Alternatives to lat pull downs

OUT OF ALL the machines you'll find on the gym floor, few are as effective and useful for building back muscle than the lat pulldown machine.

One of the most common questions we get is how to do lat pulldowns without a lat pulldown machine. We need to replace it with a similar exercise, not an identical one. Lat pulldowns are often programmed in moderate rep ranges of 8—15 reps, but it takes quite a lot of upper-body strength to bust out that many pull-ups, especially when trying to use a full range of motion, bringing our chests all the way up to the bar. Plus, lat pulldowns are often programmed after heavy sets of chin-ups and pull-ups. There are a couple of different ways of doing lat pulldowns. The more popular way of doing lat pulldowns is with a wider, overhand grip, though.

Alternatives to lat pull downs

Are there Lat Pulldown alternatives with dumbbells? It is a compound exercise, meaning it targets several joints and muscles at once. It targets a range of muscles through your upper back, to your biceps, forearms and core. But it is best known for its ability to assist in developing your latissimus dorsi. Hello, width! Learn more about your lats here! The Single Arm Bench Supported Row is a unilateral exercise that allows you to load one side of your body at a time. Unilateral exercises are great for developing equal strength and mass through your left and right sides of your body. This exercise is done with one dumbbell of an appropriate weight, and a bench for support. To perform this exercise correctly, support your body weight on the bench, maintaining a neutral spine and neck. Start holding the dumbbell on an extended arm and row the weight upwards towards your ribs — elbows skimming past your sides. Hold for a second at the top of the movement then return to starting position. The Kroc Row differs in that it is done without the full support of a bench; thus, it can be viewed as the more challenging version of the Single Arm Bench Supported Row due to the core stability it requires. The Kroc Row is done with one dumbbell of an appropriate weight, and the back of a bench or a surface, at an appropriate height, to partially support yourself on. Have your feet in a split stance with your weight centered in your front foot.

Pull ups are the most suitable alternative for you if intense recruitment of the lats is the main goal — and if you are willing to recruit far more muscle groups than the lat pulldown originally would. Substituting the lat pulldown with cable pulldowns requires no additional work or alterations of the workout, and the sets and repetitions may be immediately transposed between the two exercises. The rhomboid pulldown targets these muscles while also building muscle in the center of your mid-back, which for many, is lacking thickness and development, alternatives to lat pull downs.

Many effective workouts include this classic, and for good reason. Pulling in a vertical pattern strengthens your back, shoulders, and arms, while also building the muscles that support and stabilize your shoulder blades. This maintains healthy joint function which, in turn, keeps your entire upper body strong. Eventually, you need to make some adjustments. Here are 12 of the best alternatives to build a bigger, stronger, more complete back. Pulling the bar behind your neck creates an even more efficient path. By slightly altering the mechanics and path of this vertical pull, you train the supporting muscles of the shoulders and shoulder blades through a more complete range of motion.

One of the most common questions we get is how to do lat pulldowns without a lat pulldown machine. We need to replace it with a similar exercise, not an identical one. Lat pulldowns are often programmed in moderate rep ranges of 8—15 reps, but it takes quite a lot of upper-body strength to bust out that many pull-ups, especially when trying to use a full range of motion, bringing our chests all the way up to the bar. Plus, lat pulldowns are often programmed after heavy sets of chin-ups and pull-ups. There are a couple of different ways of doing lat pulldowns. The more popular way of doing lat pulldowns is with a wider, overhand grip, though. When you use an overhand grip, it prevents your biceps from fully engaging, and when you use a wider grip, it emphasizes your lats over your other upper-back muscles.

Alternatives to lat pull downs

Endlessly pulling down on a lat machine can be a great way to build strength in your back — but did you know that lat pulldown alternatives are essential to your strength development? Strength works through a variety of principles, but the most important is overload. Overload describes a system by which you continuously load the muscle with a variable stimulus — a fancy way of saying you lift heavier and complete more complex movements. Getting stuck on a lat pulldown machine could hinder your success due to a lack of overload. Instead, diversify your back program with the best lat pulldown alternatives you can do at home, with a barbell and with a dumbbell. Free weights are any dumbbell, kettlebell or resistance device that can be moved through space freely. In many cases, the free weight section is where most people spend their time when they are working out. In order to find great lat pulldown alternatives with a free weight, we need to isolate the back into pulling movements like rows, reverse fly and extension exercises. This is probably the hardest exercise to get right, but the most effective exercise for developing total body strength and balance.

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Dumbbell pullovers are the ideal free weight alternative for lifters that wish to try an exercise entirely different to the lat pulldown — especially in full body workout sessions where the included pectoral muscle recruitment is a bonus instead of a complication. Jacob Wymer is a powerlifting coach and PhD Candidate in Biomechanics and Strength and Conditioning, researching the application of barbell velocity measurements to powerlifting. These are normally set up so that during the initial pull of the movement, the plates are traveling vertically. These typically suit lower reps due to tendencies to cheat reps and return to a more traditional rowing execution as the reps go on. Back strength is essential for a strong, stable upper body. Seated Row Machine. If you want to isolate the latter function, you can turn to a movement like the straight-arm pulldown, as long as you have access to a cable station. Close Grip Band Row. Tom MacCormick Author. Increase Strength 4 sets 8 reps Wear a weight vest or put a plate on your chest. Muscles follow a simple rule, when they contract, they bring insertions towards the origins. To do the Decline Dumbbell Pullover, lie on your back on a declined bench holding a single dumbbell between your hands, with a slight bend in your elbow.

The lat pulldown is one of the most staple back exercises most people have in their workout routines.

This strength and stability carries over to big lifts like the deadlift , when maintaining proper position for efficient technique. One-arm dumbbell rows are commonplace in training plans across the world, and with good reason. The iliac lat pull around is another example of a cross-body pull. As you pull the band, it becomes more challenging and the muscles have to create more tension, compared to steady resistance with cable pulleys. Secondly, the exercise allows you to fully stretch the lats underload, which is difficult during lat pulldowns without significant modification. The challenging wide grip also taxes your forearm muscles, making them bigger while building a stronger grip. Make sure you keep your core engaged, as well as maintain a neutral spine and neck to support your lower back. It should be noted that there is also a tradeoff in such a scenario, as free weight exercises are known to recruit more stabilizer muscles and generally be more difficult than machine-based exercises like the lat pulldown. He has been a contributor for several health and fitness publications, including WealthyGorilla. Adjust the thigh pad so that it keeps your legs down and your chest is set firmly against the chest pad. You may have to adjust this higher or lower once in position depending on your arm length. Our team of experts, including certified trainers, dietitians, and athletes, brings over a decade of industry expertise. This is to ensure that no premature fatigue of muscles can lead to a breakdown in form or failed repetitions. For the most similar kind of training stimulus, it is best to look to machine-based exercises for a lat pulldown alternative. Slightly bend your knees as you hinge from your hips.