Execution
- Assume a seated position on the lat pull-down machine so that the overhead bar is directly in front of your body. The thigh resistance rollers should be adjusted to fit snugly over your thighs when the feet are in full contact with the floor.
- Grasp the angled ends of the pull-down bar with a pronated (palms facing away) grip. Your trunk should be erect, the arms fully extended and the shoulders elevated to depict a wide letter “Y”.
- In cases where you have to stand up to grasp the bar, be sure to pull the bar down and then to sit down and secure the thighs, to assume the ready position.
- Inhale slightly more than usual and hold your breath as you pull the bar straight down in front of your head to shoulder level.
- Be sure to keep the trunk vertical and erect by contracting the erector spinae muscles to hold this position.
- When beginning to pull down, pull down first with the shoulders and then pull down with the arms with the elbows leading.
- As you pull down, keep the elbows back and pointed out toward the sides, i.e., in the same side plane as your body. Hold the down position for 1-2 seconds and then exhale as you return under control to the starting position.
- Pause momentarily for a good shoulder stretch in the up position and then repeat. Be sure that your arms are fully extended before beginning each repetition.
Workout Tips
- Your arms should be fully extended and the shoulders elevated when you begin the pull-down. This is needed to ensure a full range of motion and maximum development of the upper latissimus dorsi. If your arms are bent when beginning, you will minimize your muscular development and may lose shoulder flexibility.
- To ensure full development of the upper lats, be sure that your grip is wide, up to 10 or more inches wider than each shoulder. If you have a narrow grip which brings the elbows in front, you will be stressing more of the lower lats, not the upper
- In order to get full tension on the upper lats, be sure to keep the trunk erect at all times. If you lean back as you pull down, you bring into play more of the rear shoulder muscles and lower lats
- Holding your breath as you pull down helps to stabilize the trunk in the erect position and also creates the base from which the muscles can effectively pull. This makes the exercise more efficient and safer.
- Concentrate on pulling down with the shoulders at the beginning of the movement and then pull down with the elbows.
- To get full development of the upper lats, it is important that you bring the bar down to shoulder or upper chest level. This is possible when doing the front pull-down as opposed to the pull-down behind the head.
- Be sure your grip is wide so that the arms pull down in a side plane. If your grip is narrow (shoulder-width or less apart) there is a tendency for the elbows to come in front which will change the emphasis to the lower latissimus dorsi rather than the upper.
- A supinated grip with the palms facing toward you should be used only when you want emphasis on the biceps and other elbow flexors and the lower lats. In the wide grip, the biceps and other flexors act only to stabilize the joint not to pull the bar down.
Major Muscles Involved
The major muscles involved in the shoulder joint are the upper latissimus dorsi, lower pectoralis major and teres major. The latissimus dorsi is a large muscle that covers the sides of the upper back from the shoulder to the spine and to the top of the hip bone. The muscle fibers of the upper latissimus dorsi are fairly horizontal which puts them in an ideal position for pulling the arm down sideways (shoulder joint adduction). In the lower section, the fibers are more vertical and thus best suited for shoulder joint extension. The pectoralis major is the large muscle of the chest and has two distinct sections. In this exercise, only the lower (sternal) portion is involved. The muscle fibers run almost horizontally in this section which place them in an ideal position for the pull-down. The teres major is a round muscle located on the upper sides of the back. Its actions parallel those of the latissimus dorsi. In the shoulder girdle, the muscles that act on the scapula are the rhomboid and pectoralis minor. These muscles cannot be seen as the rhomboid lies beneath the middle trapezius while the pectoralis minor is located under the pectoralis major. The rhomboid is a fairly large muscle while the pectoralis minor is relatively small.
Muscle/Joint Actions
The main action in the shoulder joint is adduction in which the arms move downward and inward while they remain in line with the sides of the body. This action involves mainly the upper latissimus dorsi, teres major and the lower pectoralis major, especially at the beginning of the movement. The pulling down and down rotation of the scapula in coordination with the arm movement is the function of the rhomboid and pectoralis minor. The biceps and other elbow flexor muscles contract to stabilize the elbow joint. By themselves, they are not able to pull the bar down. The elbow flexion is a consequence of the upper arm action.
Sports Uses
For bodybuilders, the front lat pull-down is very effective for developing a broader upper back and for strengthening the upper back muscles. By going through a full range of motion, you also get greater definition of the involved muscles. The front pull-down is an extremely important exercise for athletes involved in sports that involve a pulling-up body action. It has great value in rock and mountain climbing, pull-ups and rope climbing. This exercise is a must for athletes involved in sports that require pulling down objects as for example, the ball in basketball, especially when the arms are fully extended overhead. It is especially important in gymnastics on the rings and horizontal, parallel and uneven bars and one of the best exercises for swimmers as it duplicates to a good extent the pulling action in most swim strokes.