Do Lat Pulldowns Like This Instead (BETTER LATS GAINS!)

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Lat pulldowns are a popular back exercise that is commonly done to build big lats. While it is a good exercise, the way you are doing it may not be best for helping you to build your biggest lats. The importance of maximizing the eccentric stretch on the muscle you are working during an exercise is critical to the strength of the contraction that you get when doing it. If you never experience a good stretch on the lats during a lat pulldown then you won’t be able to get the maximum benefits from the exercise.

In this video, I show you how to improve the results you see from doing lat pulldowns by changing that way you do the exercise. It all revolves around how you set up to the machine. In the classic version of the lat pulldown exercise, you sit at the machine and face the bar. You grab the bar with either an overhand or underhand grip and complete the move by pulling the bar down to the upper chest or collar bone.

There are a couple of problems with this execution of the exercise that may be holding you back. Now keep in mind, this is not an incorrect way to perform the exercise, it just may not be the best way for you. This is particularly true of those that say they can feel the movement more in their biceps than they can in their back. If that is you, try this lat pulldown tweak out the next time you hit this exercise in your back workout.

Instead of straddling the seat, sit at an angle with both feet on one side of the middle divider of the machine. From here, turn your knees and feet at an angle away from the midline of the machine. Now reach up and grab either the bar or the handle with one hand. Before starting the pulldown, create a sidebend away from the machine and a slight rotation of your shoulders away as well. This will greatly intensify the normal stretch you feel in this movement.

Next, begin your pulldown out of this three dimensionally stretched position of the lat and you will see that you can execute a much larger and stronger contraction. At the bottom of the rep, twist a little bit into the move and you will find that you can bring your elbow even further behind your body for an even stronger contraction. The fact that you are using a single hand rather than two on the bar at the same time will also help you to intensify the contraction by bringing your elbow a bit more behind your body.

Try this lat pulldown variation the next time you perform this exercise in your back workout and you will feel an immediate difference. If you want to get a complete program that puts the science back in strength to help you get more out of every workout you do, be sure to head to http://athleanx.com and get the step by step, pro athlete based ATHLEAN-X Training System. See just how much faster you can get results from your workouts by paying attention to the details in your workouts.

For more workouts to build big lats as well as the best home back exercises for building a big back, be sure to subscribe to our channel here on youtube at    / jdcav24