- EquipmentCable
- PatternPull
- Reps8 to 15 reps
- Joint loadNone flagged
Sit at the cable pulldown station with your thighs under the pads. Grip the bar a little wider than your shoulders and sit tall with a slight lean back.
First cueKeep your chest lifted.
How to do the Lat Pulldown
Set up. Sit at the cable pulldown station with your thighs under the pads. Grip the bar a little wider than your shoulders and sit tall with a slight lean back.
- Pull your shoulder blades down to start.
- Pull the bar to your upper chest, driving the elbows down and back.
- Pause briefly with the chest up.
- Let the bar rise under control until your arms are straight.
Form cues
- Keep your chest lifted.
- Pull with the elbows, not the hands.
- Keep the lean small and fixed.
Common mistakes
- Leaning far back and rowing the weight.
- Pulling the bar behind the neck.
Muscles worked
Main target: Lats. The latissimus dorsi is the widest muscle of the back, running from the lower spine and pelvis up under the arm to the upper arm bone. It pulls the arm down and back: pull-ups, pulldowns and the start of a deadlift.
On the way: Biceps.
Its other side: Chest, Front delts and Triceps, in the horizontal push and pull pattern.
Its other side: Side delts and Triceps, in the overhead press and pull pattern.
What to pair it with
Movements that round out a workout with the Lat Pulldown, from the same catalog the StatBlockFit app logs.
- Cable Upright Row Superset partner: it trains the other side of the overhead press and pull pattern, so the two can alternate.
- Seated Cable Row Same pull session: it trains the upper back.
- Face Pull Same pull session: it trains the rear delts.
- Cable Shrug Often left out: it trains the traps, a job the moves above leave undone.
A complete workout around it
5 movements, the Lat Pulldown first, at the catalog's rep ranges. Load it into the workout builder to change the sets, reps and weights, then bookmark it or download it.
- Lat Pulldown 3 × 8 to 15 reps
- Cable Upright Row 3 × 10 to 15 reps
- Seated Cable Row 3 × 8 to 15 reps
- Face Pull 3 × 12 to 20 reps
- Cable Shrug 3 × 10 to 20 reps
Alternatives and swaps
The same main muscle with other equipment: a swap never changes the muscle a workout trains.
Home or dumbbell swap
Pull-Up
Bodyweight
Gym or cable swap
Assisted Pull-Up
Machine
A swap describes the movement, not your body: if a joint hurts, ask a professional before you train it.
Working weight and 1RM calculator
Enter a set you did: the weight, the reps and how many more reps you had left in you. The estimate is the formula the StatBlockFit app uses for its records, weight × (1 + (reps + reps in reserve) ÷ 30); above 12 reps it is rough.
Training zones
| Zone | Share of 1RM | Usual reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength | 85 to 90 % | 3 to 6 |
| Muscle growth | 70 to 80 % | 6 to 12 |
| Endurance | 60 to 65 % | 15 to 20 |
A warm-up before the working sets: 50 % for 5, 70 % for 3 and 85 % for 1, each rounded down to a plate.
Common starting points, not a prescription: the right weight is the one you can lift with good form for the reps you planned.
Variations and preparation
A variation of: Pull-Up.
Other variations of the Pull-Up: Chin-Up, Assisted Pull-Up, Band-Assisted Pull-Up, Negative Pull-Up and Scapular Pull-Up.
Its variations: Neutral-Grip Pulldown, Straight-Arm Pulldown, Machine High Row and Single-Arm Lat Pulldown.
Do before it: Scapular Pull-Up (shoulder blades), Thoracic Rotation (upper back range), Band Pull-Apart (shoulder blades) and Dead Hang (same movement, lighter).
Track it in StatBlockFit
In the StatBlockFit app the Lat Pulldown is logged set by set: the app suggests your next weight after each session, times your rests, keeps your records and shows the 72-hour recovery of every muscle on its training map. The training guide explains how.
Questions
How do you do the Lat Pulldown?
Set up: Sit at the cable pulldown station with your thighs under the pads. Grip the bar a little wider than your shoulders and sit tall with a slight lean back. Steps: 1. Pull your shoulder blades down to start. 2. Pull the bar to your upper chest, driving the elbows down and back. 3. Pause briefly with the chest up. 4. Let the bar rise under control until your arms are straight. Form cues: Keep your chest lifted. Pull with the elbows, not the hands. Keep the lean small and fixed. Common mistakes: Leaning far back and rowing the weight. Pulling the bar behind the neck.
What muscles does the Lat Pulldown work?
It trains the lats as its main target and works the biceps on the way.
What can I do instead of the Lat Pulldown?
At home: Pull-Up. In a gym: Assisted Pull-Up. Each trains the same main muscle.
What should I pair the Lat Pulldown with?
Good partners in the same workout are Cable Upright Row, Seated Cable Row, Face Pull and Cable Shrug.
How heavy should the Lat Pulldown be?
Pick a weight you can lift for the planned reps with one or two left in reserve. As a common starting point, sets of 3 to 6 reps use about 85 to 90 percent of your one-rep max and sets of 6 to 12 reps about 70 to 80 percent; the calculator on this page does the arithmetic.