Cable Lat Pulldown Full Range of Motion

How to do the cable lat pulldown with a full range of motion and proper form to build a wider, stronger back

Watch animated demo (GIF)

How to perform

1. Sit on the pulldown machine and slide your thighs under the pads so your hips stay anchored to the seat.
2. Take the bar with an overhand grip slightly wider than your shoulders, lean back a few degrees, and keep your chest lifted.
3. Brace your core, then exhale and drive your elbows down and back as you pull the bar toward your upper chest.
4. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the bottom and hold the contraction for a second.
5. Inhale and control the bar back up until your arms are fully extended and you feel a stretch through your lats.
6. Repeat for the planned number of reps, keeping your torso still on every rep.

Muscles worked

The lat pulldown is a vertical pulling exercise that targets the lats while the biceps and upper-back muscles assist as the bar travels through a long range of motion.

• Lats — drive the upper arms down and back, doing most of the work
• Biceps — assist by bending the elbows during the pull
• Rhomboids — retract the shoulder blades at the bottom
• Rear deltoids — help pull the arms backward and stabilize the shoulder joint

Make it easier

Use a lighter weight or a band-assisted setup, and choose a comfortable grip width you can control. Perform the movement seated with a load you can manage cleanly for at least eight reps.

Make it harder

Add weight to the stack, slow the lowering phase to a three-second count, or pause for two seconds at peak contraction. A slightly wider grip also lengthens the range of motion and increases the challenge.

Common mistakes

Mistake: Rocking your torso to yank the bar down. Fix: brace your core and lean back only slightly, letting your lats do the pulling. Mistake: Pulling the bar too low, to mid-chest or behind the neck. Fix: aim for the upper chest and keep the bar path straight. Mistake: Letting the weight stack slam back on the return. Fix: control the ascent with a slow tempo — exhale on the pull, inhale on the way up. Mistake: Gripping too narrow and shifting the work to the arms. Fix: use a grip slightly wider than shoulder width.