Tag: lat pulldown
Lat Pulldown Guide: Muscles Worked, How-To, Benefits, and Different Grips
If you want to build a stronger, more muscular upper back, lat pulldowns will help. Sure, pull-ups and chin-ups are more hardcore and “functional,” but lat pulldowns make it easier to target your muscles with laser-like precision. Small changes to your torso angle or hand width will affect the target muscles differently.
And speaking of your hands, should you do lat pulldowns with a wide, medium, narrow, parallel, overhand, or underhand grip? With so many options, it can be hard to know what’s best.
In this article, we explain how to do lat pulldowns correctly and how the different grips affect your muscles.
Lat Pulldowns – Muscles Worked
Contrary to popular opinion, the “lat” in lat pulldowns doesn’t refer to your latissimus dorsi muscle. Instead, it’s short for lateral, which is the plane of movement that your arms move in when you perform this exercise.
However, despite this naming confusion, lat pulldowns do indeed work your lats. That said, they aren’t working alone, and several other muscles are also involved:
Latissimus dorsi
Known as the lats for short, these muscles are located on the side of your upper back. Connecting your arms to your trunk, the lats are responsible for the adduction and extension of your shoulder joints. They also play a role in medial rotation. When well-developed, the lats look like muscular wings and are responsible for your upper back width.
The lats are the agonist or prime mover during lat pulldowns. However, using different grips and hand widths will allow you to emphasize different regions of this muscle.
Trapezius
The trapezius is the large diamond-shaped muscle that covers much of your mid-upper back. Known as the traps for short, there are three sets of fibers that make up this muscle – upper, middle, and lower. The middle and upper fibers are most active during lat pulldowns, as they work to pull your shoulders together and down. The upper traps are not very active during lat pulldowns.
Rhomboids
Located between your scapulae or shoulder blades, the rhomboids work with the mid-traps to pull your shoulders back and together. There are two pairs of rhomboid muscles – major and minor – and both are working during lat pulldowns.
Deltoids
The deltoids or delts are your main shoulder muscles. Like the traps, there are three sets of deltoid fibers, often referred to as heads – anterior (front), medial (middle), and posterior (rear). All three delt heads work together, but the posterior head is the most active during lat pulldowns.
Rotator cuff
The rotator cuff is a group of four small muscles that control and stabilize your shoulder joint. These muscles are the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis. While you won’t be able to see or feel these muscles during lat pulldowns, you can be sure they’re actively engaged.
Biceps brachii
The biceps brachii, more commonly just called the biceps, is your primary elbow flexor and also supinates your forearm, i.e., turns your palm up. Located on the front of your upper arms, your biceps play a critical role in lat pulldowns. Using a supinated or palms-up grip puts your biceps in a stronger position, so you may find that grip allows you to use more weight.
Brachialis
The brachialis is like a mini-biceps, helping to flex your elbows. However, unlike the biceps brachii, this muscle plays no part in the supination of your forearm. As such, it’s equally involved regardless of what grip you use.
Brachioradialis
Brachioradialis is one of your main forearm/wrist flexors and plays a big part in your grip strength. If your hands start to fail before your lats, this muscle is a likely culprit. You can work around a weak grip by using lifting straps. However, it’s also a good idea to work on your grip strength so it is less of a limiting factor in your workouts.
Core
Core is the collective name for the muscles that make up your midsection. During lat pulldowns, you’ll need to use these muscles to stop the weight pulling your spine into hyperextension. The core muscles include the rectus abdominis, obliques, transverse abdominis, and erector spinae. However, the rectus abdominis is the most active.
How to Do Lat Pulldowns
There are several ways to do lat pulldowns, as outlined later in this article. However, the medium-width overhand grip is arguably the most common variation and the one most lifters should master before moving on to other options.
In addition, all types of lat pulldown share many of the same characteristics, so it makes sense to master this version first.
So, get more from lat pulldowns while keeping your risk of injury to a minimum by following these guidelines.
Attach a long bar to your lat pulldown machine.
Adjust the knee pad so that, when your feet are flat on the floor, it holds your legs in place.
Stand up and hold the bar with a pronated/overhand, slightly wider than shoulder-width grip.
Pull your shoulders down and back and sit down. Make sure your legs are held securely in place.
Lift your chest and arch your lower back slightly.
Leading with your elbows, bend your arms and pull the bar down to your upper chest. Do not flex your wrists.
Contract your lats as hard as possible at the mid-point of each rep.
Smoothly extend your arms and continue for the desired number of reps.
Pro Tips:
Make lat pulldowns even more effective with these handy performance tips, many of which can be applied to other lat pulldown variations:
Do not lean back or sway to pull the bar down. This takes tension away from the target muscles.
Squeeze and don’t jerk the weight down to minimize momentum and keep your muscles under tension for longer.
Pause at the midpoint of each rep to maximize lats activation and improve your mind-muscle connection.
Use a full range of motion to maximize muscle engagement.
Avoid using too much weight. Ego-lifting will make lat pulldowns less effective. Make sure you can feel the lats doing most of the work and not your biceps.
Pull to the front and not the back. Behind-the-neck lat pulldowns are harder on your shoulders and reduce lat engagement, making the exercise less effective but more risky.
Use a false or thumbless grip which tends to reduce biceps activation and lets you focus more on your lats.
Use lifting chalk to dry your hands, prevent slippage, and reinforce your grip.
Use lifting straps of your hands fail before your lats. However, you should also work on developing a stronger grip.
