FitPointz

Here you will find an article on one exercise (new one every month). With a detailed analysis of the muscles used during the exercise and a informative description of how to both perform and assist in the actual performance of the exercise.

A full library of all previous exercises can be found at members online under the sub menu - fitpointz archives (members only).

Exercise: Wide Grip Lat Pulldown

Client Instruction

1. Position yourself directly underneath the bar of a lat pulldown machine

2. Depending on the machine being used, you can either sit or kneel under the bar

3. From this position, grasp the bar with a pronated grip on the outer most end so that your arms form a wide “V” and are fully extended

Up Phase (weight is lifted)

4. Contract your abdominals to protect your low back

5. From this staring position, pull the bar down in front of your face either to the top of your shoulders or chest

Down Phase (weight is lowered)

6. Pause in this position and then slowly lower the weight by straightening your arms back to the original starting position

Muscle Analysis Wide Grip Lat Pulldown (Up Phase) - Weight lifted

Muscle Analysis Wide Grip Lat Pulldown (Down Phase) - Weight lowered

*Down Phase (weight lowered)*

In the down phase of the exercise the weight is lowered slowly with gravity. The muscles that concentrically contracted to lift the weight are the same that are eccentrically contract-ing to lower the weight.

General Kinesiological Analysis

In the wide grip lat pulldown (to the front) the latissimus dorsi, teres major, pectoralis major, triceps and the subscapularis are the major muscles responsible for the shoulder joint adduction. The trapezius, rhomboids and the pectoralis minor contract to move the scapula into adduction and downward rotation. The biceps brachii, brachialis and the brachioradialis and the pronator teres are responsible for elbow joint flexion.

Advanced Kinesiological Analysis

The latissimus dorsi, teres major and pectoralis major are the prime movers for the wide grip lat pulldown (to the front), while the subscapularis and the triceps are the assistant movers in adduction of the shoulder joint. The prime movers at the scapula are the trapezius, rhomboids and the pectoralis minor. The biceps, brachialis and brachioradialis are the prime movers, while the pronator teres is the assistant mover during elbow joint flexion. During the up  phase (weight being lifted) of the lat pulldown, the latissimus dorsi, teres major, pectoralis major and the subscapularis will cause an additional secondary movement of medial rotation of the humerus. As all these muscles have an insertion on the anterior humerus, when they pull the shoulder joint into adduction they will also cause medial rotation.

To prevent this medial rotation of the humerus from occurring, the infraspinatus and teres minor will act as neutralizers as well as the bar. The triceps contributes to actions of the shoulder joint because of the origin of its long head on the end of the scapula. The long head can assist in shoulder joint extension and adduction. The teres major and subscapularis originate on the scapula. In the up phase (weight lifted) of the lat pulldown, the teres major and subscapularis must initially contract on a firm origin. For the scapula to be fixed, while acting as the origin for the teres major and subscapularis, the trapezius, rhomboids and the pectoralis minor must contract statically at the beginning of the exercise.

Once the weight is initially pulled down, the shoulder continues into adduction with the trapezius, rhomboids and pectoralis minor now contracting concentrically to move the scapula into downward rotation and adduction. During this phase of the exercise, the trapezius, pectoralis minor and the rhomboids will also neutralize any unwanted secondary actions that each will cause.

If the lat pulldown is executed with the bar drawn down behind the head, the recruitment of muscles will differ. The limitation that the bar imposes by touching the back of the neck and shoulders limits the ability of the pectoralis major to contribute to the exercise. When performed to the front of the body, the pectoralis major is activated when the elbows drop below the shoulder and the bar is dragged down below the chin. At this point, the line of pull of the pectoralis major is below the shoulder joint, allowing the pectoralis major to pull the humerus in towards the trunk. It has even been suggested that the deltoid can begin to contribute to the exercise as the bar is dropped below the shoulder joint.

