Hold at the top, and slowly lower to the starting position.Pull the elbows down and back, lifting the chin up over the bar.Retract and depress the shoulder blades and engage the core.Bend the knees if necessary to enter a dead hang.Hold the bar with your chosen grip style.While grips and styles of pull-ups can be changed depending on your preferences, they all do one thing exceptionally well: engage the lats. Pull-ups can do everything the lat pulldown can and more – without needing a machine. While it’s a difficult exercise to get into, it’s 100% worth the effort. The first exercise on this list has to be the pull-up. Whether you have access to machines, free weights, or just your own body weight, there are exercise options here for you.Įach of these exercises will perform one of the two main functions of the lat pulldown: to mimic a vertical pull compound movement or to isolate and target the lat muscles. The following lat pulldown alternatives are broken down by the different equipment requirements. 14 Best Lat Pulldown Substitutes to Target the Same Muscle Group That being said, whatever your reasons for not doing lat pulldowns, we’re here to provide you with the best lat pulldown alternative exercises possible to increase your size and strength. However, having that lower body supported will have limited your core strength and ability to extinguish energy leaks in a free-hanging position. You might get really strong in lat pulldowns and think you’ll be able to jump right into pull-ups, for example. While this might be good in the short term to focus on those lats, it limits your progress to more advanced exercises. What are the drawbacks of the lat pulldown?Īlthough it’s a great exercise, the lat pulldown does have some disadvantages compared to other back exercises.įirstly, securing the lower body into the seat and leg rest means that you miss out on recruiting the core and lower body throughout the movement. In addition, the lat pulldown can be modified with many different types of handles, either to change the focus of the movement or for comfort. Lat pulldown machines are also widely available in gyms, and many facilities have more than one machine. Perhaps the biggest benefit of the lat pulldown is that it provides a vertical pull exercise that can be scaled to any ability level.Īnother advantage of the lat pulldown machine is that it’s quite a safe machine to use. What are the benefits of the lat pulldown? Biceps brachii (upper arm elbow flexors)įor a more complete breakdown of the musculature of the back and biceps, check out our complete guide to back and bicep training.Trapezius (diamond-shaped mid-back muscle, extending from neck to shoulders to spine).Latissimus dorsi (large muscles running down either side of the back).The following superficial muscles are the prime movers in the lat pulldown exercise:

Lat Pulldown alternatives with machines.Lat Pulldown alternatives with dumbbells.There are options here for every fitness level and equipment option, and we’ve thrown in some example workouts for you to try as well. This article provides a number of the best alternatives to lat pulldowns, neatly broken down by the equipment they require. We’ve got you covered! Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

Maybe you don’t have access to a lat pulldown machine at the moment, or maybe you just want something different.

This exercise has been a staple of back workouts for decades, as it’s a fun, safe, and effective back builder.īut, if you clicked on this article, you’re obviously looking for a change! If you’ve ever signed up to a gym and been given a complimentary program, you’ve no doubt seen the lat pulldown. Lat Pulldown Alternatives With Machines.Lat Pulldown Alternatives With Dumbbells.14 Best Lat Pulldown Substitutes to Target the Same Muscle Group.

Rope straight arm pulldown