Cable Lat Pulldown
Vertical pull, cable, lats
The cable lat pulldown pulls a long bar from a high pulley down to the upper chest while you sit with the thighs under a pad. It trains the lats, with the biceps and upper back helping. It suits anyone building toward pull ups and anyone who wants back work they can load in small steps.
Setting up
- Attach a long bar to the high pulley and set the thigh pad so the legs are held firmly.
- Grip the bar overhand with the hands wider than the shoulders.
- Sit down with the arms straight overhead and the chest up.
- Start with a weight you can pull ten times without leaning back.
How to do a cable lat pulldown
- Pull the shoulders down away from the ears.
- Drive the elbows down toward the ribs and bring the bar to the upper chest.
- Keep the chest up and lean back only slightly.
- Let the bar rise slowly until the arms are straight overhead.
Breathing. Breathe out as you pull down and breathe in as the bar rises.
Muscles worked
- Mainly
- Lats
- Also
- Biceps and upper back
Common mistakes
- Leaning far back to pull. Then the body swings the weight, so sit nearly upright and choose a lighter load.
- Pulling the bar behind the neck. The front of the chest is where the lats pull best, so bring the bar there.
- Letting the bar fly up. Control on the way up is half the work, so let the arms straighten slowly.
Easier and harder
- Easier
- Band Lat Pulldown
- Harder
- Pull-Up, Wide-Grip Pull-Up
Guide
Guide
