All about the Wide Lat Pull-Down
(Back & Shoulders)
BENEFITS & MUSCLES WORKED: Lats, Biceps, Forearms, Abs, Shoulders, Upper Back
START POSITION: Stand beneath a cable machine after already attaching a wide bar. Adjust the machine weight to match your ability. Then, grab the bar with an overhand grip, keeping your hands as wide as possible (slightly wider than shoulder width). Sit down, allowing your body weight to help you pull the bar down as you sit. Follow through as you sit down to pull the bar to the top of your chest, keeping your chin up and looking straight forward. Secure your thighs so that they do not lift as the bar goes up.
NOTES: Difficulty Rating: 57%
The Wide Grip Lat Pull-down is a cornerstone of any serious Back workout. As you can see from the ‘Benefits & Muscles Worked’ (above), it is a compound exercise that engages many more muscles than just the back, and hence it is a fabulous exercise to do near the start of your Back session. This is because when you work more muscle groups simultaneously, you do more work, burn more calories, and generate more body heat.
It is essential to do compound exercises near the beginning of a particular gym session, before you do more isolated muscle exercises and smaller (more fragile) muscles. You should always be as warmed up as possible before working out small muscles (for example, the lower back). Remember – BIG muscles FIRST.
