If you’re seeking an athletic physique that has the torso that has a V-shape, you should treat your thighs with love. This muscle, which is shaped like a wing, is the largest of the upper body, and it covers the entire area of the mid and back. Therefore, working it will increase your in strength and thickness. The most well-known exercises that targets your Latissimus Dorsi muscles is the pulldown of the lats. It’s a complex exercise that targets the lats however is flexible enough to allow numerous variations to keep your workout interesting and help you reach your fitness goals with greater efficiency.
What is what is a Lat Pulldown?
The lat pulldown an endurance training exercise that is designed to focus on your Latissimus Dorsi. It is the biggest muscle in the upper body, and is responsible for movements in the shoulders, back and arms. In addition, gaining mass in this muscle will increase your strength, and will give you the desired V-shaped back. Lat pulldowns are typically done using a lat pulldown machine. It’s a great alternative to pull-ups in the beginning stages of strengthening. Another benefit of the pulldown lat is its versatility – there are a variety of variations you can try using various hand positions, allowing you to perform the exercise in a different manner to get the best results.
Which Muscles can Lat Pulldowns Perform?
The muscles you work on during the pulldown of the lat is that of Latissimus Dorsi as well as Teres Major. This exercise also strengthens the trapezius, deltoid posterior and biceps. It also works the rhomboids, bice and forearms. It also works your triceps, rotator-cuff and the core, which help will help you to stay in place during the exercise. It’s an fantastic upper back and upper body exercise. In addition, depending on the grip you choose to use it is able to emphasize and strengthen different muscles and is perfect to keep your training fresh and gaining width across your back.
Wide Grip vs. Close Grip Lat Pulldown
The grip you employ when pulling down your lats can impact the muscles that are stressed. Two options to consider are a narrow or a tight grip. Research has proven that the best stimulation of the lats during the eccentric phase of the exercise by using a wide grip on the overhand. While a smaller grip is more focused in the biceps brachii area and the lower part that is the lower part of your lats. But there aren’t any major differences however, and you don’t need to notice more drastic differences in width or size when you use one grip more that the others. The choice you make will be based on your objectives and each grip is a good fit in an exercise routine that is well-rounded to reduce boredom and improve the adherence.
Lat Pulldown Vs. Pull-Up
The pulldown of the lat is similar to the pull-up which also exercises the lats. The major distinction between them are that one is an open chained exercise, while the latter is being a closed chain. In a pull-up the body is pushed against an impermeable force (in this instance the bar) and when you pull down, the resistance is generated by the movement of a force (in this instance the plates that hold weights). Although a pull-up is thought of as an exercise that is more useful however, a lat pulldown can nonetheless a powerful strength-training exercise. In addition, pull-ups can be harder because there isn’t an adjustable weight. Therefore, if you’re brand just beginning to train and trying to build your upper back as well as back muscle, pulldowns with lats are a great way to begin your journey when you’re working your way towards pull-ups.
How to do a Lat Pulldown
The mechanisms of pulling down the lats are straightforward, however, the lats can be a challenge to activate. If this happens then the traps and biceps will take over, which then hinders the gains you’re hoping to achieve. To counter this, you need to improve your muscle-mind connection, so that you’ll experience a firm contraction of the muscles. It is possible to achieve this by incorporating lat activation exercises during your workout prior to your pulldowns, and being aware of signals that could aid. This includes pulling using your elbows instead of hands, and using an unidirectional grip, which means your fingers aren’t as active and act more like hooks. Also, when pulling, you should focus on lowering your shoulders prior to beginning the exercise, and then bringing them back down to ensure proper posture.
Execution
- You should sit at the lat pulldown machine with the weight you’ve chosen. Adjust the pads to are firmly positioned across your knees. Your knees should be 90 degrees, with your feet lying flat on the floor.
- Grab the bar using the grip you prefer, then draw it back until you’re sitting.
- Release your shoulders, flex your core, then lean back a bit (20-30 degrees) with an upright spine.
- Keep your eyes on your elbows while you pull the bar toward your chest, while bringing your elbows back, and squeeze your shoulder blades to bring them together.
- Stop when you feel a nice stretched chest, and complete contraction of your lats. Based on your flexibility it could be on top of or just the upper chest.
- You should hold the bar for a few seconds, and then bring the bar back to its beginning position using a control.