Close-Grip Lat Pulldown
Trains the Lats.
- Equipment
- Cable
- Mechanic
- Compound
- Force
- Pull
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Attach a narrow V-handle or close-grip bar to a lat pulldown machine and set the thigh pad snugly.
- Take the handle with your palms facing each other, then sit down with your arms straight overhead.
- Lean back about ten to fifteen degrees, chest up, and set your shoulder blades down.
- Pull the handle down to your upper chest by driving your elbows down and slightly back, keeping them close to your sides.
- Pause briefly with the handle near your chest, then let it rise under control until your arms are fully straight.
Common mistakes
- Treating it as interchangeable with a wide grip. A close neutral grip lets the elbows travel closer to the ribs, which suits the lat's line of pull; a wide grip involves more of the upper back. Having both in a program is better than debating which is superior.
- Rowing instead of pulling down. If the torso leans back past about thirty degrees the bar path becomes horizontal and the exercise stops being a vertical pull.
- Letting the biceps take over. The elbow bends either way, so it is easy to finish a set with the arms fatigued and the back untouched. Drive the elbows, not the hands.
- Rushing the return. The lengthening half is where the lat is loaded at its longest, and dropping the handle throws it away.