How To Use A Lat-Pulldown Machine: 7 Best Exercises You Can Do Using This Machine

If you're looking for a low-cost, effective workout machine that will provide endless options for building muscle, the lat pull-down is a great choice.

It's easy to use and allows you to target your upper back muscles with multiple exercises. In this article, we'll discuss the seven best exercises you can perform using this equipment at home or in your gym, and the best way to operate the machine for optimum back gains.

How To Use The Lat Pulldown Machine?

The lat pull-down machine is a great addition to your gym, as it allows you to target the back muscles in a different way than other exercises. This machine can help you build muscle, improve posture and also burn fat. The process of operating this machine is fairly simple and is explained in the seven exercises listed below:

Best Exercises To Do With A Lat Pull-Down Machine

Here's a look at the seven best exercises to do with a lat pull-down machine:

1) Classic Lat Pull-Downs

The lat pull-down is a great exercise for building your back, arms and shoulders. It’s also one of the most popular exercises to do on a machine, as it’s easy to perform, and it targets several muscle groups at once.

Here's how it's done:

Sit down in front of the bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Make sure your knees are bent and feet flat on the floor.
How to set up the machine: Adjust the seat height so that when you sit down with a straight back; there should be no pressure on either knee or ankle when using an overhand grip (palms facing forward). If that isn't comfortable, raise or lower yourself till there isn't any pressure at all on either joint; you should feel completely relaxed while doing this exercise.

2) Seated Row

The seated row is a great exercise for working your back, biceps and shoulders. You can do this exercise using either a bar or rope attachment. It's done as follows:

Using a seated position, pull the weight toward your body by squeezing your shoulder blades together and bending at the elbows to bring the weight close to your chest.
Return till arms are straight, but don’t lock them out completely at the top of each rep.

In addition to working the muscles of your arms and upper body, seated rows also target your middle back, lower back and even abdominal muscles.

3) Underhand Grip Pull-Downs

While this exercise may not seem as exciting as the others on this list, it's one of the most effective ones for getting that pull in your back (the good kind).

How to do it: Sit in front of the lat pull-down machine with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly flaring out. Hold the bar using an underhand grip, with your arms straight down at your sides.
Pull the bar to your chest (that will move the weight stack away from you) till it reaches its lowest point. Slowly release it back up to the starting position (where your arms are straight).

4) Wide Grip Pull-Downs

Wide grip pull-downs are a great way to build strength in your back and biceps. Here's how to do it:

Stand over the high pulley with a wide grip on the bar (the wider, the better).
Bend your elbows, and lower the weight till it touches your upper chest.
Pull back up to the starting position by squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top of each rep.
Perform this movement for at least 12 reps before moving on to another exercise or on to another machine entirely.

5) Tricep Push-Downs

Triceps push-downs are a great way to target the triceps, which is one of the most-used muscles in tthe body.

The tricep push-down is an isolation exercise that allows you to focus on one particular muscle group. This exercise is great for beginners, as it helps build strength and muscle endurance without causing excessive stress on other muscles in the body.

To perform the tricep push-down, stand behind a lat pull-down machine with a bar attached to it. Grab the bar with an overhand grip, and extend your arms straight out in front of you. Your palms should be facing the floor throughout the exercise. You can either use a bar or a rope attachment, whatever is most comfortable for you.
Push down slowly till your arms are fully extended again. Try not to lock out at the top or bottom of each rep, as that will put unnecessary stress on your joints and tendons.
You can use either one or both hands for this exercise; if you only have one free hand, try using both feet to hold yourself up against something so that you don't have to use any other muscles besides your triceps.

6) Overhead Cable Tricep Extensions

To perform this exercise, follow these steps:

Start in a standing position, feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent and arms extended straight above your head with palms facing upward.
Bring the cable down behind your head, and keep your elbows close to your head throughout the movement (don’t let them flare out). Make sure they don't move past your head at any point during the exercise. Squeeze your triceps at the top of this movement for maximum benefit.

7) Cable Curls

To do cable curls, grab a bar with an underhand grip, and stand with your feet at about shoulder distance. Keep your back straight and your abs tight. With your arms extended, bring the bar up to your chest. Slowly release the bar back to the starting position. Repeat for 8-10 reps.

To make this exercise easier: Use a lighter weight, or decrease repetitions.
To make this exercise more difficult: Increase repetitions, or use a heavier weight.

Takeaway

The lat pull-down machine is an excellent tool to help you achieve your fitness goals. It can be used for a wide variety of exercises, including the ones listed above.

The key is to always vary your workouts and keep them interesting so that they don’t get boring or stale.