Lat Pulldown Benefits and Drawbacks
Not sure if lat pulldowns deserve a place in your workouts? Consider these benefits and then decide!
Very adjustable and accessible
Pull-ups and chin-ups are great, but you need to be strong enough to lift your body weight using just your arm and back muscles. This feat may be beyond the ability of many exercisers, either because they’re weak or heavy.
You can adjust the weight with lat pulldowns, so they are accessible to all levels of strength and experience, irrespective of body weight.
Very safe
Performed with good technique and an appropriate load, there is very little to go wrong with lat pulldowns, and accidents and injuries are rare. They’re very shoulder-friendly, and most people can find a grip that is both comfortable and effective.
Perfect for intensity-boosting drop sets
Most lat pulldown machines have selectorized weight stacks, so you can change the load quickly and easily. This makes them ideal for drop sets. Rep out to failure, reduce (or drop) the weight by 10-15%, and then rep out again. Do 2-4 drops to fully exhaust your muscles and stimulate maximal hypertrophy.
Widely available
Most gyms have at least one lat pulldown machine. As such, this is a very accessible exercise, and most gymgoers should be able to include it in their back workouts.
Plenty of variations to choose from
As you will see in the next section, there are numerous ways to perform lat pulldowns, each with a slightly different effect. Lat pulldowns need never be repetitive or boring.
While lat pulldowns are a mostly beneficial exercise, there are also a few drawbacks to consider:
Limited overload
The amount of weight available for lat pulldowns varies from machine to machine. If you are very strong, you may find that you can max out on the lat pulldown at your gym. When this happens, you should seek out a plate-loading lat pulldown machine or graduate to weighted pull-ups.
Using very heavy weights can be difficult
Getting into the correct lat pulldown starting position with a weight greater than your body weight can be a real challenge. You may find yourself dangling from the bar and unable to get your legs under the knee pads.
If this happens to you, you can ask a training partner to help you or may need to switch to pull-ups, where getting into the right starting position is considerably easier.
Equipment requirements
While most gyms have at least one lat pulldown machine, you probably won’t have space for one in your home gym. As such, most home exercisers cannot do lat pulldowns. However, you can replicate this exercise with resistance bands, or you can do pull-ups and chin-ups instead, using a resistance band for assistance if necessary.
10 Lat Pulldown Variations and Alternatives
Basic overhand medium-grip lat pulldowns are an excellent exercise, but if that’s all you ever do, you’ll soon get bored and hit a plateau. Changing your grip will affect the target muscles slightly differently and help you avoid training ruts.
Use these variations to customize your back workout and target the areas you want to develop. However, remember that the lats will always be the engine that drives your lat pulldowns, and any changes you make will only have a very small effect.
1. Overhand wide-grip lat pulldowns
Overhand wide-grip lat pulldowns are very popular with bodybuilders. They use this exercise to increase upper lat width, creating that highly prized V-shaped torso. On the downside, a wide grip is less efficient, so you won’t be able to lift as much weight. This means wide-grip lat pulldowns are good for muscle hypertrophy but less so for building strength.
Steps:
Attach a long bar to your lat pulldown machine.
Adjust the knee pad so that, when your feet are flat on the floor, it holds your legs in place.
Stand up and hold the bar with a pronated/overhand, wider than shoulder-width grip. Your arms should form a broad V-shape.
Pull your shoulders down and back and sit down. Make sure your legs are held securely in place.
Lift your chest and arch your lower back slightly.
Leading with your elbows, bend your arms and pull the bar down to your upper chest. Keep your wrists straight.
Smoothly extend your arms and continue for the desired number of reps.
Muscles targeted:
Latissimus dorsi (upper), trapezius, rhomboids, biceps, forearms, core.
Benefits:
Fill out your upper lats to make your back wider.
More challenging than most other lat pulldown variations.
Less weight is needed for an effective workout.
Tips:
Drive your elbows down, back, and in to maximize lat and mid-back engagement.
Keep your wrists straight.
Lift your chest up toward the bar.
2. Overhand close-grip lat pulldowns
You won’t see many people doing overhand close grip lat pulldowns because they’re hard and feel a little awkward. However, they involve a large range of motion, making them useful for developing lat flexibility. They hit your forearms hard and emphasize the lower fibers of your lats.
Steps:
Attach a bar to your lat pulldown machine.
Adjust the knee pad so that, when your feet are flat on the floor, it holds your legs in place.
Stand up and hold the bar with a pronated/overhand, slightly less shoulder-width grip.
Pull your shoulders down and back and sit down. Make sure your legs are held securely in place.
Lift your chest and arch your lower back slightly.
Leading with your elbows, bend your arms and pull the bar down to your upper chest. Tuck your elbows into your sides.
Contract your lats as hard as possible at the mid-point of each rep.
Smoothly extend your arms and continue for the desired number of reps.
Muscles targeted:
Latissimus dorsi (lower), trapezius, rhomboids, biceps, forearms, core.
Benefits:
An effective way to target the lower lats.
A challenging forearm workout.
Provides your lats with a deep, beneficial stretch.
Tips:
Keep your upper arms close to your sides as you pull down.
Drive your elbows back to maximize lat engagement.
Do not lean back, as doing so makes this exercise easier.
3. Neutral close-grip lat pulldowns
This popular exercise works in much the same way as #2 but is considerably easier on your wrists and more comfortable. The neutral or parallel close grip is also very strong, and most lifters can use more weight for this variation. Like overhand close-grip lat pulldowns, this exercise emphasizes your lower lats and also hits your mid-back.
