Top 10 Lat Pulldown Variations for a Stronger, Wider Back

What Is a Lat Pulldown?

The lat pulldown is a gym exercise where you pull a weighted bar down toward your chest. It primarily targets the muscles in your back, especially the lats, which are the largest muscles on the sides of your back.

To perform the exercise, you sit, grab the bar, and pull it down to chest level before allowing it to return to the starting position. This movement helps build a stronger, wider back.

Lat pulldowns can be performed using three different grips: overhand, underhand, and neutral.

Lat Pulldown Variations

Lat pulldowns can be performed with cable machines and resistance bands. Here are some variations of this exercise:

1. The Standard Pulldown

The standard lat pulldown is the foundation of all pulldown variations. It’s simple yet highly effective for strengthening the lats and building a wide back. This movement mimics the action of a pull-up, making it a great alternative for those who struggle with bodyweight exercises.

How to Perform:

• Simply sit down on the bench with your legs tucked under the pads.
• Place your hands shoulder-width apart.
• Pull the bar down to your chest. That's one rep.
• Keep your elbows close to your sides throughout the exercise.
• Perform as many reps as you can.

2. The Wide-Grip Pulldown

The wide-grip pulldown is a powerful exercise for developing back width. By taking a wider grip, you engage the upper portion of the lats more intensely, emphasizing the V-taper look. This grip also limits bicep involvement, ensuring your back does most of the work.

How to Perform:

• Sit at a lat pulldown machine and grip the bar with a wide, overhand grip.
• Pull the bar down to chest level, maintaining a strong posture.
• Keep your elbows close to your sides and avoid swinging the weight. This exercise is about controlled movement.

3. The Reverse-Grip Pulldown

The reverse-grip pulldown shifts focus to the lower fibers of the lats while also engaging the biceps more than other variations. This movement promotes better muscle activation in the lower back, making it an excellent addition to your workout for balanced lat development.

How to Perform:

• Start by sitting at a lat pulldown machine and adjusting the seat so that your knees are at a 90-degree angle. 
• Next, grab the bar with an underhand grip and then position your hands so that they are shoulder-width apart. 
• Slowly pull the bar down from there until it is level with your chin. 
• Be sure to keep your elbows close to your sides throughout the motion. 
• Finally, return the bar to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

4. The Close-Grip Pulldown

The close-grip pulldown places greater emphasis on the middle and lower traps, rhomboids, and lower lats. Because your hands are positioned closer together, this variation enhances back thickness and overall pulling strength. It’s an excellent choice for those looking to improve posture and upper body stability.

How to Perform:

• Sit at a lat pulldown machine with the weight stack set to your desired weight. 
• Then, grasp the bar with a narrower grip than shoulder width. 
• Simply pull the bar down to your chest while keeping your elbows close to your sides. 
• Be sure to keep your upper body still and your shoulders pulled down and back throughout the movement. 
• Reverse the motion and return to the starting position. 
• Repeat for desired reps.

5. The Single Arm Kneeling Pulldown

This unilateral variation helps correct muscle imbalances while engaging the core more than traditional pulldowns. Because you’re kneeling instead of seated, the movement requires greater stability and control, making it a highly effective functional exercise. It also allows for a full range of motion, leading to better lat activation.

How to Perform:

• Start by kneeling on a mat or bench. 
• Use a cable machine, grasp the handle with a neutral grip. 
• If using a resistance band<, anchor it to a sturdy object at about head height. 
• Pull the handle down towards your shoulder and keep your back straight and your core engaged. 
• Squeeze your lat at the bottom of the movement, then slowly return to the starting position. 
• Repeat for 10-12 reps per side.

6. Standing Straight Arm Lat Pulldown 

The standing straight-arm lat pulldown is another great way to add core stability to your usual lat pulldowns. It engages and strengthens the lower back and helps build more muscle in your arms and shoulders. Plus, it is simple to execute, there is no complexity involved at all.

