The pull-down exercise is a

strength training Strength training or resistance training involves the performance of physical exercises that are designed to improve strength and endurance. It is often associated with the lifting of weights. It can also incorporate a variety of training te ...

exercise designed to develop the

latissimus dorsi muscle The latissimus dorsi () is a large, flat muscle on the back that stretches to the sides, behind the arm, and is partly covered by the trapezius on the back near the midline. The word latissimus dorsi (plural: ''latissimi dorsorum'') comes from L ...

. It performs the functions of downward rotation and depression of the scapulae combined with adduction and extension of the shoulder joint. The cable lat pull-down is done where the handle is moved via a cable pulley, as opposed to doing pull-downs on a leverage machine.

Muscles

The standard pull-down motion is a compound movement that requires dynamic work by muscles surrounding the three joints which move during the exercise. These are the

elbow The elbow is the region between the arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and the me ...

in conjunction with the

glenohumeral The shoulder joint (or glenohumeral joint from Greek ''glene'', eyeball, + -''oid'', 'form of', + Latin ''humerus'', shoulder) is structurally classified as a synovial ball-and-socket joint and functionally as a diarthrosis and multiaxial joint. ...

and scapulothoracic joints in the

shoulder The human shoulder is made up of three bones: the clavicle (collarbone), the scapula (shoulder blade), and the humerus (upper arm bone) as well as associated muscles, ligaments and tendons. The articulations between the bones of the shoulder mak ...

girdle.

Latissimus dorsi

The latissimus dorsi performs extension and adduction of the arm directly to the spinal fascia. It bypasses the scapulae unlike other muscles which perform this function, so work performed by this muscle will not contribute to muscles that affect the scapulae. The lower sternal fibers of the pectoralis major also perform this role of extension and adduction to a lesser degree. The contraction of these adductor/extensor muscles can indirectly depress and downwardly rotate the scapulae; this is only required when they are pulled into elevation and upward rotation by the contraction of muscles that attach to the scapulae. If the weight were being pulled solely by the lats, for example, the scapulae would simply be pulled down by gravity, along for the ride.

Scapular

Muscles that attach to and depress the scapulae include the lower

trapezius muscle The trapezius is a large paired trapezoid-shaped surface muscle that extends longitudinally from the occipital bone to the lower thoracic vertebrae of the spine and laterally to the spine of the scapula. It moves the scapula and supports the ...

and the

pectoralis minor Pectoralis minor muscle () is a thin, triangular muscle, situated at the upper part of the chest, beneath the pectoralis major in the human body. Structure Attachments Pectoralis minor muscle arises from the upper margins and outer surfaces ...

. The pec minor also works in conjunction with the

rhomboid muscle The rhomboid muscles (), often simply called the rhomboids, are rhombus-shaped muscles associated with the scapula. There are two rhomboid muscles on each side of the upper back: * Rhomboid major muscle * Rhomboid minor muscle The large rhom ...

and

levator scapulae The levator scapulae is a slender skeletal muscle situated at the back and side of the neck. As the Latin name suggests, its main function is to lift the scapula. Anatomy Attachments The muscle descends diagonally from its origin to its inserti ...

to perform downward rotation of the scapulae. Muscles which attach to the scapulae that adduct and extend the arm include the posterior

deltoid muscle The deltoid muscle is the muscle forming the rounded contour of the human shoulder. It is also known as the 'common shoulder muscle', particularly in other animals such as the domestic cat. Anatomically, the deltoid muscle appears to be made up o ...

s, the

teres major The teres major muscle is a muscle of the upper limb. It attaches to the scapula and the humerus and is one of the seven scapulohumeral muscles. It is a thick but somewhat flattened muscle. The teres major muscle (from Latin ''teres'', meaning ...

, and minor stabilizing contribution from some

rotator cuff The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and their tendons that act to stabilize the human shoulder and allow for its extensive range of motion. Of the seven scapulohumeral muscles, four make up the rotator cuff. The four muscles are the supraspi ...

muscles (

infraspinatus In human anatomy, the infraspinatus muscle is a thick triangular muscle, which occupies the chief part of the infraspinatous fossa.''Gray's Anatomy'', see infobox. As one of the four muscles of the rotator cuff, the main function of the infraspin ...

and

teres minor The teres minor (Latin ''teres'' meaning 'rounded') is a narrow, elongated muscle of the rotator cuff. The muscle originates from the lateral border and adjacent posterior surface of the corresponding right or left scapula and inserts at both the ...

as lateral rotators, subscapularis as medial rotators).