Steps:
Attach a neutral grip bar to your lat pulldown machine.
Adjust the knee pad so that, when your feet are flat on the floor, it holds your legs in place.
Stand up and hold the bar with your palms facing inward.
Pull your shoulders down and back and sit down. Make sure your legs are held securely in place.
Lift your chest and arch your lower back slightly.
Leading with your elbows, bend your arms and pull the bar down to your upper chest. Tuck your elbows into your sides.
Contract your lats as hard as possible at the mid-point of each rep.
Smoothly extend your arms and continue for the desired number of reps.
Muscles targeted:
Latissimus dorsi (lower), trapezius, rhomboids, biceps, forearms, core.
Benefits:
A comfortable, joint-friendly grip.
Hits both the mid back and lower lats.
Develop back width and thickness simultaneously.
Tips:
Lean back slightly to increase mid-back engagement.
Use a little more weight than for conventional lat pulldowns.
Use lifting straps to reinforce your grip if necessary.
4. Reverse grip lat pulldowns
Using a reverse or supinated grip puts your biceps in their strongest position, so you should be able to use more weight or crank out more reps before hitting failure. On the downside, using a reverse grip slightly decreases lat engagement, but using more weight or doing more reps should cancel out this deficit.
Steps:
Attach a straight bar to your lat pulldown machine.
Adjust the knee pad so that, when your feet are flat on the floor, it holds your legs in place.
Stand up and hold the bar with a slightly less than shoulder-width underhand grip.
Pull your shoulders down and back and sit down. Make sure your legs are held securely in place.
Lift your chest and arch your lower back slightly.
Leading with your elbows, bend your arms and pull the bar down to your upper chest. Tuck your elbows into your sides.
Contract your lats as hard as possible at the mid-point of each rep.
Smoothly extend your arms and continue for the desired number of reps.
Muscles targeted:
Latissimus dorsi (lower), biceps, trapezius, rhomboids, forearms, core.
Benefits:
An excellent biceps and back exercise.
Good for building strength.
A useful precursor to bodyweight chin-ups.
Tips:
Keep your forearms parallel throughout.
Drive your elbows down and back to maximize lat engagement.
Use a little more weight, as this is a strong grip and arm position.
5. Neutral wide grip lat pulldown
Wide grip pulldowns are typically done using a straight bar and a pronated grip. While effective, this puts your arms in a mechanically disadvantageous position, limiting the weight you can use and the number of reps you can perform. Using a wide neutral grip bar makes for a more comfortable workout and puts your biceps in a stronger position. However, not all gyms have such a bar.
Steps:
Attach a long parallel grip bar to your lat pulldown machine.
Adjust the knee pad so that, when your feet are flat on the floor, it holds your legs in place.
Stand up and hold the bar with your palms facing inward.
Pull your shoulders down and back and sit down. Make sure your legs are held securely in place.
Lift your chest and arch your lower back slightly.
Leading with your elbows, bend your arms and pull the bar down to your upper chest. Tuck your elbows into your sides.
Smoothly extend your arms and continue for the desired number of reps.
Muscles targeted:
Latissimus dorsi (upper), biceps, trapezius, rhomboids, forearms, core.
Benefits:
A strong, comfortable grip.
Allows you to lift more weight and/or do more reps.
An excellent biceps workout.
Tips:
Pull your elbows down and into your sides to maximize lat engagement.
Keep your chest up throughout.
Pause at the bottom of each rep and flex your lats hard.
6. Cable crossover lat pulldowns
What’s wider than wide-grip lat pulldowns? This exercise! Cable crossover lat pulldowns involve pulling in from the sides, which really hits your upper lats. It’s not unusual to feel this exercise directly beneath your armpits. Use this move to fill in your lat gaps and build the ultimate V-taper.
Steps:
Stand between the uppermost handles of a cable crossover machine and take one in each hand. Kneel in the middle of the machine with your arms outstretched to form a Y-shape.
Lift your chest and pull your shoulders down and back.
Bend your arms and pull your elbows into your sides.
Extend your arms and repeat.
Continue for the desired number of reps.
Muscles targeted:
Latissimus dorsi (upper), trapezius, rhomboids, biceps, forearms, core.
Benefits:
One of the best exercises for wider upper lats.
Very shoulder-friendly.
An excellent back workout finisher.
Tips:
Pause at the midpoint of each rep to hammer your upper lats.
Keep your arms out level with your torso.
Lift your chest to increase upper back engagement.
7. Single-arm lat pulldowns
While it’s common to have one arm stronger than the other, big left-to-right strength imbalances can affect both your appearance and your upper body function. Single-arm lat pulldowns are a simple way to fix such imbalances and are also an excellent method for improving your mind-muscle connection, not to mention your lateral core strength.
Steps:
Attach a long D-shaped handle to your lat pulldown machine.
Adjust the knee pad so that, when your feet are flat on the floor, it holds your legs in place.
Stand up and hold the handle with one hand.
Pull your shoulders down and back and sit down. Make sure your legs are held securely in place.
Lift your chest and arch your lower back slightly.
Leading with your elbow, bend your arm and pull the handle down to your shoulder. Tuck your elbow into your side.
Smoothly extend your arm and continue for the desired number of reps.
Switch arms and do the same number of reps on the other side.
Muscles targeted:
Latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, biceps, forearms, core.
Benefits:
An effective fix for left-to-right strength imbalances.
Good for enhancing your mind-muscle connection.
Delivers an excellent oblique workout.
Tips:
Keep your shoulders and hips level throughout.
