Lat Pulldown Machine
Also known as: Plate-loaded lat pulldown, Lever lat pulldown, Machine lat pulldown, Vertical Traction, Iso-Lateral Front Lat Pulldown
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Description
Sit with your thighs locked under the pad and pull two separate lever handles from straight arms to collarbone height to build a wider, stronger back. Your lats lead the pull, with the teres muscles and infraspinatus on the outer edge of the shoulder blade and your lower and middle traps pitching in. Each arm runs on its own plate-loaded lever along a fixed arc, so there is no bar to balance and your stronger side can't drag the weaker one along. It suits beginners, and it's a better choice than the cable pulldown when one side lags or you want the same path on every rep.
How to Perform
- Load the same plates on both horns. The two arms move independently, so uneven loading shows up as one handle lagging behind.
- Set the seat so you can just reach the handles with straight arms while your thighs sit snug under the pad. Feet flat, knees bent about 90°.
- Take one angled handle in each hand, overhand with your thumbs wrapped around, then sit tall with your chest up. On many machines you half-stand to reach them.
- Start every rep by pulling your shoulders down, away from your ears. Only then drive your elbows down and slightly back toward your sides.
- Follow the machine's arc down past your face to chin or collarbone height. Both handles stay level, your head stays neutral and your torso doesn't move.
- Pause for a beat with your shoulder blades down and back, then let the handles rise over 2–3 seconds until your arms are straight and you feel a stretch under your armpits.
- To finish, ride the handles all the way up before you let go. Released at the bottom, the loaded levers snap up past your face.
What Muscles Work
Primary Muscle:
Secondary Muscles:
Tips
- Pull 8–15 reps for muscle and 6–8 for strength; if you're new, start with 10–15 at a load you can pull to your upper chest without leaning back. Add reps before plates: when all your sets reach the top number with straight arms at the top, level handles and no torso swing, add the smallest plate to each horn (usually 2.5 kg a side, or 1.25 kg if your gym has them) and drop back to the bottom of the range.
- Lever ratios vary from one machine to the next, so the plates on the horns aren't the weight you actually move. Compare your numbers only on the same machine.
- The work runs along the sides of your back from the armpits down and at the outer edge of your shoulder blades, plus a stretch under the armpits at the top. If your biceps and forearms give out before your back, use your hands as hooks and pull with your elbows.
- Can't feel your back working? Drop some plates, pause 1–2 seconds at the bottom, and warm up with a few straight-arm reps where only your shoulders move down. If the empty levers are already too heavy, use the Cable Lat Pulldown, whose stack starts lighter.
- To make it harder, take 3–4 seconds on the way up, or work one arm at a time with the free hand off its handle from the first rep. Off the machine, the next steps are the Assisted Pull-Up and then the Pull-Up.
- Substitutes: Cable Lat Pulldown, Cable Wide Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown (easier on wrists and shoulders), One-Arm Lat Pulldown (each side pulls its own load), Assisted Pull-Up.
Common Mistakes
- Setting the seat wrong: you can't reach the handles at the top, or your thighs float under the pad and your hips lift on heavy reps. Adjust the seat and pad before you load any plates.
- One handle leading or finishing lower because the stronger side takes over. Pull both together and check they stop at the same height; if one side keeps lagging, add some one-arm sets.
- Leaning back and swinging your torso to get each rep moving. Keep your chest up and your torso still, and strip plates until the pull starts from your shoulders again.
- Pulling with your arms first: elbows drift forward, wrists bend and your biceps tire before your back does. Drop the shoulders, then drive the elbows to your sides with straight wrists.
- Shrugging or rolling your shoulders forward at the bottom to force the handles lower. The rep ends where the machine's arc ends, at chin or upper-chest height with your shoulder blades down.
- Cutting the top short or letting the levers fly up. Return over 2–3 seconds all the way to straight arms and catch the plates just before the arms hit the stops.
Recommended Exercises
Explore exercises related to Lat Pulldown Machine for back training and similar movement patterns.
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