Exercises / Lat Pulldown

Lat Pulldown

Also known as: Lat pull-down, Wide-grip pulldown, Cable pulldown

A seated cable pulldown to the upper chest. The elbows drive to the ribs while the torso stays mostly upright.

Primary muscles
Back (latissimus dorsi)
Secondary muscles
Biceps (biceps brachii), Shoulders (posterior deltoid)
Equipment
Cable (lat pulldown station, thigh pads, straight bar)
Pattern
Vertical Pull
Difficulty
Beginner
Line diagram of a Lat Pulldown.
Diagram: Fytniz. License: original-placeholder (Fytniz).

Stills

Rear view of a seated wide-grip lat pulldown in mid-range.
Amer-Lat-Pulldown.jpg by Abooyeah, CC BY-SA 4.0. Via Wikimedia Commons. Share-alike. License: CC BY-SA (share-alike). Source.

Cues

  1. Sit tall, pin the thighs under the pads, and take a pronated grip slightly wider than the shoulders.
  2. Start the pull by setting the shoulder blades down, then drive the elbows toward the ribs.
  3. Bring the bar to the upper chest; do not pull it behind the neck.
  4. Keep the torso mostly upright; a slight lean is fine, a full swing is not.
  5. Let the bar rise under control until the lats stretch at the top.

Common mistakes

  • Yanking the torso backward so the stack moves from hip drive, not the lats.
  • Pulling the bar behind the neck.
  • Shrugging the shoulders up around the ears at the bottom of the pull.

Safety

  • Do not pull the bar behind the neck.
  • Use a load you can return to the stretch without a swing.