How to Perform:

• Stand in front of a cable machine with the attachment set around head level and grasp the rope with a neutral grip.
• Pull the rope down to your hips, then return to the starting position. 
• Make sure to keep your core engaged throughout the entire range of motion to prevent your lower back from arching.
• Release and extend your arms upward in a controlled fashion. This is one rep.
• Repeat the desired number of reps.

7. Supinated Machine Lat Pulldown 

The supinated machine lat pulldown is a great way to target your lower lats (a problem area for most people). This grip variation can also help alleviate lower back pain caused by weak muscles in that area.

How to Perform:

• Sit on a lat pulldown machine with your feet flat on the ground.
• Grasp the bar with an underhand grip. 
• Pull the bar down to your chest, then return to the starting position. This is one rep.
• Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Related Article: Exercises to Ease Your Back Pain, Restore Your Health

8. Face Pulls 

Face pulls are among the best exercises for correcting poor posture and evenly developing strength throughout the upper back musculature. Poor posture often leads to rounded shoulders, which can result in the hunched posture popularly referred to as "text neck" these days.

Face pulls may not be as flashy as deadlifts or as popular as pull-ups, but they are a crucial part of any well-rounded back workout.

How to Perform:

• Set the cable machine to the upper chest or face height and attach a rope handle.
• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and grasp the rope with both hands using a neutral grip (palms facing each other).
• Step back slightly to create tension in the cable.
• Pull the rope toward your face while keeping your elbows high and flaring them outward.
• Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement.
• Slowly return to the starting position in a controlled manner.
• Repeat for 10-15 reps per set.

9. V-Bar Lat Pulldown

The V-bar lat pulldown is an effective exercise that specifically targets your latissimus dorsi (lats) while also activating the shoulders, biceps, and middle back muscles. Its neutral hand placement helps reduce stress on the shoulders during vertical pulling.

How to Perform:

• Sit down at the lat pulldown machine and hook up a V-bar. 
• Grab the bar with your palms facing each other. 
• Start by pulling your shoulder blades down, then bend your elbows and pull your arms back. 
• Pull the bar down to where your elbows line up with your sides. 
• Slowly return the bar to the starting position.
• Repeat for the desired number of reps.

10. Behind the Neck Lat Pulldown

This lat pulldown variation requires you to sit on a pulldown machine while holding the weighted bar behind your neck. In addition to targeting the lats, it engages the rear deltoids. However, it is not suitable for beginners or individuals with shoulder issues.

How to Perform:

• Grab the bar with your palms facing away and start by pulling your shoulder blades down.
• Bend your elbows and pull the bar down behind your head until it's close to your neck. 
• Let the bar go back up slowly to the starting position.
• Repeat for the desired number of reps.

FAQs

1. What is an alternative to lat pulldowns?

You can do pull-ups or inverted rows if you don't have access to a lat pulldown machine. They work the same muscles as lat pulldowns and you can do them at home without a machine.

2. What do different grips on lat pulldown do?

Different grips on lat pulldowns help target the lats in various ways, isolate the back muscles more efficiently, and improve the range of motion. Each grip variation targets specific parts of the lats. Some grips also turn this exercise into a more compound movement, engaging the shoulders and arms.

3. Is lat pulldown the same as pull-up?

The lat pulldown is a machine-based exercise where you pull a bar toward your chest. The pull-up is a bodyweight movement where you hang from a bar and pull yourself up until your chin clears the bar. Both exercises work the same muscle groups—back, shoulders, and arms.

Conclusion 

Building a powerful back isn’t just about putting in the effort—it’s about training smarter. The right variations make all the difference, ensuring maximum lat activation, strength, and muscle growth.

Relying on the same movement over and over leads to stalled progress and weak engagement, but switching it up keeps your back growing and getting stronger.

These 10 lat pulldown variations target every angle, improve your pull strength, and help carve out that V-shaped, well-defined back. It’s time to push harder, pull better, and build the back you’ve been working for!

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