Back · Vertical pull

Lat Pulldown

The lat pulldown is a vertical pulling exercise that trains the latissimus dorsi by pulling a cable bar down to your upper chest while seated. It also works the biceps, teres major, rear delts and lower traps. It is the most accessible way to train the pull-up pattern with adjustable load — usually 3–4 sets of 8–15 reps.

Also known as: Pulldown, Cable pulldown, Wide grip lat pulldown

Muscle group: Back
Movement pattern: Vertical pull
Type: Compound
Equipment: Cable machine, Lat pulldown bar
Difficulty: Beginner

What muscles does the lat pulldown work?

Primary movers

Latissimus dorsi

Assisting muscles

Biceps brachii
Brachialis
Teres major
Rear deltoids
Lower trapezius
Rhomboids

The latissimus dorsi does two things: it pulls your upper arm down toward your side (shoulder adduction) and backward behind you (shoulder extension). The pulldown is built almost entirely around the first of those, which is why it hits the lats harder than any rowing variation.

The top of the rep matters most. With your arms fully overhead the lats are at their longest, and that stretched position is where the exercise earns its value. Cutting the range short at the top — never letting the shoulders rise — removes the most productive part of the movement.

The biceps and brachialis flex the elbow throughout and are genuinely working, not just along for the ride. For many lifters the biceps fatigue before the lats do, which is the single most common reason a pulldown fails to feel like a back exercise.

Teres major assists the lat closely enough that it is sometimes called the lat's little helper. The rear delts, rhomboids and lower traps contribute at the shoulder blade, retracting and depressing it as the bar comes down.

Grip width changes less than gym folklore suggests. Research comparing wide, medium and narrow grips finds small differences in lat activation. A wider grip biases pure shoulder adduction slightly; a narrower or neutral grip allows a longer range of motion and recruits more biceps. Both build lats. Pick the one your shoulders prefer and progress it.

How to do the lat pulldown

Setup

1
Set the thigh pad so it holds your legs down firmly. If your hips lift on heavy sets, it is too high.
2
Choose your grip width — roughly one and a half times shoulder width is a sensible default — with a full overhand grip, thumbs wrapped.
3
Stand to grab the bar, then sit down under it so you begin the set already at full stretch rather than fighting the weight into position.
4
Plant your feet flat, sit tall, and set a very slight backward lean of around 10–15 degrees. Hold that angle for the whole set.
5
Let your shoulders rise toward your ears at the top so the lats are fully lengthened before the first rep.

Execution

1
Begin the rep by pulling your shoulder blades down — think about tucking them into your back pockets — before your elbows start bending.
2
Drive your elbows down and slightly toward your ribs, aiming them at the floor rather than pulling with your hands.
3
Continue until the bar reaches your upper chest or collarbone. Stop there; pulling lower adds nothing and forces the shoulders into an awkward position.
4
Pause briefly and squeeze, keeping your chest up and your torso angle unchanged.
5
Control the bar back up over roughly two to three seconds, letting your arms straighten completely and your shoulders travel back up toward your ears.
6
Reach full stretch at the top of every rep before starting the next one.

Common lat pulldown mistakes

Leaning back to move more weight

The torso swings back as the bar comes down, turning the movement into a row. It is not a bad exercise at that point, but it is no longer the exercise you selected, and the lats get less of the adduction they came for.

The fix: Fix your lean at 10–15 degrees and keep it constant. If you cannot hold the angle, reduce the weight — this is the most common form of ego lifting on the machine.

Pulling behind the neck

Bringing the bar behind the head forces the shoulders into extreme external rotation and abduction, a position with genuine impingement risk, and offers no additional lat recruitment.

The fix: Pull to the front, to your upper chest. There is no benefit being left on the table.

Cutting the top of the rep short

Stopping with the elbows still bent and the shoulders locked down. This skips the stretched position where the lat is doing its most productive work.

