GoaloraWide-Grip Lat Pulldown
beginner · pull_vertical
Setup
Sit at the lat pulldown station and set the knee pad snug on your thighs so the stack cannot lift you. With the long bar on the top pulley, stand to take a grip wider than your shoulders, then sit down with your arms already straight.
Execution
- Sit tall with your palms facing away, arms fully extended, feeling a light stretch in your lats.
- Lean back about 10 to 20 degrees, open your chest, brace your core and hold that angle for the whole set.
- Exhale and drive your elbows down toward your hips, pulling the bar to your upper chest.
- Hold for a beat with your shoulder blades down and together, squeezing your lats.
- Inhale and let the bar rise slowly over 2 to 3 seconds until your arms are straight, without letting it yank you off the seat.
Breathing
Inhale as you return the bar, exhale as you pull the bar down. Do not hold your breath to move a heavier stack; if you have high blood pressure, heart disease, a hernia or you are pregnant, never hold it at all, lighten the load and exhale on the pull.
Quick cues
- Pull with your elbows, not your hands.
- Drop your shoulder blades first, then pull.
- Chest up toward the bar.
- Lower slowly, keep tension in your lats.
Common faults
Fault: Swinging the torso back to move the bar
Fix: Lock the torso at the 10 to 20 degree lean; if you need the swing, drop the weight.
Fault: Pulling the bar behind the neck
Fix: Always pull to the front of your chest; behind-the-neck puts the shoulder in a vulnerable position.
Fault: Curling with the arms while the back stays passive
Fix: Think about driving your elbows to your hips and squeezing the lats at the bottom.
Fault: Letting the bar snap up and yanking the shoulders to the ears
Fix: Take 2 to 3 seconds on the way up and keep your shoulders from shrugging.
Equipment
cable
Muscle groups
back, arms, shoulders