Secrets of the Lat Pulldown Uncovered

Editor's Note:  Not strong enough for chin ups and want to get better results with the lat pulldown? Christian Finn explains in this article how different variations of the lat pulldown produces different results - and which variation works the latissimus dorsi (a large muscle in the back) the best.

Walk into any gym in the world, and there's a good chance you'll find a lat pulldown machine in there somewhere. The lat pulldown is a good back exercise for people who can't do chin ups.

There are, however, many conflicting opinions on the "right" way to perform the lat pulldown. To clear up some of the confusion, scientists from the University of Miami have tested four variations of the lat pulldown.

Lat Pulldown

Although it's called the lat pulldown because it works the latissimus dorsi (a large muscle in your back), several other muscles that produce movement at the shoulder joint are also involved.

The researchers measured muscle activity in the teres major (said to be latissimus dorsi's little "helper"), the rear deltoid (the back of your shoulder), pectoralis major (the chest) and the long head of the triceps (the back of your arm) during the following variations of the lat pulldown.

Wide grip front pulldown

Underhand front pulldown

Close grip lat pulldown

Wide grip rear pulldown

For the wide grip pulldown, the hands were spaced roughly one and one-half times shoulder-width apart. For the underhand front pulldown, the hands were placed shoulder-width apart (in line with those bony bits on top of your shoulder). The results showed wide variations in muscle activity during each exercise.

The wide grip front pulldown led to the greatest muscle activity for the latissimus dorsi. There were no major differences when comparing the underhand front pulldown, the wide grip rear pulldown, and the close grip lat pulldown.

Activity in the pectoralis major was greatest during the close grip lat pulldown, followed by the underhand front pulldown, then the wide grip front pulldown. The wide grip rear pulldown produced the least muscle activity in the chest.

Muscle activity in the rear deltoid was greatest during the close grip lat pulldown, followed by the wide grip front pulldown and underhand front pulldown, which both produced similar levels of muscle activity. There was little activity in the rear deltoid during the wide grip rear pulldown.

For the teres major, all exercises produced similar levels of muscle activity, though it was greatest during the wide grip front pulldown.

The long head of the triceps was most active during the wide grip front pulldown, followed by the wide grip rear pulldown. It was least active during the close grip lat pulldown and underhand front pulldown.

Changing your hand position and the type of bar you use makes a big difference to muscle activation during the lat pulldown. If you want to train the latissimus dorsi muscle, but you're not strong enough to do chin ups, the wide grip front pulldown produces the greatest muscle activity during both the concentric and eccentric phases of the movement.

Editor's Note: Another excellent alternative to the lat pulldown is the assisted chin up. Most health clubs have these machines and if your club has one, make an effort to use it. The assisted chin up machine has a bar that you step on and keep your feet planted on during your chin ups. The bar is attached to a set of weight plates that you can adjust. The more weight you select, the more assistance the machine provides (makes the chin up easier because there is more weight to support you during the exercise). For more variety and to work your muscles differently, use a combination of the assisted chin up and the lat pulldown.

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Read other articles by Christian Finn

About the Author

Christian Finn is a Certified Personal Trainer and holds a masters degree with distinction in exercise science. He's lectured at a number of universities and private training organizations around the United Kingdom on fitness training, weight loss and the effective use of nutritional supplements. He writes extensively on the subject and his articles have been published in numerous magazines, leading industry journals and websites worldwide, including Men's Health, Men's Health Muscle, Fit Pro (April/May 2001), CAM magazine (February 2003), Image (January 1997), Zest (March 2004), and Body Life magazine (March/April 1997). He was also featured in the July 2004 issue of Muscle & Fitness (UK edition). His website, TheFactsAboutFitness.com, is dedicated to providing its members up-to-date, unbiased information and research on the world of fitness.

References

Signorile, J.F., Zink, A.J., & Szwed, S.P. (2002). A comparative electromyographical investigation of muscle utilization patterns using various hand positions during the lat pull-down. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 16, 539-546