Alternatives to lat pull downs

Updated On: March 08, alternatives to lat pull downs, Lat pulldowns have been the primary weapon of choice to build a bigger back for gym rats and bodybuilders for decades. Anyone with the aim of developing a wide, V-tapered back would turn to make lat pulldowns their first port of call. However, with the rise of at-home training and limited access to gyms people have had to get more creative, thinking outside of the box when it comes to packing on mass.

The lat pulldown is a machine-based pulling exercise that has earned a place in practically every training program due to its effectiveness at targeting the latissimus and biceps brachii muscle groups. Despite its popularity however, the lat pulldown presents several issues that can make it incompatible in certain situations — thereby requiring an alternative exercise to be used instead. For the most part, the lat pulldown is substituted out of a workout routine because of a simple lack of equipment, wherein a lat pulldown machine is not available or otherwise is unusable by the exerciser. Other reasons why the lat pulldown many need to be replaced are a need for greater stabilizer muscle recruitment, insufficient training stimulus or a simple dislike of the exercise by the lifter themselves. In particular, the vertical pulling motion of the lat pulldown can alienate certain portions of the middle and upper back, making it a poor accessory exercise if more than just the latissimus dorsi needs to be recruited.

Alternatives to lat pull downs

OUT OF ALL the machines you'll find on the gym floor, few are as effective and useful for building back muscle than the lat pulldown machine. While you can typically find one of these heavyweight rigs in most gyms, that's not always going to be the case. You might not find one of them in a small hotel fitness space, a "functional' CrossFit box, and especially not in your cobbled-together garage training set-up. So, what should you do instead when you need to train the big muscles of your back? Replicating the lat pulldown is tough to do, but these four alternative exercise options will serve you well in the times you can't make it to the gym and need a substitution. Let's talk about what the lat muscles do to get a better picture of what body movements we're trying to recreate. The lat muscles, or the latissimus dorsi , are the largest muscles in your back. The lats stretch from below the shoulder blade to the low portion of the back. It has two primary roles: adducting the arm, or bringing the upper arm inward towards the torso, and extending the shoulder, or pulling the upper arm back behind our torso. The lat pulldown machine is such a valuable piece of equipment because it allows you to hone an important movement pattern: vertical pulling. This is a reliable way to build back muscle—but it's not something that's easy to accomplish. You can also perform a vertical pull with a classic pullup, but not everyone is strong enough to be able to pile up rounds of pullup reps. Since you're using the machine, rather than your bodyweight, you can perform a vertical pull more reliably.

Even once you perfect your form, you might struggle to keep your shoulders retracted and depressed to fully activate your lats.

One of the most common questions we get is how to do lat pulldowns without a lat pulldown machine. We need to replace it with a similar exercise, not an identical one. Lat pulldowns are often programmed in moderate rep ranges of 8—15 reps, but it takes quite a lot of upper-body strength to bust out that many pull-ups, especially when trying to use a full range of motion, bringing our chests all the way up to the bar. Plus, lat pulldowns are often programmed after heavy sets of chin-ups and pull-ups. There are a couple of different ways of doing lat pulldowns.

Endlessly pulling down on a lat machine can be a great way to build strength in your back — but did you know that lat pulldown alternatives are essential to your strength development? Strength works through a variety of principles, but the most important is overload. Overload describes a system by which you continuously load the muscle with a variable stimulus — a fancy way of saying you lift heavier and complete more complex movements. Getting stuck on a lat pulldown machine could hinder your success due to a lack of overload. Instead, diversify your back program with the best lat pulldown alternatives you can do at home, with a barbell and with a dumbbell. Free weights are any dumbbell, kettlebell or resistance device that can be moved through space freely.

Alternatives to lat pull downs

Written by Lee Kirwin. Looking for the best alternatives for lat pulldown? The lat pulldown is one of the best exercises for building a strong, thick upper back. But, if you don't have access to the machine, it can leave you scratching your head trying to figure out alternatives. This article explores the BEST lat pulldown alternatives you can use to work out your back in the comfort of your home gym. The first alternatives will be for those that already have power or squat rack with a chin-up or pull-up bar attached. These are some of my favorite back exercises you can perform as alternatives to the lat pulldown. The pull-up has similar mechanics to the traditional lat pulldown and works your lats nearly as hard.

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In the bottom position, squeeze your shoulder blades down before straightening your arms and controlling the weight up. The single arm dumbbell row is a staple lat pulldown dumbbell alternative in many training programs. Set up a straight or cambered bar to a horizontal seated row station. Stand tall with your knees slightly bent and your feet about hip-width apart. Unsurprisingly the primary target and mover of lat pulldowns are the latissimus dorsi. You need to build muscle on your upper back and across the backs of your shoulders, as well. Sets and Reps: Aim for 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps. Anchor two resistance bands to the top of a squat rack , pull-up bar, or other high and stable structure. Pull-ups are typically done to build muscle size using only your body weight for as many reps as possible. To get the most out of this exercise, keep those elbows in a fixed position.

However, if you have had them in your program for a while, your program may be stalling.

This exercise can be done on a flat bench, decline bench or even an incline bench. This moderate angle makes it a different and effective way to strengthen the scapular muscles and still build the lats, comparable to a traditional pull-up or pulldown. Select the appropriate weight and hold onto the handle with an underhand grip. Cable Crossover Row. The underhand cable row with a forward lean is a variation of the seated cable row where the grip and postural position is set up to help target the lats more and train them through a longer muscle length. The lats are no different. How to: Put the bar in the land mind attachment and grip the free end of the bar closest to the sleeve. How to Substitute the Lat Pulldown with an Alternative. Characteristics of a Lat Pulldown Alternative. This is especially helpful for stronger individuals who may use the full-weight stack on certain cable machines. The main idea is to bring your arms back as far as you can, giving your lats a good stretch.