Exercise Guide

Lat Pulldown

The vertical pull everyone starts with. A bar pulled to the chest against a stack, with the load dialled to whatever you can actually do for reps.

BeginnerStrengthPullCompound
Form
Lat Pulldown - Start position
Start
Lat Pulldown - Mid position
Mid
Lat Pulldown - End position
End

Illustrations by Bryl Lim for Workout Guide, after Everkinetic. Used unchanged under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Details

Primary Muscle

Lats

Equipment

Cable

Difficulty

Beginner

Category

Strength

Force

Pull

Mechanic

Compound

Secondary Muscles

BicepsMiddle Back
How to Perform
  1. 1

    Set the thigh pad so your legs are held down and take a grip slightly wider than your shoulders.

  2. 2

    Sit down and let your arms extend fully, feeling your shoulder blades rise.

  3. 3

    Pull the bar down to your upper chest, driving your elbows down and back.

  4. 4

    Let the bar rise under control until your arms are straight again.

Tips
  • ★Pull to the chest in front, never behind the neck.
  • ★Lean back slightly and hold that angle rather than rocking to move the stack.
Explore by Muscle
LatsBicepsMiddle Back