Pull your elbow in close to your side to maximize lat engagement.
Use an overhand, neutral, or underhand grip as preferred. Alternatively, let your wrists rotate naturally as you pull down.
8. Straight arm pulldowns
Every lat pulldown variation discussed so far works the biceps as much as the lats. In contrast, straight arm pulldowns involve no elbow movement, and your biceps are left out of the exercise. Straight arm pulldowns are one of the few lat isolation exercises and are ideal for warming up or finishing off your lats.
Steps:
Attach a straight bar to a lat pulldown machine.
Hold the bar with an overhand, slightly wider than shoulder-width grip. Brace your core and pull your shoulders back and down.
With straight arms, step back to tension the cable. Lean forward slightly from your hips.
Without bending your elbows, push the bar down to your thighs.
Raise your arms and repeat.
Muscles targeted:
Latissimus dorsi (lower), trapezius, rhomboids, core.
Benefits:
One of a few lat isolation exercises.
Perfect for pre- and post-exhaust supersets.
This is an excellent exercise for swimmers and anyone whose sport involves throwing.
Tips:
Keep your chest up, core tight, and lower back slightly arched.
Use as big a range of motion as possible without letting the weights touch down.
Experiment with different grip widths to see which you prefer.
9. Resistance band pulldowns
Home exercisers are often unable to do lat pulldowns. After all, not everyone can fit a lat pulldown machine in their home gym, and chin-ups and pull-ups may be out of the question. The good news is that you can replicate all of the previous exercises using a resistance band and a suitable anchor.
Just ensure that your resistance band is in good condition and won’t snap mid-rep, and your anchor is strong enough and won’t fail. Getting hit in the face by a resistance band is no laughing matter!
Armed with your resistance band, you should have no problem recreating your favorite pulldown exercise and working your lats at home.
10. Pull-ups and chin-ups
If you are very strong or don’t have access to a lat pulldown machine, pull-ups and chin-ups could be your next best option. Yes, you’ll need to up your game and lift your entire body weight with just your arms, but that will only enhance your muscle and strength gains. Pull-ups and chin-ups might be low-tech, but they’re very high-effect and offer a lot of bang for your workout buck.
Steps:
Hang from an overhead bar using a wider-than-shoulder-width overhand grip (pull-ups) or a narrower-than-shoulder-width underhand grip (chin-ups).
Pull your shoulders back and down and brace your core. Bend your legs so your feet are clear of the floor.
Starting with straight arms, bend your elbows and pull your chin up and over your bar.
Smoothly lower yourself back down and repeat.
Muscles targeted:
Latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, biceps, forearms, core.
Benefits:
Minimal equipment required so ideal for home and outdoor workouts.
A very functional pulling exercise.
A good test of relative strength.
Tips:
Don’t swing, kick, or kip, as doing so takes work away from your target muscles.
Think about lifting your chest and not your chin up to the bar to increase muscle recruitment.
Use a resistance band to make these exercises easier or a weighted vest to make them more challenging.
Lat Pulldown Guide FAQs
Do you have a question about lat pulldowns or back training in general? No problem, because we’ve got the answers.
1. What is an easy way to remember which lat pulldown exercise works which muscles?
With ten different lat pulldown variations and alternatives, it would be easy to forget which one works which muscles. However, there are a couple of ways to make all this information easier to remember.
As a general rule, the wider your grip, the more upper lat activation there will be. Think wide grip for wide lats. In contrast, a narrower grip tends to hit your lower lats more. Exercises that involve more pulling in than pulling down emphasize your middle back, i.e., mid-traps and rhomboids.
Keeping this in mind, you should have no problem identifying which part of your lats you are working on.
2. How many reps and sets should I do to build bigger lats?
Contrary to popular belief, you can build bigger muscles with almost any rep range – from as low as five to 30 reps or more. The main proviso is that you must train your muscles to within a couple of reps of failure to make them grow. This contrasts the 6-12 rep range that was once the standard recommendation for hypertrophy training.
That said, sets of 6-12 are arguably more time-efficient than sets of 30 or more, so use your best judgment when deciding how many reps to do.
Regarding sets, two to four should be sufficient for most people, especially if you are doing several back exercises in a row. If you feel you need more than four sets to fatigue your lats, you are either stopping your sets too soon before failure or resting too long between efforts.
3. How many times a week should I train my back?
While some lifters can get good results from one back workout per week, most people will make better progress if they train their backs twice a week, e.g., Monday and Thursday. This provides a good balance between work and recovery.
However, this doesn’t mean you should do the same back workout each time you train – that would soon become boring. Instead, create two different back programs to keep your workouts interesting and productive.
For example:
#
Workout one
Workout two
Exercise
Sets x reps
Exercise
Sets x reps
1
Deadlifts
4 x 4-6
Pendlay rows
4 x 4-6
2
Wide-grip lat pulldown
3 x 8-10
Close-grip lat pulldowns
3 x 8-10
3
Single-arm rows
3 x 10-12
Seated cable rows
3 x 10-12
4
Straight arm pulldowns
3 x 15-20
Dumbbell pullovers
3 x 15-20
5
Face pulls
3 x 15-20
Band pull-aparts
3 x 15-20
4. How much wider will wide-grip lat pulldowns make my back?
Unfortunately, this is one of those questions we cannot answer. That’s because your ultimate muscle shape and size are determined by several factors, including your genetics, muscle origin and insertion points, training history, attention to diet, rest, and recovery, and your commitment and motivation.
