How To Use The Lat Pulldown Machine | Proper Form & Exercise Technique

Lat Pulldown Technique
- Sit on the lat pulldown machine and adjust the knee pad so that there is no free space and you’re tightly seated.
- Place your feet flat on the floor, push your chest upwards and out.
- Retract your scapula, which should create an arch leaning away from the machine.
- Take hold of the bar, with your hands in a wide grip.
- When you’re in your starting position inhale and make sure your keep posture without letting your scapula loosen or your shoulders raise.
- Exhale when you begin the movement (concentric contraction); Pull through your elbows until you’re able to squeeze your lats at the bottom of the movement and your shoulder blades are together.
- Slowly raise the bar back up until your arms are extended and back in the starting position.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
The lat pulldown is one of the most badly performed moves you'll see in the gym — so it's important you get the technique right. You'll regularly see people leaning back and yanking the bar towards their chest, using their full bodyweight to start the movement. Not only does this mean you're not activating the lats (your whole reason for using this machine), but you'll also be putting extra stress on the pelvis and lower back.
To make the most of the lat pulldown, your reps should be slow and controlled. Here are some other mistakes and how you can fix them.
Pulling the bar down past your chest
Pulling the bar way past your chest and almost in line with your stomach takes almost all the tension away from the lats and back. You can avoid this by keeping your chest high and stopping when you reach your upper chest.
Using momentum
Swinging the weight backwards in an attempt to build momentum also takes all of the tension away from your back muscles — so you’re essentially not using them! Keep your chest upright and maintain a good posture. Keep as stationary as possible throughout.
Shrugging the shoulders
This is a clear sign the weight is too heavy for you. As you pull the weight down your shoulders will lurch forward like a shrug. During the movement, your shoulder blades should actually stay down, with your elbows by your side.
Lat Pulldown Plan
Try incorporating 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions of this exercise into your routine; you could also add drop-sets into your plan when using the lat pulldown resistance machine to increase the intensity!
Remember to use progressive overload; once you feel capable of performing more than 12 repetitions you should increase the weight of the exercise.
As well as this, each set should go up in weight (and more often than not, down in repetitions).
Lat Pulldown Sets | Reps & Weight |
Set #1 | 12 reps at 40kg |
Set #2 | 10-12 reps at 42.5kg |
Set #3 | 8-10 reps at 45kg |
Set #4 | 8-10 reps at 47.5kg |
The Benefits of Lat Pulldowns
The lat pulldown is a great way to strengthen the latissimus dorsi muscle, the large, flat muscles across your mid-back. As the broadest muscle in your back, it helps to promote good posture and spinal stability.
Whether you’re pulling something down from a high shelf, swinging your arms as you walk, run, or row, or even push something, you'll be using your lat muscles. So it's a great exercise to really develop your back muscles and achieve that v-taper look.
Why perform this exercise?
The lat pulldown is one accessory movement that many people overlook when trying to train back. Pull-ups are one of the best for building muscle and upper-body strength — but they can be hard to do!
The lat pulldown uses a similar movement to the pull-up, targeting your mid- and upper-back muscles, arms and grip, but you'll have much more control. Developing stronger lats will help with your squats, deadlifts and most effectively in your bench press technique.
Targeting The Lateral Muscles
The primary muscles worked are lats; while the secondary muscles are forearms, biceps, deltoids, lower and upper back, core.
Lat Pulldown Variations
1. Close Grip Lat Pulldown
A close grip means your hands will be closer than shoulder-width apart. You can choose the grip position with palms facing in or out. Embrace the core and pin the shoulders back, Pull the bar under the chin and squeeze the shoulder blades together. Return to the start of the movement keeping it fully controlled. Repeat these steps for the desired number of reps.
2. Wide Grip Lat Pulldown
With a wider grip, more of the lats will be required to work. Your grip should be wider than usual but the form and technique remain the same. Pull the bar down to your upper chest, pause for a second while you squeeze your lats. Release back to the start keeping the movement controlled.
3. Straight Arm Lat Pulldown
Attach a rope or bar to the cable. Face the cable with palms facing down. Pin your shoulders back. Bend your hips back until your torso is at a 30–45-degree angle and embrace the core. Step back and allow the tension to take stretching the lats with the bar slightly overhead. Pull the bar down to your thighs, keeping your arms straight, then slowly bring it back up. Keep the movement controlled.
4. Unilateral Lat Pulldown
This variation allows you to work one side separately. This is a great way of repairing any muscle imbalance you may have. Replacing the bar with a single handle, start with the palm facing away from the body. Turn your palm to face you as you pull the handle down, before slowly returning to the starting position. Keep the movement controlled and the core braced to avoid the body leaning into the movement, this will only reduce the workload on the muscle. Do all the reps on one arm, then switch to the other.
5. Underhand Lat Pulldown
Switch your grip on the bar so you’re holding it with your palms facing you and your hands shoulder-width apart. When you change to an underhand grip, you then utilise your biceps to help with the movement, this can aid your lats a little if they are tiring towards the end. Holding the bar with the underhand grip, pull it down to below chin, keeping your chest up throughout and your shoulders pinned back. Pause at the bottom of the movement, then take the bar back up ensuring you control the movement.
Take Home Message
Remember: by engaging the lats in hypertrophy we’re able to increase their size.
Enjoy back training!
