How to do the Lat Pulldown
- Secure thighs under pads.
- Grip bar just outside shoulders.
- Pull bar to upper chest.
- Lower under control to full stretch.
- Reset tall and repeat.
Full technique — 6 steps
- Sit at the lat pulldown machine and secure your thighs under the pads with your feet flat on the floor.
- Grip the bar just outside shoulder width and sit tall with your arms fully extended.
- Tighten your stomach and pull the bar down toward your upper chest by driving your elbows down and back.
- Pause briefly at the bottom with your shoulders down and your torso mostly upright.
- Control the bar back up until your arms are straight and your lats are fully lengthened.
- Reset your posture before the next rep and repeat without letting the weight stack slam.
Common mistakes
- Leaning too far back and turning the rep into a row.
- Pulling the bar behind the neck instead of to the front.
- Shrugging the shoulders up as the bar comes down.
- Using momentum to yank the bar through the hardest range.
- Cutting the top short and never reaching full arm extension.
- Slamming the weight stack down
Form cues
- Torso upright
- Elbows drive down
- Shoulders away from ears
- Control the return
- Do not swing
- Squeeze at the bottom
