, Grips, and Movement Patterns, Body Types: How to Train & Diet for Your Somatotype. You need to get a full range of motion and stretch while doing the lat pulldown. Maintain full control of the weight to enable an ideal eccentric muscle contraction. The lat pull down is one of the most versatile back exercises that can be done.