The fix: Let your arms fully straighten and allow your shoulder blades to rise at the top of every rep, then re-initiate by pulling them down.

Feeling it only in the biceps

The arms fatigue long before the back. Usually caused by initiating the pull by bending the elbows rather than by depressing the shoulder blades.

The fix: Start each rep with the shoulder blades, then let the elbows follow. Try a lighter weight and a deliberate pause at the bottom. A neutral or slightly narrower grip helps some lifters find the lats.

Dropping the weight on the way up

Letting the stack yank your arms up removes the eccentric, which is a substantial share of the growth stimulus.

The fix: Take two to three seconds to return to the top on every rep. If you cannot, the weight is too heavy.

How many sets and reps?

Goal	Sets	Reps	Load	Rest
Hypertrophy	3–4	8–15	Moderate, 1–2 RIR	90 s–2 min
Strength / pull-up prep	4	5–8	Heavy, 2 RIR	2–3 min
Volume / finisher	2–3	12–20	Light	60–90 s

The lat pulldown is easy to recover from, which makes it one of the better places to add back volume when your rows and pull-ups are already taxing your grip and lower back. Two to four sets, twice a week, suits most lifters. If you are working toward your first pull-up, run heavier pulldowns in the 5–8 rep range alongside assisted pull-up work.

Lat Pulldown variations and alternatives

Assisted Pull-Up

Easier

Machine or band assistance lets you train the actual pull-up pattern with a manageable load, which transfers to unassisted pull-ups better than pulldowns do.

Pull-Up

Harder

The same movement pattern with your bodyweight moving through space. Harder to load precisely, but the standard the pulldown exists to prepare you for.

Neutral-Grip Pulldown

Alternative

Palms facing each other. Easier on the shoulders and elbows, allows a slightly longer range, and many lifters find the lats more easily in this position.

Single-Arm Cable Pulldown

Alternative

One arm at a time allows more shoulder blade movement and a greater range of motion, and stops your stronger side carrying the set.

Straight-Arm Pulldown

Alternative

An isolation movement that trains shoulder extension with the elbows locked, removing the biceps entirely. A useful pairing if your arms always give out first.

Frequently asked questions

Is the lat pulldown as good as a pull-up?

For building the lats, they are close — both train vertical pulling through a similar range, and the pulldown has the advantage of adjustable load, so you can train in whatever rep range you want and progress in small increments. Pull-ups demand more from the core and trunk and are the better choice if the pull-up itself is your goal. Most well-built programs use both.

What is the best grip width for lat pulldowns?

Around one and a half times shoulder width is a good default. Studies comparing grip widths find only small differences in lat activation, so the folklore that a very wide grip builds a wider back is not well supported. A wider grip slightly favours shoulder adduction; a narrower or neutral grip gives more range of motion and more biceps involvement. Choose what your shoulders tolerate and progress it consistently.

Are behind-the-neck lat pulldowns safe?

They are best avoided. Pulling behind the neck forces the shoulder into end-range external rotation and abduction under load, which carries impingement risk, and it offers no additional lat recruitment over pulling to the front. There is no upside worth the risk.

Why do I only feel lat pulldowns in my biceps?

Almost always because you are starting the rep by bending your elbows. Initiate instead by pulling your shoulder blades down and back, then let your elbows follow. Reducing the weight, pausing at the bottom of each rep, and trying a neutral grip all help. Some lifters also benefit from straight-arm pulldowns beforehand to pre-fatigue the lats.

How much should I be able to lat pulldown?

As a rough benchmark, an intermediate lifter can usually pull down close to their bodyweight for a set of 8. It varies widely with limb length and machine design — cable machines are not calibrated consistently, so the number on one stack does not transfer to another. Track your progress on the machine you actually use rather than comparing to anyone else.

Hercules tracks every lat pulldown you log, shows you last session's numbers before you lift, and flags when your progress stalls.

Download on Google Play

Related exercises

Back

Chin-Ups

Back

Pull-Ups

All exercises