Lat Pulldown vs Underhand Lat Pulldown
It's the pull-up versus chin-up story on a cable: overhand means palms away, underhand means palms toward you at shoulder width.
| Lat Pulldown | Underhand Lat Pulldown | |
|---|---|---|
| Muscles | lats, biceps, mid back | lats, biceps, mid back |
| Equipment | Cable station | Cable station |
| Entry bar | 1/3 fine from your first workout | 1/3 fine from your first workout |
| Pick it when | You want more back and rear delts. | You want more weight and biceps, or the overhand grip bothers your shoulders. |
The main difference
With a wide overhand grip the biceps sits in a weaker position, and more of the load goes to the lats, upper back and rear delts. The weight is usually a little lower than underhand.
Underhand, the elbows travel down along your sides, the biceps joins in more, and you lift more. The lats still work — pulling to your lower chest with a slight lean suits them just fine. It's a good option if you want some extra biceps work, or if the overhand grip doesn't sit well with your shoulders.
Can you do both
Yes: one grip as the main lift, the other as a second exercise or on another day. The underhand grip is also a good lead-in to chin-ups.
In which programs
Log both in the diary — your estimated max will show which one is growing faster for you.
Prefer Telegram? Open the bot — same diary.