# Lat Pulldown

The lat pulldown is a seated cable-based vertical pulling exercise performed on a lat pulldown machine. It trains the lats, biceps, and upper back, and is a practical way to build pulling strength and back size when pull-ups are too difficult or when you want more controlled volume.

- Beginner · Compound
- Equipment: Lat pulldown
- HD video: https://media.seto.fit/exercises/lat-pulldown/video/male.mp4
- HTML: https://seto.fit/exercises/lat-pulldown/

## Muscles worked

- Lats: 9/10
- Biceps: 7/10
- Upper back: 6/10
- Rear delts: 4/10
- Forearms: 4/10

## How to do the Lat Pulldown

1. Secure thighs under pads.
2. Grip bar just outside shoulders.
3. Pull bar to upper chest.
4. Lower under control to full stretch.
5. Reset tall and repeat.

### Full technique — 6 steps

1. Sit at the lat pulldown machine and secure your thighs under the pads with your feet flat on the floor.
2. Grip the bar just outside shoulder width and sit tall with your arms fully extended.
3. Tighten your stomach and pull the bar down toward your upper chest by driving your elbows down and back.
4. Pause briefly at the bottom with your shoulders down and your torso mostly upright.
5. Control the bar back up until your arms are straight and your lats are fully lengthened.
6. 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

## How much to do

- **Strength** (good fit): 4–5 sets of 4–6 reps · rest 2 min 30 s · 2 reps in reserve · lower 2 s, pause 1 s, lift 1 s
- **Muscle growth** (best fit): 3–4 sets of 8–12 reps · rest 1 min 30 s · 2–3 reps in reserve · lower 2 s, lift 1 s, pause 1 s
- **Endurance** (good fit): 2–3 sets of 15–20 reps · rest 1 min · 4 reps in reserve · lower 2 s, lift 1 s, pause 1 s

Reps in reserve: how many more you could still do when you end the set.

## Substitutes by equipment

Same muscles, same movement — pick the version you have the gear for.

- **No equipment**: [Commando Pull-Up](https://seto.fit/exercises/commando-pull-up/), [Chin-Up](https://seto.fit/exercises/chin-up/)
- **Cable machine**: [Single Arm Half Kneeling Cable Lat Pulldown](https://seto.fit/exercises/single-arm-half-kneeling-cable-lat-pulldown/), [Dual Cable Lat Pulldown](https://seto.fit/exercises/dual-cable-lat-pulldown/)
- **Resistance bands**: [Resistance Band Lat Pulldown](https://seto.fit/exercises/resistance-band-lat-pulldown/), [Band Assisted Chin-Up](https://seto.fit/exercises/band-assisted-chin-up/)
- **Suspension trainer**: [Suspension Trainer Chin-Up](https://seto.fit/exercises/suspension-trainer-chin-up/)

## Where to start and where to go next

Same muscles, same movement. Too hard for now — step down; once it gets easy — step up.

- **This exercise: Lat Pulldown — Beginner**
- Harder: [Bench Assisted Pull-Up](https://seto.fit/exercises/bench-assisted-pull-up/) — 40% of bodyweight
- Harder: [Pull-Up](https://seto.fit/exercises/pull-up/) — 100% of bodyweight

## Quick answers

### What muscles does the Lat Pulldown work?

Primary: Lats 9/10. Also works: Biceps 7/10, Upper back 6/10, Rear delts 4/10, Forearms 4/10.

### When should I do the Lat Pulldown in a workout?

Accessory. Goes after the main lifts. ≈ 10 min with rest.

### How many sets and reps of the Lat Pulldown?

Strength: 4–5 sets of 4–6 reps, rest 2 min 30 s, 2 reps in reserve. Muscle growth: 3–4 sets of 8–12 reps, rest 1 min 30 s, 2–3 reps in reserve. Endurance: 2–3 sets of 15–20 reps, rest 1 min, 4 reps in reserve.

### What can I do instead of the Lat Pulldown?

No equipment: Commando Pull-Up, Chin-Up. Cable machine: Single Arm Half Kneeling Cable Lat Pulldown, Dual Cable Lat Pulldown. Resistance bands: Resistance Band Lat Pulldown, Band Assisted Chin-Up. Suspension trainer: Suspension Trainer Chin-Up.

### What is a harder version of the Lat Pulldown?

Bench Assisted Pull-Up (40% of bodyweight), Pull-Up (100% of bodyweight).

How we rate exercises: https://seto.fit/guides/methodology/

---
seto — Fast, simple, clever workout tracking — offline-first by design. https://seto.fit/

Video licensed for playback on seto only — copying, downloading, or redistribution is prohibited. https://seto.fit/terms/