Back
1Starting position 
2End position
Lat Pulldown
The lat pulldown pulls a handle from overhead to your chest: lats and biceps, a good stand-in for pull-ups and a step toward them.
Setup
Sit down and lock your thighs under the pads. Grab the bar wider than your shoulders, arms straight. Lean back slightly, chest up.
Execution
- Sit down, lock your thighs under the pads, and take the bar with a wide overhand grip — starting position.
- Exhale and pull the bar down to your upper chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together without leaning back.
- Inhale and let the bar rise back up slowly.
Common mistakes
- Leaning back more and more and using your body — the lean is small and stays the same.
- Pulling behind your neck — pull to your upper chest, it's safer on the shoulders.
- Pulling with your arms — drive your elbows down and in, think shoulder blades.
- Letting the weight fly up — return the bar under control to straight arms.
Programs that include it
Full Body — 2 Daysbeginners · 2 workouts a weekFull Body — 3 Daysbeginners · 3 workouts a weekUpper / Lowerintermediate · 2–4 workouts a weekPush / Pull / Legsintermediate–advanced · 3–6 workouts a week3-Day Splitintermediate · 3 workouts a weekGlutes & Legs — 3 Dayslower-body priority · 3 workouts a week
Not sure about your form? Send me a video of a set — I'll take a look and tell you what to fix first.
More for this muscle group: Back
Position photos from the open free-exercise-db.