Lat Pulldown

One of the best exercises for your back is the lat pulldown. It is also fairly popular for both men and women. In general, people aren't too afraid to perform this exercise (like they are with something like the T-Bar row), however that means a lot of people do this without the proper form. On a daily basis at the gym I see someone perform this exercise incorrectly, which means they run the risk of injuring themselves, specifically their lower backs.

The first way this is done incorrectly is by putting on too much weight and jerking your entire body to pull the weight down. If you need to use your entire body to get the weight down you have too much weight on the machine. This is not a full body exercise but targets the back so thats where you need to focus. A smooth, controlled motion is what will be most effective and will be less likely to cause injury.

The second way this is performed incorrectly is when the bar is brought down to the waist, instead of stopping at the chest. This again puts the lower back at risk of injury and prevents the lats from developing properly.

This is where the lats are and the area of devlopment the lat pulldown is meant to hit:

By pulling the bar down slow and controlled and really squeezing your back muscles you will get the best results. A strong back is also not just for asthetics, the lats are the largest muscles of the back and are used in many lifting exercises as well as daily activities like lifting things off of high shelves etc. The function of the Latissimus Dorsi is to pull the arm down towards the pelvis. When the arm is fixed (e.g. during a chin-up), the lats serve to bring the body up towards the arm. It is the same basic movement but with the directions reversed. The Lats also function to stabilize the torso during many movements, including the flat bench press. So, they are an important muscle group!

If you are a visual learner like me though, here us what it should look like:


This is a great exercise, just make sure you are doing it correctly and in a slow, controlled motion.

Happy fitness!