We all know pull-ups is one of the best exercises of all time for upper body strength and size. But if you cannot perform a pull-up, the lat pulldown is a great alternative to get a similar training effect.
The lateral pulldown or lat pulldown for short, is a compound exercise that allows you to train a large group of muscles at once making it an efficient and functional exercise. It strengthens your upper back muscles, the biceps, the forearms and the latissimus dorsi.
Here are our top tips to improve your Lat pulldowns:
- Grab the pulldown bar just outside your shoulders or a little wider, so that more emphasis is on the back muscles as against your bicep muscles.
- Pause at the top of the movement and Pause at the bottom squeezing the back and shoulders as you pull down and feel the mind to muscle connection. It is important to squeeze or contract your muscle, so that more blood is drawn to that particular muscle. And as we all know that blood carries all the nutrients which repair and rebuild the muscle fiber.
- Grip the pull-down bar without using your thumbs. You would be surprised by the burn you feel in your back and lat muscles.
- Swaying back too much or swinging too much is using momentum. Avoid any swinging and stay still when doing the movement.
Final word:
To put it all together, have a solid form and technique, use full range of motion, control the weight and don’t go too heavy.
Following a proper technique, using the tips mentioned above, you’ll be able to increase the size of your lats considerably and achieve that ever appealing V taper back.
And remember “Redbull doesn’t give you wings, Lat pulldowns do!”