How to Do a Lat Pulldown

Medically Reviewed by Mahammad Juber, MD on June 29, 2022
Written by Julian Selemin
5 min read

The lat pulldown is a back-focused exercise that’s performed using a machine. It targets muscles such as the teres major, the pectoralis, and the latissimus dorsi. While it may seem like an advanced activity, it’s ideal for almost anyone, as it can improve strength, endurance, and overall posture. 

Here’s what you need to know.

The lat pulldown is an upper-body exercise that focuses on the muscles of your back. Much like the squat and bench press, it’s considered a compound exercise — meaning that it targets many muscles at once. Besides increasing your back’s strength, the lat pulldown can also promote good posture and stability.

Many people disregard the lat pulldown in favor of the more traditional pull-ups, believing that the latter has more benefits. While this is true to some extent, the lat pulldown is almost always a good inclusion in any exercise routine. The only downside is that most variations of this motion require a machine to perform them correctly.

Although the lat pulldown is known for focusing latissimus dorsi, it also strengthens other crucial muscles of the back and shoulders. However, keep in mind that the exact muscles worked by this motion can vary depending on the adaptation picked.

Here are some of the muscles worked by lat pulldowns: 

Latissimus dorsi. The latissimus dorsi is a flat muscle that covers most of your upper back. Its primary function concerns the movement of your arms and upper back, although experts also believe it helps with breathing correctly. The lat pulldown focuses mainly on this muscle, improving its strength and overall body posture.

Teres major. The teres major is an often-overlooked muscle that stems from your upper chest and inserts into the upper portion of your arm. It’s one of the most important muscles when it comes to the shoulder, as it plays a crucial part in its movement. It also participates in moving your arms.

Pectoralis major. The pectoralis major and minor are the key muscles of your chest and one of the main targets of exercise lovers. Specifically, the pectoralis major is a fan-shaped muscle that participates in moving your arms and shoulders.

Trapezius. Also known as the traps muscle, the trapezius starts at the top of your back and stretches down toward the middle back. The trapezius is fundamental to the arms’ movements and keeping good posture while also participating in some motions of the shoulders.

As with any compound exercise involving heavy weights, it’s crucial to maintain proper form to avoid injuries. Plus, most mistakes will lead to inefficient repetitions — on the other hand, the correct lat pulldown form will allow you to reap the best results without danger. Here’s a detailed rundown on how to achieve the correct form.

  1. Sit in the machine and set your desired weight, starting slowly if it’s your first time trying out the exercise. Ensure that your back is straight and stable and avoid arching your lower back as much as you can. 
  2. Reach up for the bar, maintaining good posture. After gripping the bar, gently pull your shoulders back and down and lean back a little bit (no more than 30 degrees). Once again, ensure that your posture is correct before starting the first repetition.
  3. Pull the bar towards your chest in a controlled motion as you exhale, checking that your elbows don’t sway sideways. Try to make a straight motion toward the floor with the bar but avoid leaning back more than you already were.
  4. Once the bar touches your chest, stop, as pulling any further could result in unnecessary stress. However, if the bar doesn’t reach your chest, check if you can move your elbows downward. If you can’t, that means that it’s time to start the upward motion.
  5. After pausing for a bit, slowly return to the starting position in a controlled motion. Once the bar reaches the top, wait for a second and repeat the exercise as many times as needed.

If you’ve done this exercise before, you’ll know that each person does it differently, slightly varying things such as the direction of the palms. In fact, the most common variations of the lat pulldown involve changing your grip instead of modifying the exercise itself. Here are some of the variables to consider when doing a lat pulldown.

  • Supinated grip — Your palm faces away from you.
  • Pronated grip — Your palm faces toward you.
  • Narrow grip — Grabbing the bar closer to the center leads to a narrow grip.
  • Wide grip — Grabbing the bar by the ends will, instead, lead to a wide grip.
  • In front of the head — When you are doing the pulling, the bar is in front of your head.
  • Behind the head — The bar is behind your head while you are reaching for the chest.

Before trying all combinations, you should know that the most efficient lat pulldown is in front of your head with a medium-width, supinated grip. Plus, keep in mind that doing behind-the-head pulldowns can lead to unnecessary stress on the shoulders.

Naturally, most weight-lifting exercises will have roughly the same benefits, although distributed among different muscles. However, due to its compound nature, lat pulldowns are a particularly good activity to target all of your back, improving your overall posture and strength. Here are some of the benefits:

Increased back strength. Lat pulldowns are a common way to boost your back muscles’ power by growing your trapezius, pectoralis, and latissimus dorsi, among others. This will also lead to hypertrophy (bigger muscles), which is the primary concern of many gym-goers. 

Stronger bones. Not many people know that bones can also get stronger along with your muscles. By lifting weights, you train your bones to be able to support heavier weights — making them stronger and reducing the risk of bone-related diseases. 

Better sports performance. Lat pulldowns are also a fantastic way to improve your endurance in almost any sport. Swimmers, wrestlers, and rugby players, for example, often pay special attention to this exercise to improve their overall performance.

Lat pulldowns are simple to execute, but watch out for these common mistakes while performing lat pulldowns.

  • Losing control of the weights — When doing the upwards motion, don’t let the bar go up on its own. Instead, try leading it in a controlled motion.
  • Not paying attention to breathing — Ideally, you should exhale while doing the downward motion and inhale when returning the bar.
  • Coming off the seat — Try to avoid getting lifted off the seat when finishing each repetition, controlling the upward motion.