Even if we knew all these things, we don’t have a crystal ball and cannot see into the future!
So, all we can say is if you train hard, eat right, get plenty of sleep, and don’t quit, you can significantly increase your back width. Build your workouts around lat pulldowns and pull-ups, and you’ll be heading in the right direction.
5. What are the best exercises for building a thicker upper back?
While lat pulldowns are great for building back width, rows build upper back thickness. There are lots of effective rowing exercises, including:
Bent-over barbell rows
T-bar rows
Cable rows
Inverted rows
Single-arm dumbbell rows
Chest-supported rows
Kroc rows
Pendlay rows
Meadows rows
Yates rows
With so many different exercises to choose from, you should have no problem finding the perfect rows for your needs and goals. Combine vertical and horizontal pulling exercises to build a back that’s both wide AND thick.
Lat Pulldown Guide – Wrapping Up
Lat pulldowns deserve a place in everybody’s back workout. Regardless of which variation you perform, this popular exercise will help you develop a broader, stronger, more muscular upper back. You can emphasize your lower lats with close grip lat pulldown variations or spread your wings with a wide grip. Most lifters should do both.
However, wide lats are only part of what makes an impressive back; you also need thickness, which is where rows come in. Combine vertical and horizontal pulling exercises to build an impressive 3D back that looks good from every angle.
The 13 Best Pull Exercises
Whether you’re following the push/pull/legs workout or doing any other kind of training split, it’s usually best to do the same number of pulling and pushing exercises. This will ensure that both sides of your body and all the associated muscle groups are developed equally. Doing the same amount of pushing and pulling could also…
The Best 6 Exercises To Use Elbow Sleeves For Pain-Free Support
Work for pain-free support with elbow sleeves and these top exercises.
You may have seen elbow sleeves before but haven’t used them. There are certain exercises where elbow sleeves can be of great help and offer pain free support so you can lift big, plow through any workout and see gains. With a snug, comfortable fit, yet still versatile for all of those lifting wants and needs, elbow sleeves are the perfect fitness accessory to have in your gym bag.
Able to provide nice compression, elbow sleeves work to improve blood flow and enhance recovery, all while supporting the elbow to distribute tension evenly. With better blood flow and circulation, you bring comfort to the muscle and thus only enhance your ability to see great gains. Using these with certain exercises will only help you in the long run.
We’ve pulled together some of the top exercises to use an elbow sleeve so you can see better gains and overall pain free support.
Best Exercises For Elbow Sleeves
Bench Press
Pull-Ups
Lat Pulldown
Squats
Farmer’s Walks
Shoulder Press
Bench Press
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The bench press is something we all love to do and putting up big numbers is something to easily show your dominance over others in the gym. Great for working your chest, what you’ll find is the enhancement of many pushing movements (1).
An elbow sleeve will help you here as you hold heavy weight and need to bend your elbow to complete the movement. That strain can be a lot, but with the right support, you won’t feel as tight in the elbow.
Bench Press Benefits
Bigger chest: By working to push that weight, this targets your chest the most and you can really beef up your chest strength that way.
Enhance pushing power: Since this lift is all about the push to get the weight up, your power output will be enhanced for better performance.
How To Do The Bench Press
Lie on the bench with your feet planted on the floor. Grab the bar with your hands a little more than shoulder-width apart. Lift the bar off the rack and gently lower to your chest as you breathe in. Your forearms should be about 90 degrees from the ground as you touch your chest and with your feet planted on the ground, initiate the upward movement to return to the starting position.
Pull-Ups
Pullups | GI Exercise Guide – YouTube
The pull-up is an upper body strength exercise performed with the pull-up bar and most likely your bodyweight. The added bonus is the ability to add weight if need be to really beef up those gains (2).
Since this exercise requires you hanging and taking the load in your arms, elbow sleeves will offer that compression needed so you can lift yourself up with no problem.
Pull-Ups Benefits
Strengthen arms and back: This is a great muscle builder for your arms and back, while also working to develop that V-shape taper.
Functional exercise: Able to build muscle and allow for those gains to be made for sport specific movements, this also works well for functional ones and everyday activities.
How To Do Pull-Ups
Grab the pull-up bar with your palms down and hang from the bar. With an engaged core, pull yourself by the elbows up to the bar until your chin passes it. Lower yourself down and repeat for your desired number of reps.
Lat Pulldown
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The lat pulldown is a serious lat builder and one that works other upper body muscles well. Used with the pulldown machine, this allows you to get a great exercise while also enhancing spine stabilization and enhancing shoulder health (3).
Elbow sleeves are great here for the fact that this movement requires serious load on those elbows. As the point of movement, although your lat muscles do get work, your elbows will feel supported as you lift big weight.
Lat Pulldown Benefits
Effective lat builder: This exercise will build lat strength and allow you to maximize those pulling movements, since your lats are pivotal.
Enhance spine stabilization: By strengthening those back muscles, you work to stabilize the spine and provide for better support.
How To Do The Lat Pulldown
Position yourself on the machine and grab the handles with your desired grip. As you pull down towards your chest, squeeze your shoulder blades, keep your core engaged and feet planted on the ground. Slowly return to the starting position for the pulldown and repeat for your desired number of reps.
Squats
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The squat is a staple exercise for many since it will enhance lower body growth, so you only see the best gains. This is certainly one of those exercises that you will see promote muscle while also working to improve power and explosivity (4).
Given the position of your elbows, an elbow sleeve can alleviate some of the pressure of supporting the barbell so you can get low into that squat pain free.
