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Exercises / Compound Beginner

Exercise demo

Lat pulldown

The lat pulldown is the easiest way to build pulling strength when pull-ups are still out of reach. For most lifters past 40, it is also the safest. The bar moves, the joints do not have to hold the body up.

Primary muscle

Lats

Equipment

Machine

Force

Pull

Mechanics

Compound

Setup

Sit at the lat pulldown station. Adjust the thigh pad so it pins your legs down with the feet flat on the floor. Reach up and grab the bar with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width. Lean back to roughly 80 degrees and set the chest tall.

How to do it

  1. 1

    Set the shoulders

    Before the first pull, pull the shoulder blades down toward the hips. The shoulders should feel locked into the back, not riding up by the ears.

  2. 2

    Pull to the upper chest

    Drive the elbows down and slightly behind the body. The bar should travel down to roughly the collarbones, not the belly button. Elbows lead.

  3. 3

    Pause and squeeze

    Hold the bottom position for a one-count. Feel the lats and mid-back contract together.

  4. 4

    Return under control

    Take three seconds to let the bar travel back up. Resist; do not let the stack pull you out of position. Stop before the shoulders shrug up at the top.

Common mistakes

  • • Pulling behind the neck, which pinches the rotator cuff for no extra benefit.
  • • Leaning back too far, which turns the lift into a high row.
  • • Pulling with the biceps first, with the hands leading and the elbows trailing.
  • • Letting the shoulders ride up at the top of the rep and disconnecting the lats.
  • • Using too wide a grip, which limits the range of motion.

Variations

Neutral-grip lat pulldown

Palms facing each other, often most comfortable for older shoulders. Slightly more biceps activation, slightly less direct lat work, but the joint feedback usually wins.

Single-arm cable pulldown

One arm at a time. Forces each lat to do its own work and surfaces side-to-side imbalances.

Assisted pull-up

The eventual goal. Once you can pulldown your bodyweight for 8 strict reps, start banded pull-ups.

FAQ

Wide grip or narrow grip? +
Slightly wider than shoulder-width is the safe default. Very wide grips limit how far the bar can travel, very narrow grips load the biceps more than the lats. If your shoulders prefer a neutral grip, use that.
Should the bar touch my chest? +
Aim for the collarbone level on every rep. If the bar only comes to chin height, the weight is too heavy. If it comes past the chest, you are likely leaning back too far.
How many sets and reps? +
Three or four sets of 8 to 12 reps. Stop one rep short of failure. Two sessions a week, paired with a horizontal row, builds a complete back.
When can I move to pull-ups? +
When you can pull down your bodyweight for 8 clean reps, start banded pull-ups. From there, drop band thickness every 4 to 6 weeks until you can manage one or two strict reps unassisted.

Free tool

Work out your one rep max for lat pulldown

Plug in your last working set, get an estimated 1RM and the load for every percentage from 60 to 100. Three formulas, one answer.

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Track lat pulldown in STRNTH

STRNTH logs every set, applies progressive overload automatically and schedules deload weeks before fatigue catches up with you. Free to download.

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