Sit at the pulldown machine and pull the bar down toward your upper chest using an underhand grip; the movement primarily works the latissimus dorsi and upper-back muscles.
How to do the Underhand Grip Lat Pulldown (Machine)#
- Set the seat height and thigh pads so your knees are held firmly and you can reach the bar with straight arms.
- Grasp the bar with a supinated (underhand) grip about shoulder-width apart and sit tall with a braced core.
- Draw your shoulder blades down and back, then pull the bar smoothly to your upper chest while keeping your torso relatively upright.
- Hold briefly and feel the lats contract at the bottom of the motion.
- Control the bar back to full arm extension without letting the weight stack slam.
Muscles worked#
- Primary: Lats (Latissimus Dorsi)
- Secondary: Biceps (Biceps Brachii), Forearms (Forearm Flexors & Extensors (incl. Brachioradialis)), Upper back (Rhomboids & Middle Trapezius), Rear delts (Posterior Deltoid)
Common mistakes#
- Leaning back and using momentum to yank the bar down.
- Pulling the bar behind the neck instead of to the chest.
- Letting the shoulders rise toward the ears during the pull.
- Using the forearms to do the work instead of initiating with the lats.
