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Questions and answers about sports

Is there any objective reason for the hatred towards the pulldown machine?

5 min read

Asked by: Julia Bellamy

One of the major concerns with the pulldown machine is that people who are fully capable of achieving pull-ups stall on the machine. This happens with other methods as well, but machines seem to be the place where more people get stuck and never move on to more challenging movements.

Is the pulldown machine good?

The pulldown machine can prove to be a great addition to your gym. It trains your core muscles, arms, shoulders, and back. Almost all the people at the gym tend to use this machine daily in their workout regime. It tones up the entire upper body if used with proper technique regularly.

Is a lat pulldown machine worth it?

Lat Pull-Down Machine

The Lat Pull-Down is a great low-impact exercise for building back strength. If you’re looking to build a wider upper torso, Lat Pull-Downs can help you reach that goal.

Are lat pulldowns overrated?

Lat pulldown

This position is contraindicated because it exacerbates the rounded shoulders and forward head position and puts a lot of stress on the shoulder joint,” she adds.

What is one mistake people make when performing a lat pulldown?

3 Wide Grip Lat Pulldown Mistakes

  1. Don’t Pull Down Away From Your Body. In this scenario, you end up pulling the bar out several inches away from the front of your chest. …
  2. Don’t Lean Too Far Back. Another common mistake is an excessive backward lean. …
  3. Don’t Use Body Momentum.

What muscles does the pulldown machine work?

The lat pulldown works the latissimus dorsi, the largest muscle in the back, as well as your biceps, rear delts, rhomboids and traps. This movement gives you the opportunity to train many muscles at the same time, and develop overall strength in your back and upper body.

What muscles does pull downs work?

The pull-down exercise is a strength training exercise designed to develop the latissimus dorsi muscle. It performs the functions of downward rotation and depression of the scapulae combined with adduction and extension of the shoulder joint.

Are pull-ups better than lat pulldown?

Which Exercise is Better? In general, pull-ups tend to be best for improving strength relative to pull-downs. Whether you are a full-blown bodybuilder or a complete beginner, lat pull-downs work great whereas pull-up exercises help you improve your overall strength.

Are seated rows better than lat pulldowns?

When subjects did seated cable rows, muscle activity of the lats was more than 40% greater than when they did wide-grip pulldowns. Rows appear to be a better exercise for stimulating more of the lat muscle fibers and, therefore, helping to build a bigger back.

Is neutral grip better for lat pulldowns?


So now the second thing we need to do is consider what our complete range of motion is within the lat pulldown.

What can I do instead of lat pulldown?

The 13 best lat pulldown alternatives are:

  • High Row Machine.
  • Lat Pullover Machine.
  • Narrow Grip Row Machine.
  • Single Arm Dumbbell Row.
  • Dumbbell Pullover.
  • Single Arm Cable Pulldown.
  • Straight Arm Pulldown.
  • Cable Row.

How do you properly do a pull down?

Guys is keeping your elbow slightly in front of you like this and then in line with your hips. As you pull down this is going to give you more pulling power. So more strength to pull more weight.

How do you not do a lat pulldown?

Do’s and don’ts for the lat pulldown machine

  1. Lean back as you pull the levers toward your chest. You won’t hit the target muscles this way.
  2. Lose control of the weight as you return to the top of the move. This can overstretch your back and lead to injury.
  3. Come off the seat as you return to the top.

Is it okay to lean back during lat pulldown?

Grasp the bar with a wide grip, looking forward with your torso upright. Retract your shoulder blades and pull the bar down in front of you to your upper chest. Squeeze your lats at the bottom of the move. Resist the temptation to lean back to aid the movement.

Which is better behind the neck or in front lat pulldown?

Looking at the evidence, the front pull-down is the clear-cut winner when compared to the rear version. Not only is the muscle activation to the latissimus dorsi similar or better when performing the exercise to the front, the risk of potential shoulder injuries, neck injuries, or nerve injuries is also reduced.

Should you swing on lat pulldown?

On the lats. Themselves. So your other. Option is you go back to the vertically pulling arms in front hands over hand lat pull down. Now here you can see that we can hit the lats in that adduction.

Do pulldowns work shoulders?

The lat pulldown is one of the major exercises used to train the muscles of the back, shoulders, and arms.

Are close grip pull downs good?

The close grip lat pulldown, also known as the close hammer grip lat pulldown, is one of the best exercises to strengthen your back. This compound exercise can also help improve your arm strength and posture. The close grip lat pulldown is a fantastic exercise for people of all fitness levels.

Should the bar touch your chest on lat pulldowns?

This helps to engage the entire musculature of the lats rather than just the upper portion. It also ensures you’re not pulling from the upper traps and shoulders. The bar should NOT touch the chest.

Do you squeeze shoulder blades on lat pulldown?

Before a set of lat pulldowns, grab the bar with an overhand grip and your hands slightly wider than shoulder width. Squeeze your lats to pull your shoulder blades down (it’s called scapular depression), lowering the bar just a bit.

Where should you feel lat pulldowns?

Your chest up as the bar gets down. Lower. You'll notice that helps you better recruit. And feel the lat as for what to do with your hands.