Primary Goal
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When to use it
Use the Lat Pulldown during general strength sessions to develop bilateral vertical pulling strength, shoulder control, and overall upper-body capacity.
It provides a scalable alternative to pull-ups, allowing resistance to be adjusted independently of bodyweight. This makes it useful for developing pulling strength, managing training intensity, or adding controlled accessory volume alongside climbing.
Include it as a primary strength exercise or as accessory work, depending on the athlete’s goals and overall training load.
Starting Position
- Adjust the seat and thigh support of the lat pulldown machine to maintain a stable position.
- Grip the pulldown bar with both hands, approximately shoulder-width to slightly wider, using a comfortable pronated grip.
- Sit upright with both feet firmly supported and the thighs secured beneath the pads.
- Extend both arms overhead, allowing the scapulae to upwardly rotate and elevate naturally.
- Keep the rib cage stacked over the pelvis, with a gentle trunk brace.
- Maintain a comfortable shoulder position without forcibly depressing or retracting the scapulae.
Execution
- Initiate the movement by driving both elbows downward toward the sides of the torso.
- Allow the scapulae to move naturally as the upper arms lower, coordinating shoulder adduction and extension with scapular movement.
- Pull the bar toward the upper chest while maintaining a comfortable shoulder and elbow trajectory.
- Keep the torso relatively stable, allowing only a small, controlled backward lean if needed.
- Briefly control the bottom position without forcing the shoulders into excessive depression or retraction.
- Return the bar slowly overhead, allowing the scapulae to upwardly rotate and elevate as the arms extend.
- Repeat for the prescribed number of repetitions without using momentum.
Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown
The neutral-grip variation uses a parallel-grip attachment, allowing the palms to face each other. It provides an alternative hand and shoulder position while maintaining the same vertical pulling objective.
- Setup: Attach a parallel-grip handle to the high pulley and adjust the seat and thigh support.
- Starting position: Hold the handles with both palms facing inward and the arms extended overhead.
- Pull: Drive the elbows downward toward the torso, bringing the handle toward the upper chest.
- Shoulder control: Allow natural scapular movement without forcing excessive depression or retraction.
- Return: Extend the arms slowly overhead, maintaining control of the weight stack.
- Loading: Use the standard sets-and-repetitions prescription, adjusting resistance to achieve the intended RPE.
Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown
The wide-grip variation uses a pronated grip positioned farther apart than the standard setup. It changes the shoulder and elbow trajectory and generally reduces the available range of motion. An extremely wide grip is not necessary for effective latissimus dorsi training.
- Setup: Select a moderately wide grip on the pulldown bar, avoiding an unnecessarily extreme hand position.
- Starting position: Extend both arms overhead while maintaining a stable trunk and comfortable shoulder alignment.
- Pull: Drive the elbows downward and slightly outward, bringing the bar toward the upper chest.
- Range: Use the available comfortable range without forcing the elbows excessively behind the torso.
- Return: Allow controlled overhead arm extension and natural scapular upward rotation.
- Loading: Adjust resistance independently of the standard variation, as grip width may affect the load that can be handled.
Bilateral Lever-Machine Lat Pulldown
A plate-loaded or selectorized lat pulldown machine with rigid lever arms provides a guided bilateral pulling movement. Some machines use independent arms, while others link both handles together.
- Setup: Adjust the seat and available thigh or chest supports to maintain a stable position.
- Starting position: Grip both handles with the arms extended overhead, allowing a comfortable shoulder position.
- Pull: Drive both elbows downward, following the machine’s guided movement path.
- Scapular movement: Allow coordinated shoulder and scapular motion without forcing excessive depression or retraction.
- Return: Control the levers as the arms extend overhead, avoiding abrupt movement.
- Loading: Use the standard sets-and-repetitions prescription, but select resistance according to the machine’s leverage and the intended effort.
Dosage
General strength development
- Sets: 2–5
- Repetitions: 5–12
- Intensity: Medium–High; approximately RPE 7–8 (2–3 repetitions in reserve)
- Rest: 90–180 seconds between sets
- Execution: Controlled pulling phase and approximately 2–3 seconds of lowering
Suggested starting prescription: 3 × 8 repetitions, resting 120 seconds between sets.
Loading: Choose resistance that allows all repetitions with approximately 2–3 repetitions in reserve (RPE 7–8). Begin with a manageable load and increase resistance gradually when the upper end of the repetition range can be completed with consistent technique.
For familiarization or lighter accessory work, use approximately RPE 5–6. Heavier strength-focused sets may reach RPE 8–9 when appropriate, provided movement quality remains consistent.
Important
- Adjust the seat and thigh support to prevent the body from rising during the pull.
- Avoid excessive backward leaning or swinging the torso to move heavier loads.
- Allow natural scapular upward rotation and elevation during the overhead return rather than holding the shoulders forcibly depressed.
- Do not pull the bar behind the neck or force the shoulders into an uncomfortable position.
- Use a comfortable grip width; excessively wide grips are not required to develop the latissimus dorsi.
- Keep the eccentric phase controlled, preventing the weight stack or levers from pulling the arms abruptly overhead.
- Adjust resistance separately for cable and lever-machine variations because their loading mechanics differ.
- Account for accumulated finger-flexor and upper-body fatigue when combining pulldowns with demanding climbing or finger-strength sessions.
Expected effects
- Increased bilateral vertical pulling strength.
- Improved strength of the latissimus dorsi and elbow flexors.
- Improved coordination of scapular movement during loaded shoulder adduction and extension.
- Greater upper-body pulling capacity through adjustable external resistance.
- Complementary strength development alongside climbing-specific pulling exercises.