Squats Benefits
Increase lower body strength: Working your quads, glutes, and hamstrings, this is a great lower body exercise to boost strength, stability, and certain sport specific and functional movements.
Better power: The nature of this movement requires the best for power and explosivity and will promote both as you look to optimize performance.
How To Do Squats
Place the barbell on your traps and shoulders with your feet shoulder width apart. With a tight core, bend your knees while keeping your spine neutral, squatting down to your optimal range of motion. Once at the bottom, drive through your feet to return back to your starting standing position.
Farmer’s Walks
Farmer’s walks are perfect for those looking to maximize their upper body routine. Great for building muscle and enhancing stability, what you will find is improved core strength and better grip (5).
With such a load given the amount of weight, you will find that elbow sleeves will relieve pressure and tension felt in the elbows, while also improving blood flow since your arms stay in one position.
Farmer’s Walks Benefits
Improve core strength: Since your core is engaged to keep your body neutral, you will see great work done for improving core strength.
Promote grip strength: Grip strength is important and can greatly help with both sport specific and functional movements.
How To Do Farmer’s Walks
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and grab the weights, whether they be dumbbells, kettlebells, or a barbell. With a tight core and neutral spine, walk for a set distance, keeping your body tight and engaged.
Shoulder Press
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Building up our shoulders can be a challenge, but the shoulder press is one of those exercises to do just that. Building those boulder shoulders, this exercise also works to boost core strength and allow for better overhead pressing movements (6).
Since this requires load on the elbows, and that load going overhead, elbow sleeves offer great support as you push that weight to see great gains.
Shoulder Press Benefits
Increase shoulder strength: This exercise will really work those shoulders and allow for the best by optimizing your range of motion and overhead mobility.
Core work: Since this exercise requires quite a load overhead, keeping your core tight is important and will prove to pay off in the long run.
How To Do The Shoulder Press
Choose your desired amount of weight and stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Grab either dumbbells, kettlebells, or a barbell so it is at about your upper chest and engage your core for stability. When ready, lift the weight overhead, extending your arms and locking them out at the top. Continue this overhead press movement for your desired number of reps.
Benefits Of Elbow Sleeves
Elbow sleeves can benefit you in a number of ways and it is important to put a focus on support and your physical health in order to lift big weight. Benefits of elbow sleeves include:
Offer compression: A snug fit will work well as you look to warm the elbow and provide for better blood flow (7).
Support your elbow: This helps distribute tension differently so other smaller muscles also feel supported, better assisting the elbow.
Increase stability: Provide that increased stability for big lifts so you see increased strength.
Promote better recovery: Improved blood flow and circulation will enhance recovery to optimize your physical health and see better gains.
What To Look For In Elbow Sleeves
When choosing your elbow sleeve, it is important to look for fit. You want the sleeve to offer support and compression, but also allow for optimal movement, for this will affect the exercise as a whole. The kind of material used is important as well, for you want the sleeve to physically feel comfortable and not too scratchy, itchy, or any of those uncomfortable feelings. Since you will use these for plenty of lifts, it is also important to note the durability of the product. A product worth your time and money will last you a while no matter how much you use it.
Check out our list of the Best Elbow Sleeves for more great products to maximize pain-free support!
Wrap Up
These top exercises for elbow sleeves are great to put into your routine and can really enhance all areas of your gains. With the right elbow sleeve, you can work to promote support and better compression to allow for only the best in terms of blood flow, recovery, and growth. Check out some top elbow sleeves and see how they can improve your performance today.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Envato
References
Tungate, P. (2019). “The Bench Press: A Comparison Between Flat-Back and Arched-Back Techniques”. (source)
Ronai, P.; et al. (2014). “The Pull-up”. (source)
Newton, H.; et al. (1998). “The Lat Pulldown”. (source)
Kubo, K.; et al. (2019). “Effects of squat training with different depths on lower limb muscle volumes”. (source)
Winwood, P.; et al. (2015). “A Biomechanical Analysis of the Farmers Walk, and Comparison with the Deadlift and Unloaded Walk”. (source)
McKean, M.; et al. (2015). “Overhead shoulder press- In-front of the head or behind the head?”. (source)
Pereira, M.; et al. (2014). “The Effects of Graduated Compression Sleeves on Muscle Performance: A Randomised Controlled Trial”. (source)
How The Straight Arm Pulldown Maximizes Lat Development
Build great upper body strength with the straight arm pulldown.
To say we don’t care about building those vanity muscles just isn’t true, but for those of looking to challenge those often times overlooked muscles, the straight arm pulldown is the way to go. A great exercise for building effective strength and size, this is a great upper body killer, really working many muscles in our upper half to see great gains. An exercise you may not have heard of, it is smart to include this into your routine for it will cause muscle confusion and force you to pay attention thus causing growth.
A variation of the lat pulldown, you will find this movement to be unique but worth your time. By increasing range of motion and working to better tackle your back muscles, you can build functional and sport specific strength by finally showing your back some love. A great exercise for lat development, you won’t be disappointed once you start nailing down reps with the straight arm pulldown.
Let’s take a look at the straight arm pulldown and see what makes this exercise so great for those upper body gains. From what it is, to muscles worked, the many benefits with it, and how to perform it, you will be set up to succeed and increase strength and size with a successful upper body exercise.
What Is The Straight Arm Pulldown?
The straight arm pulldown is a variation of the lat pulldown, a back exercise we all know and love. This isolation exercise targets your lats, but will also hit muscles both in your back and other upper body groups. An exercise for those seeking the best in terms of strength training, this is the perfect workout for lat development while also challenging those other muscles groups to grow, With plenty of variations to try off of this one, you have plenty of room to explore with all of your workouts.
