Lats pull down is an exercise which targets the latissimus dorsi (lats muscle), and this exercise is a substitute of pull ups and chin ups, if you are a beginner and you have problem in doing pull ups then you can do this exercise lats pull down, this exercise helps in developing your back muscles and gives a V-shape.
Muscles Engage in Lats Pull Down
Latissimus dorsi - This muscle is located in your mid back, it also helps in giving you shape.
Rhomboids - These muscles are in your upper back, it controls the moment of the shoulder blade, such as straightening the posture.
Teres Major - These muscles are near your shoulder muscles, it also helps in the moment of your arm and also helps in shoulder moment.
Posterior Deltoid - These muscles are the back muscles of your shoulder, and it helps in moving your hand forward and backward, and also in full rotation.
Brachioradialis- this is a forearm muscle, which helps in bending your elbow.
Brachialis - This muscle is not visible, this muscle is in the lower part of the brachii, and it also helps in bending the elbow.
Biceps Brachii- This muscle has two parts, one is Long Head, and the other is Short Head
Long Head, which starts from the upper part of the shoulder, means it starts from inside.
Short Head, which starts from the upper part of the shoulder and both of these together help at the moment of arm rotation and elbow.
How to perform Lats Pull Down
- First check, adjust your seat pad to your quads, make sure it is fully locked.
- Then set your favorite weight, then make a good grip on the bent point of the bar, pull the bar and attach your quads to the seat pad.
- Then take a deep breath and pull the bar towards your upper chest, and make sure you keep your elbows slightly forward while pulling, take a 1 sec pause, release your breath slowly and at the same time slowly release the bar.
- And make sure you open your lats fully while releasing the bar.
- And then Repeat , Perform 3-4 sets 10-12 reps
Tips for Lats Pull down
- While bringing the bar down, do not go too far back
- Try to take medium weight and try to touch upper chest.
- There should be no gap between seat pad and quad, only if it is completely tight, your posture will be correct and only then you will be able to engage your lats muscle.
- Make sure you take thumbless grip and keep elbow a little forward from shoulder, otherwise all weight will go on your forearm and biceps, lats muscle will not be engaged properly.
- Make sure your feet completely touch the ground, otherwise muscle-mind connection will not happen.
Benefits of Lats Pull Down
- It gives definition to your back muscles and also helps in muscle growth.
- It gives width and a V shape to your lats muscle It prevents your shoulder injury.
- It helps in correcting your posture It helps a lot in gripping when you are doing heavy lifting, such as deadlift, barbell rowing.
- It also improves pull up, makes your forearm and biceps strong.
Variations
- Straight Arm Lats Pull Down
- Reverse Grip Lats Pull Down
- Neutral Grip Lats Pull Down
- Wide Grip Lats Pull Down
- Single Arm Lats Pull Down
- Set the pulley of the cable machine to high, attach the bar or rope.
- Pull the pulley and go back 3-4 steps, join your legs to each other and bend at 10-15 degrees, make sure your hands are in a straight position.
- Take a deep breath, bring the bar down with the help of your forearms, near your belly, pause for 1 sec and then release, Perform 3 sets 10-12 reps.
Reverse Grip Lats Pull Down
- Hold the bar with a grip on the shoulders, but your palm should be facing towards you, lock the quads, lift your chest, take a deep breath, and touch the bar to your mid-chest.
- Make sure your elbows go out away from your body and squeeze your lats properly. Then slowly lower the bar. Perform 3 sets of 12-15 reps.
Target :Lower and middle fibers of back
Neutral Grip Lats Pull Down
- The only difference in this is that you will use a V bar instead of the long bar.
- Grip the bar, engage your quads, lift your chest.
- Take a deep breath, then bring the bar downwards, touch your upper chest and slowly release the bar and open your lats muscles in the same manner. Then repeat, perform 3 sets 8 -10 reps.
Target: It works on thickness.
Wide Grip Lats Pull Down
- In this exercise you will use long bar, the only difference is that you hold it completely at the end.
- Grip the bar, lift the chest, and while bringing the bar down you will move slightly backwards, touch the mid-chest, pause for 1 sec and then slowly release the bar in a controlled way, then repeat, perform 3 sets 12-15 reps.
Target :Back Width
Single Arm Lats Pull Down
- This exercise is also known as kneeling down lats pull down, you can do this sitting on a bench or keeping one knee down in front of another.
- But you will engage more muscles in knee down as compared to bench, on cable machine set the pulley at high and place a D bar, pull the bar and come back 3 steps, lower your knees and keep one hand in front of another.
- Then take a deep breath and bring the bar towards you, make sure the bar touches your lower chest, squeeze it well, pause for 1 second.
- Then slowly release the bar in a controlled manner, you will perform this single hand in one exercise, perform 3 sets 8-10 reps.
0 Comments