Lat Pulldown

About This Exercise

A standard cable-machine vertical pull for training the lats and upper back. This generic canonical represents the normal front lat pulldown used in strength and hypertrophy programming, without forcing a specific wide, close, single-arm, or behind-neck grip variant.

1Setup

Sit at a lat pulldown station with thighs secured under the pad. Select a straight or angled pulldown bar, take a comfortable overhand grip, and set the torso tall with ribs down and shoulders relaxed away from the ears.

2Execution

Initiate by drawing the shoulder blades down, then pull the bar toward the upper chest while keeping the torso controlled. Pause briefly with elbows driving down and back, then return the bar overhead under control until the arms are extended and the lats are lengthened. Avoid leaning far back or turning the movement into a row.

Pro Tips

• Pull the elbows down, not just the hands
• Keep the chest tall without turning the movement into a heavy lean-back row
• Use a grip that lets the shoulders move smoothly; specific grip variants can be programmed separately when needed
• Control the return so the lats stay loaded through the full range