Muscles Worked
When it comes to this exercise, the main muscles worked are your lats, as this will primarily target and isolate them out. But other back muscles are worked as well, particularly those in your upper back and your rear delts. As for arms, your triceps may feel a burn as well as your chest but this is more supporting as opposed to literal work done. And as a result of keeping your core braced, we will give your core credit for working as well.
Benefits Of The Straight Arm Pulldown
A great exercise for you will work to provide for a host of benefits that can greatly enhance all areas of your gains. By working on others areas aside from increasing strength and size, a well-rounded exercise is all you need to see serious gains.
Benefits of the straight arm pulldown include:
Lat development: As an isolation exercise for your lats, you will work to develop them overall while increasing strength and size.
Upper body growth: By working other upper body muscles you build muscle all around including your triceps, chest, but more importantly, upper back and rear delts.
More efficient pulling movement: As a muscle that is pivotal in pulling movements, those functional and sport specific movements will be enhanced (1).
Better range of motion: Working with a bigger range of motion allows increased time under tension for more growth (2).
Enhanced mind-muscle connection: Working to focus on form can increase your ability to stay engaged while building this connection (3).
Fix deadlift form: By placing your lats in a similar position to where they are in a deadlift, you work to facilitate similar engagement thus mimicking deadlift form.
Nice alternative: An alternative to the lat pulldown, you give yourself room to change up your workouts with a great variation of an already awesome exercise.
How To Perform it
Here are the steps for performing the straight arm pulldown (4):
Hook up your rope attachment to the cable machine. Facing the machine, grab each handle on the rope attachment.
With your core engaged, shoulder blades pulled back, and a slight bend in the hips, you should find yourself at around a 45-degree angle.
When ready, drive your arms down to your sides so your hands end up near to or in line with your hips. You will feel a stretch in the lats.
In a controlled motion, slowly return back to the starting position.
Repeat for your desired number of reps.
Best Supplements For Serious Gains
After performing a grueling exercise like the straight arm pulldown, on top of the rest of the workout you completed, the right supplements can make all the difference. Having a shelf fully stocked is what you need to thrive inside and out of the gym. To start, always finish your post-workout routine with a protein powder for this will greatly impact your gains while working to enhance recovery. On top of that, looking towards that overnight repair requires the best in terms of casein protein which is a slow-digesting protein to give your muscles fuel throughout the night. To stay as healthy as possible, consider a multivitamin, omega-3, or super greens supplements to get those vitamins and minerals so you stay as healthy as possible.
Wrap Up
The straight arm pulldown is a great isolation exercise for your lats while also giving some other muscle groups a nice burn. A variation of the lat pulldown, what you get with this is a nice alternative to increase strength and size, work to improve range of motion, enhance mind-muscle connection, and confuse those muscles so they have no choice but to grow. The right exercise can make or break your gains and having the proper tools, like supplements, to do so will only make it that much easier. Try the straight arm pulldown today and see what this can do for all your back development needs.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Envato
References
Hori, N.; et al. (2009). “Pulling movement in weightlifting exercises from a biomechanical standpoint”. (source)
Pinto, R.; et al. (2012). “Effect of range of motion on muscle strength and thickness”. (source)
Calatayud, J. et al. (2016). “Importance of mind-muscle connection during progressive resistance training”. (source)
Pierce, K. (1998). “Straight-Arm Lat Pulldown and Push-Up on Balance Board”. (source)
How The Close Grip Lat Pulldown Pumps Your Back & Bis
Add this great variation into your back routine today!
We all try and maximize our back day routine and throwing in an exercise like the close grip lat pulldown may be exactly what we need. Working with the right exercises can make or break our gains and its important we work hard to really nail down a proper routine. Working our backs can be tough. While many exercises are out there, we want to make sure we are putting 100% into absolutely everything we do. The close grip lat pulldown is an exercise that can give us this option and then some.
Why does a strong back matter? On the one hand, it helps balance out our massive chests so our posture doesn’t totally suck. It will also aid in those bodybuilding and sport specific movements when it comes to lifting and other important movements, on top of adding to our overall balance and stability. Plus, it definitely adds to our physique and gives us a chance to show something off others will envy. The close grip lat pulldown is the perfect exercise to put into our routine to capitalize on all these gains.
Let’s take a look at the close grip pulldown and see what makes this exercise so great. From what it is, to muscles worked, to the awesome benefits, and how to perform it, this exercise can target your back in a different way so you only see continued growth.
What Is The Close Grip Lat Pulldown?
The close grip lat pulldown is a great exercise to work your back, as well as other muscles, and works with a different grip than other variations of the lat pulldown. By keeping your hands closer together, and subsequently your arms and the rest of the movement, you target your muscles differently and work to increase growth in unique ways (1). A perfect exercise to build strength and size in your back, while also aiding in things like posture, shoulder health, and overall balance, this is certainly an exercise to put into your routine.
Muscles Worked
The close grip lat pulldown will work a variety of muscles, of course those being your upper body muscles. Your lats will see great work done, and as this suggests in the name, are the primary movers, really working to give you a great boost when it comes to giving you those wing-like lats. As strong points of connection to your arms and trunk, your shoulders will also see work done, more specifically your teres major and rear delt. Along with these are also your biceps, traps, and rhomboids, to get accessory growth and work to better assist this movement.
