Use an underhand grip on a cable overhead bar and pull it down toward your upper chest in a vertical pulldown to work the upper back (latissimus dorsi).
How to do the Reverse Grip Lat Pulldown#
- Sit with your thighs under the pad and feet flat, then reach up and grasp the bar with a shoulder-width underhand (supinated) grip.
- Lean back slightly and lift your chest while keeping your spine neutral and shoulders down.
- Drive your elbows down and back to pull the bar to your upper chest.
- Hold and squeeze your shoulder blades together at the bottom of the movement.
- Slowly extend your arms and control the bar back to the start until your arms are nearly straight.
Muscles worked#
- Primary: Lats (Latissimus Dorsi)
- Secondary: Biceps (Biceps Brachii), Upper back (Rhomboids & Middle Trapezius), Forearms (Forearm Flexors & Extensors (incl. Brachioradialis)), Rear delts (Posterior Deltoid)
Common mistakes#
- Pulling the bar down behind the neck.
- Using excessive torso swing instead of the lats.
- Letting the elbows flare forward rather than pulling them down and back.
- Relying on the forearms and biceps instead of initiating the pull from the upper back.