Exercise Variations

If the lat pulldown is performed with a “V” grip or “A” frame handle, the action at the shoulder joint is extension, rather than adduction, as it is with the wide grip lat pulldown. In the narrow neutral grip lat pulldown, the shoulder joint extension is caused by the latissimus dorsi, teres major, posterior deltoid, pectoralis major acting a prime movers, with the subscapularis, triceps, infraspinatus and teres minor contracting as assistant movers. This indicates that the narrow neutral grip lat pulldown will recruit the pectoralis major and posterior deltoid through the full range of motion. This is not the case in the wide grip lat pulldown, where they are only recruited in the last part of the exercise.

The sternal portion of the pectoralis major is a main contributor to neutral grip lat pulldowns.  The muscles of the scapula remain the same irrespective of the variation in the narrow or wide grip lat pulldown. The lat pull down is sometimes performed with the client leaning back in the seat and the bar dragged down towards the chest. Again the action at the shoulder has changed. In this variation, the action of the shoulder joint is horizontal abduction, caused by the concentric contraction of the infraspinatus, teres minor, posterior deltoid, latissimus dorsi and the teres major. The prime movers are the infraspinatus, teres minor and deltoid. The latissimus dorsi and teres major are now assistant movers, whereas in the wide and narrow grip lat pulldowns they were classified as prime movers.

As the infraspinatus, teres minor and posterior deltoid contract to bring the bar towards the chest, they will also attempt to laterally rotate the humerus. The latissimus dorsi and the teres major will counter this additional action by neutralizing their unwanted actions, while at the same time acting as assistant movers.

The pectoralis minor and the rhomboids are the prime movers in adduction of the scapula. The trapezius is no longer the force that it was in moving the scapula in the narrow and wide grip lat pulldowns.  While they are working in unison to cause adduction of the scapula they are neutralizing the unwanted secondary actions of upward and downward rotation. The pectoralis minor and the rhomboids will contract to cause adduction of the scapula at the same time that the shoulder joint is horizontally abducted. In all three variations of the lat pulldown, the biceps, brachialis, brachioradialis and the prona-tor teres will contract concentrically to cause elbow joint flexion. Other exercises that recruit the same muscles and cause the same actions at the same joints as lat pulldowns, are the chin up variations. The wide pronated grip chin up will cause adduction of the shoulder joint by the contraction of the latissimus dorsi, teres major, triceps and subscapularis. In this case, instead of the bar being dragged down towards the chest as in a lat pulldown, the chest is being pulled up to the bar. 

The trapezius, pectoralis minor and the rhomboids will contract to pull the scapula into adduction and downward rotation. When the chin up changes to a neutral grip, the action at the shoulder joint in the up phase is extension. Again, this chin up variation is the same as the narrow grip lat pulldown. However, instead of the bar being dragged to the chest, the chest is dragged to the bar. The latissimus dorsi, teres major, posterior deltoid, pectoralis major will be the prime movers, while the infraspinatus, teres minor, subscapularis and triceps will be assistant movers in extension of the shoulder joint. The trapezius, rhomboids and the pectoralis minor will contract to move the scapula into adduction and downward rotation.

Cable Pulley Variation

The client sits on a bench or stability ball facing a high cable pulley machine. From this seated position the client reaches up to a long bar on the high cable pulley. With the arms positioned wide on the bar the client pulls the bar down to the front of the chest. Once in this position the client can then slowly lower the weight stack back down to the original starting position. The client can position their body between the high cable handles of a cable cross over machine. With the feet firmly astride approximately shoulder width distance the client can reach up and grasp a handle on either side of cross over machine. From this starting position the client can perform a high cable cross over by pulling the cable pulley handles down by adducting the shoulder joints and flexing the elbow joints.

Once the handle reaches the shoulders, the client can then slowly lower the weight stacks back to the starting position by abducting the shoulders and extending the elbows. This variation can be further modified with the client seated on a stability ball between the handles and weight stacks of the cable cross over machine.

© 2007 Fitness Institute Australia

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or any reliance on it. Users should satisfy themselves as to their own or clients medical and physical condition before adopting/using
the information or recommendations made. No responsibility or liability is accepted for any loss or damage suffered
by any person as a result of adopting the above information or recommendations.

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