Benefits Of The Close Grip Lat Pulldown
When looking at what this exercise can do, the close grip lat pulldown is a great example of a movement to really work those lats. As an effective back building exercise, you will get loads of benefits from this exercise.
Benefits of the close grip lat pulldown include:
Bigger, stronger backs: By working your lats, you start to build strength and size and really aid in those wing-like lats (2).
Better posture: Strengthening your shoulder and back muscles will aid in overall posture and allow you to maintain a more defined and stable physique (3).
Promote shoulder health: Working to strengthen your shoulders more, what you’ll find is that you can better protect your shoulders and that vulnerable joint.
Nice variations: Either as a close grip, neutral grip, or wide grip, you can find the right lat pulldown for you to see great gains.
How To Perform This Exercise
Here are the steps for performing the close grip lat pulldown:
Set yourself up on the cable machine and plant your feet firmly on the ground.
Reach up and grab the bar. Your hands will closer than shoulder width apart.
When ready, engage your core and pull down to your chest. Really feel a squeeze as you lift that weight.
Slow and controlled, return to the starting position, keeping your core tight to maintain good, solid posture.
Repeat for your desired number of reps.
Differences In Lat Pulldown Grips
Looking at the lat pulldown exercise, you will find that there are a few different types of grips you can use, these being close-grip, neutral-grip, or wide-grip. The differences and what these can do for you will lie in various ways like how this affects strength, your body mechanics, proper muscle activation, and various degrees of difficulty. For example, the wide-grip will activate muscles differently than the close-grip given that you are working with a different grip and thus a different movement. By switching up your grip, you challenge yourself to work to target muscles in a way that will lead to more growth.
Best Supplements For Continued Gains
Supplements and a solid supplementation routine can greatly affect how you see gains. When it comes down to it, working with top supplements can make or break your desired goals. Working with the big three, being pre-workout, BCAAs, and protein powder, you can at least set yourself up off the bat to see great gains. Pre-workouts will work to enhance energy and focus (4), while BCAAs will burst through fatigue and allow for continued energy throughout the workout. Of course, protein powders will increase muscle growth, enhanced recovery, and can aid in all things weight loss and management (5). Other supplements to consider as well are creatine, multivitamins, and fat burners.
Wrap Up
The close grip lat pulldown is a great exercise to put into your routine for what it can do to your overall back development. As a nice variation of the lat pulldown, this allows you to target your muscles differently and really get a good workout to aid in all your muscle building and development wants and needs. For those looking to mix up their back routine, give this exercise a try and see what it can do for all your goals today.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Envato
References
Andersen, V.; et al. (2014). “Effects of grip width on muscle strength and activation in the lat pull-down”. (source)
Leslie, K.; et al. (2013). “The Effect of Grip Width and Hand Orientation on Muscle Activity During Pull-ups and the Lat Pull-down”. (source)
Harvard Medical School (2017). “Why good posture matters”. (source)
Kedia, A.; et al. (2014). “Effects of a Pre-workout Supplement on Lean Mass, Muscular Performance, Subjective Workout Experience and Biomarkers of Safety”. (source)
Pasiakos, S.; et al. (2015). “The effects of protein supplements on muscle mass, strength, and aerobic and anaerobic power in healthy adults: a systematic review”. (source)
Top 5 Moves for a Totally Shredded Back
Looking to get a ripped back but don’t know where to start? We’ve got you covered.
The back can be one of the most complicated parts of the body to work on. A lot of the muscles aren’t intuitive, meaning you don’t use them in everyday life that often, so it can be hard to figure out how to get it right. There’s a huge overlap between back and arms, so a lot of these you can expect to help out on arm day as well. Here’s five great exercises to get a totally ripped back.
1. Reverse Lat Pulldown
The reverse lat pulldown is one of the most challenging exercises you can do for your back, but definitely has a high impact and increases muscle gains. A reverse lat pulldown is a regular pulldown with your hands reversed, which increases the amount of work done by your back. It’s also a great workout for your arms because it’s essentially a modified pull-up. This is a great high impact workout that should definitely be included in any back workouts you have planned.
2. Bent-over Barbell Row
The bent-over barbell row is another great back workout. It’s essentially the same as a regular barbell deadlift except you’re bent over at a 90-degree angle. By keeping your back completely straight while you lift, you get a great back workout out of a workout that’s typically just for the arms. Again, another great workout that serves a dual purpose.
3. Rowing Machine
The rowing machine is definitely an underrated piece of equipment in the gym. It’s not a fan favorite, but it gets the job done well. Spending 20 or even 30 minutes on the rowing machine in the gym can really work our your arms and lower back. Just back sure to use proper posture, otherwise the workout will only be in your arms! You should be bending forward and pulling all the way back with a straight back each time.
4. Stiff Leg Barbell Deadlift
Just a modified barbell deadlift — the stiff leg barbell deadlift is a deadlift where you keep your legs completely straight. You bend over at the waist to lower the barbell and repeat. Make sure to keep your back completely straight — that’s the key to a lot of back workouts. Not only is it the only way to make sure your gains are actually in your back, but it’s important to prevent injuries like pulling a muscle.
5. Wide-Set Pull-up
Wide-set pull-ups are another great way to keep your back in shape. It’s essentially just a pull-up where your arms are really far apart. This increases the use of the muscles of your upper back and the area in between your neck and along your spine. It’s definitely an exhausting style of pull-up, but worth it for the killer workout you get through the upper back and arms. When you place your arms on the bar, keep them shoulder-length apart, and then add about four to six inches on either side of that.