You know what is not the only thing that will give you wings, so will lat pulldowns. Here, we are diving into the ten best lat pulldown variations to add muscle and strength to this visually appealing muscle.
Whether you’re a gym newbie or a seasoned lifter, these variations target your latissimus dorsi—known as the “lats”—to enhance strength, improve aesthetics, and increase performance in and out of the gym. This list will explore why these particular lat pulldown exercises make the cut and how they can be programmed into your workout to get gains.
Ready to sculpt a more muscular, more defined back? Here are 10 different ways to blast your back with the pulldown.
Anatomy and Function of the Latissimus Dorsi Muscle
The lats are the broadest muscles in your back, spanning from the lower spine to the sides of the rib cage and attaching to the upper arm bone (humerus). This fan-shaped muscle powers several parts of the body, and is responsible for the following functions:
Adduct, rotate, and extend the shoulder
These movements happen whenever you pull something towards you or lower your arm from an elevated arm position.
Spinal Stability
Engaging your lats provides stability to your spine. It supports your core and stabilizes your back during heavy lifts like deadlifts, squats, or daily activities.
Better posture
Strong lats contribute to a better posture by keeping the back straight and shoulders pulled back.
Understanding the anatomy and function of the lats is not just about targeting them well; it’s about recognizing their crucial role in your health and fitness. Strengthening the lats is more than aesthetics; it’s about building a muscle that powers you in and out of the gym. And here are ten exercises that do just that.
The ten lat pull variations selected here are the cornerstone of effective back training. Here’s why I chose them:
Variety and Range of Motion
These ten variations encompass a wide range of motions, ensuring that the lats are worked from multiple angles and through different lengths of muscle contraction. This variety helps stimulate muscle growth and prevents plateaus.
Regressions and Progressions
These exercises are scalable for beginners and advanced lifters. The tall and half-kneeling variations may seem easy to the naked eye, but wait until you do them.
Functional Strength
Beyond aesthetics, these variations enhance strength, translating into better performance in sports and daily activities. They improve your ability to pull and stabilize, which is essential in and out of the gym.
Okay, enough talk. Let’s get down to action. Here are the ten best lat pulldown variations to increase the strength and size of your back for better flex appeal. These lat pulldown variations are best performed as an accessory exercise, so two to four sets of 8-15 reps work well.
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Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown
Wide-grip pulldowns increase the focus on the upper lats and back, helping you build a broader back. The wide grip reduces bicep involvement, encouraging the lats to work harder, making it an excellent choice for those looking to emphasize back width over thickness. It’s particularly effective for lifters improving their pull-up performance because both grip positions are similar.
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Close-Grip Lat Pulldown
The close-grip pulldown improves pulling strength and overall back density by focusing on the lower lats, rhomboids, and traps. The close grip increases the range of motion and makes the bottom of the rep more intense. Due to the close grip, this variation builds a tighter, more defined back and also strengthens the biceps, grip, and forearm muscles.
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Reverse-Grip Lat Pulldown
Reverse-grip lat pulldown emphasizes the lower lats using an underhand grip, increasing their engagement compared to the standard variation. The reverse grip also allows for a better stretch at the top and an intense contraction at the bottom, training the back slightly harder than the overhand variation.
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V-Bar Lat Pulldown
A V-bar allows for a neutral grip, which is easier on the wrists and elbows joints while effectively targeting the mid and lower lats. This variation is perfect for thickening the upper back, as it emphasizes the contraction between your shoulder blades. It’s an excellent choice for those looking to improve overall back strength and density while working around any joint issues you may have.
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Unilateral Lat Pulldown
Unilateral exercises are crucial for addressing and reducing muscle imbalances between sides. By training each side with the same weight, you can ensure both lats work equally hard, which improves muscular balance and development. The unilateral lat pulldown also increases core strength as you stabilize your body against the offset load, giving you more bang for your core buck.
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Decline Lat Pulldown
This variation, performed by leaning back at a 45-degree angle, alters the angle of resistance, placing more tension on the upper back. It mimics the motion of an inverted row; only you are sitting down with your legs secured. Decline lat pull-down attacks your lats and upper back muscles from a different angle, adding a fresh stimulus for muscle and improved strength.
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Band Straight-Arm Lat Pulldown
The band straight arm pulldown provides ascending resistance, which is critical for muscle growth. Resistance bands offer a different type of resistance than cables, making it easier on wrist, elbow, and shoulder joints because they are not loaded when the band is not stretched. Due to the straight arm position, this variation focuses on the lats and upper back and removes the biceps from the equation.
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Tall-Kneeling Lat Pulldown
The tall kneeling lat pulldown adds core stability and a glute challenge to the traditional lat pulldown exercise. By performing it in the tall kneeling position, your core and glutes will kick in to stop your knees from rising from the ground during the eccentric. This position minimizes the ability to use momentum, ensuring the lats do the work. This variation simulates performing a chin-up, making it a great accessory exercise to improve your chin-ups.
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Half-kneeling Unilateral Lat Pulldown
The unilateral half-kneeling lat pulldown is a variation that combines unilateral training with a half-kneeling position to improve hip mobility, lat engagement, and core stability simultaneously. Lifting unilaterally from a half-kneeling stance significantly increases the demand on the core and obliques to prevent spinal rotation and lateral movement. This position also ensures that each side of the lats is worked independently, promoting better muscular development and balance.
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Rope Lat Pulldown
The rope lat pulldown is a variation of the traditional lat pulldown that utilizes a rope attachment instead of the conventional bar. The rope allows for a greater range of motion and a more natural movement pattern due to the neutral grip, which can significantly improve your upper back’s thickness. The close neutral grip means more biceps due to increased elbow flexion, and with it being the strongest grip, adding more reps than the standard variation is entirely possible here.