Elbow

Muscles which flex the elbow joint such as the

biceps brachii muscle The biceps or biceps brachii ( la, musculus biceps brachii, "two-headed muscle of the arm") is a large muscle that lies on the front of the upper arm between the shoulder and the elbow. Both heads of the muscle arise on the scapula and join t ...

brachialis muscle The brachialis (brachialis anticus), also known as the Teichmann muscle, is a muscle in the upper arm that flexes the elbow. It lies deeper than the biceps brachii, and makes up part of the floor of the region known as the cubital fossa (elbow p ...

s and

brachioradialis muscle The brachioradialis is a muscle of the forearm that flexes the forearm at the elbow. It is also capable of both pronation and supination, depending on the position of the forearm. It is attached to the distal styloid process of the radius by wa ...

are active to improve leverage. As the biceps originate on the scapula unlike the other two which originate on the humerus, the biceps are inclined to serve a role as a dynamic stabilizer, much as the hamstrings would during a squat. This is because, while the biceps shortens as the elbow flexes, it will also lengthen as the shoulder extends. A supinated grip at the forearm allows the biceps to contribute more strongly as an elbow flexor. A prone grip will rely more greatly on the other flexors, the brachialis and brachioradialis. Using a pronated grip during pull-downs tends to result in the greatest activation of the latissimus dorsi, with no difference in latissimus dorsi activity between grip widths.

Similarities

The pull-down is extremely similar to the pull-up, but uses moving external weights or resistance with a fixed body rather than a fixed bar and a moving body. This makes the pull-down an open-chain movement and the pull-up a closed-chain movement. The weight moved can also be adjusted to be more or less than the weight of the person doing the exercise.

Form

The pull-down usually uses a

weight machine A weight machine is an exercise machine used for weight training that uses gravity as the primary source of resistance and a combination of simple machines to convey that resistance to the person using the machine. Each of the simple machines (pull ...

with a seat and brace for the thighs. The starting position involves sitting at the machine with the thighs braced, back straight and feet flat on the floor. The arms are held overhead at full extension, grasping a bar connected to the weight stack. The movement is initiated by pulling the elbows down and back, lowering the bar to the neck, and completed by returning to the initial position.

Variations

Underhand-pull-downs-2.png, Narrow grip underhand pull-down begin Underhand-pull-downs-1.png, Narrow grip underhand pull-down end File:V-bar-pull-down-2.png, Narrow grip neutral pull-down begin File:V-bar-pull-down-1.png, Narrow grip neutral pull-down end Close-grip-front-lat-pull-down-2.png, Narrow grip overhand pull-down begin Close-grip-front-lat-pull-down-1.png, Narrow grip overhand pull-down end Wide-grip-lat-pull-down-1.gif, Wide grip overhand pull-down begin Wide-grip-lat-pull-down-2.gif, Wide grip overhand pull-down end Variations can include touching the bar to the chest (sternum) versus the back of the neck, or varying hand spacing (wide versus narrow) or orientation (

pronated Motion, the process of movement, is described using specific anatomical terms. Motion includes movement of organs, joints, limbs, and specific sections of the body. The terminology used describes this motion according to its direction relativ ...

versus supinated). The exercise can also be done using cable machines, a handle attached to a cable is pulled toward the body, this can be done while seated on a bench or stability ball, kneeling, or in a

standing Standing, also referred to as orthostasis, is a position in which the body is held in an ''erect'' ("orthostatic") position and supported only by the feet. Although seemingly static, the body rocks slightly back and forth from the ankle in the s ...

or squatting position. The number of repetitions and weight moved varies according to the specific training plan of the person training. The

chin-up A pull-up is an upper-body strength exercise. The pull-up is a closed-chain movement where the body is suspended by the hands, gripping a bar or other implement at a distance typically wider than shoulder-width, and pulled up. As this happens, ...

/ pull-up is a very similar exercise that moves the body against a fixed bar rather than moving a bar against a fixed body.

Behind neck

This variation of the lat pull-down, in which the bar is pulled behind the neck, may be dangerous and less effective. Behind the neck lat pull-downs offer no biomechanical advantages. It can cause compression of the cervical spine disks, and disk damage if contact is made by striking the bar to the neck. In addition, it can cause rotator cuff injuries.

Muscle involvement

If the weight is pulled to touch the front of the chest, the

rhomboid muscles The rhomboid muscles (), often simply called the rhomboids, are rhombus-shaped muscles associated with the scapula. There are two rhomboid muscles on each side of the upper back: * Rhomboid major muscle * Rhomboid minor muscle The large rhom ...

' work may increase, while pulling the weight down to touch the back of the neck may work the upper

Etymology

The "lat" sometimes added before "pull-down" commonly refers to the latissimus dorsi used in the movement. Most exercises describe the muscle that is involved and the direction of the exercise e.g. biceps curl, triceps extension, leg press, hamstring curl, abdominal curl and so on. Although "lat" can be first thought as short for "

lateral Lateral is a geometric term of location which may refer to: Healthcare *Lateral (anatomy), an anatomical direction * Lateral cricoarytenoid muscle * Lateral release (surgery), a surgical procedure on the side of a kneecap Phonetics *Lateral co ...

", the term lateral means sideways and away from the body, which only describes the direction of the humerus during the eccentric portion of the movement (during which the bar is being raised, not pulled down). This means "lateral" is not an ideal term to describe the movement, it is an adjective more appropriate in usage such as lateral raise.

Notes

{{Strength training exercises Weight training exercises