01
About the lat pulldown machine
You sit with your thighs under a pad and pull a bar attached to a high pulley down toward your chest. The pad stops you lifting off the seat, and the weight stack lets you adjust the load in small steps.
Equipment
Lat Pulldown Machine Exercises & Form
The lat pulldown trains the same pulling pattern as a pull-up, but lets you choose a weight lighter than your bodyweight, so it is the standard way to build back width and work toward pull-ups.
Written by the GymStreak coaching teamUpdated
- Exercises
- 2
- Beginner
- 1
- Compound
- 0
02
How to train with it
Grip the bar a little wider than your shoulders, lean back slightly and pull it to your upper chest, driving your elbows down toward your sides. Control it back up until your arms are straight. The behind-the-neck version needs good shoulder mobility and places the shoulder in an extreme position; pulling to the front is the safer default for most people.
03
Choosing exercises
Make the front pulldown your main vertical pull if you can't yet do several pull-ups. Try a close or underhand grip for variety; they train the same muscles with slightly more biceps involvement.
All lat pulldown machine exercises
BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced
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Guides from the GymStreak blog on this topic.
- Easy Steps To Master Your First Pull-upWhen you’re a beginner to the pull-ups, it can seem like there’s no middle-ground between dangling like dead meat at the butchers and then suddenly being able to bust out ten perfect reps. Thankfully, there is way that will help you build up the necessary strength to execute a full pull-up.5 min read
- Do These 3 Back Exercises for a Massive BackDespite how big the back may look or the sheer number of muscles it comprises, there are only 3 back exercises you need to absolutely blow it up.7 min read
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