Lat Pulldown — Supinated Grip
The lat pulldown is named after the muscle it primarily targets: the latissimus dorsi, or the large back muscle. The lat pulldown can be performed in several ways. It can be performed with a narrow, wide, or neutral grip (using a V-bar). The hands can be placed on the bar with the palms facing toward you (supinated), as in this variation, or facing away from you (pronated). There is also a variation in which the bar is pulled behind the head, although pulling it in front of the head and toward the chest is more common (and more effective and safer).
In addition to the muscles that help pull the upper arms backward and flex the arms, the muscles in the lower back and glutes work to stabilize the upper body.
The trapezius helps pull the shoulder blades backward (middle fibers) and downward (lower fibers).
Lat pulldown supinated grip execution
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1
Attach a wide bar to the top of the cable machine and select the appropriate weight. Make sure the pin is properly inserted.
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2
Grip the bar with your hands shoulder-width apart and your palms facing toward you. Sit down.
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3
Lean your upper body slightly backward (no more than 45 degrees) to assume the starting position.
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4
Pull the bar down until your elbows reach the sides of or slightly behind your body.
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5
Return the bar in a controlled manner by (almost) extending your arms.
Lat pulldown supinated grip
Primary muscles:
- Latissimus dorsi (the large back muscle)
- Trapezius (the trapezius muscle, especially the lower portion)
- Deltoideus (the “deltoid” shoulder muscle, especially the posterior portion)
- Rhomboideus (the rhomboid muscle beneath the trapezius)
- Biceps brachii, brachialis, and brachioradialis (elbow flexion)
- Rotator cuff (stabilizing shoulder muscles: supraspinatus, subscapularis, teres major, teres minor)
Lat pulldown supinated grip technique
Many studies have examined different variations of the lat pulldown, with results that are not always consistent. With this supinated-grip variation, it is often intuitively assumed that the muscles that flex the arms have to work harder, such as the biceps brachii, brachialis, and brachioradialis. This is not an unreasonable idea, given that this grip also allows you to move more weight. Studies have therefore shown that the overhand grip (pronated) isolates the latissimus dorsi from the biceps more than the underhand (supinated) grip. However, this difference turned out to be smaller than you might expect.
Despite differing research results for different grips, there are a few things we can state with reasonable certainty that you should avoid, as well as a number of things that are recommended.
The latissimus dorsi appears to be engaged more when the body leans slightly backward rather than remaining upright. However, leaning backward beyond an angle of 45 degrees turns it into a shoulder exercise. More importantly, you should maintain this angle throughout the exercise. Therefore, do not bring your upper body forward and upward as you extend your arms. This prevents the most common form of cheating in this exercise: throwing the body backward to create momentum and allow your body weight to assist.
Alternatives
- Pull-ups
- Chin-ups
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