#Row Pulling

Most people turn lat pulldowns into a trap and bicep exercise. If you don’t set your shoulders first, your lats never fully engage. Before every rep: 1️⃣ Pull your shoulders DOWN 2️⃣ Then drive your elbows to your pockets Small adjustment. Big difference. Try it and tell me what you feel 👇

When you see someone doing lats like this… If you want to target your lats on the seated row✅ Use a handle that allows you to keep your arms close to your body ✅ To isolate the lats like in the video, use one handle, get down on the floor, make sure your hips is against the bench to make it stable and then: 👇🏽 Stop before your hands move behind your body ✅ as this will train the lats better. Pulling behind the body emphasize more of the upperback ❌ Pull with a 90-degree elbow angle to minimize bicep involvement ✅ If you want to target the upperback, just pull behind the body ✅ Are you going to try this?

Despite being a cable exercise, the seated cable row is an ironically not so stable exercise that requires a good amount of bracing in order to maintain the proper position to be optimally training your lats. To bias the Lats you need to: 1) keep your torso upright and avoid leaning back 2) pull with your elbows towards your stomach 3) rebrace by taking a new breath between every rep

Try the lat pulldown row variation💪

Struggling to engage your lats when doing your pulldowns & rows? Here’s a few cues that I focus on & have implemented over the years👇🏼 My lats are probably my weakest body part due to years of training incorrectly & I know there are lot of guys out there that struggle with engaging their lats 1. Pull with the elbow, not your bicep 2. Elbow/arm path tight to your torso 3. Tension on the lat through the eccentric 4. Use straps + thumbless grip 5. Avoid dropping torso down into the hip 6. Torso straight + core braced 7. Use single arm for better engagement 8. Use opposite arm + feet for stability Biggest tip not on this list would be to drop the load, there’s no point lifting heavy weight if you’re not connecting with the targeted muscle Any questions, drop me a DM 📲

1️⃣ Lat Pulldown (Underhand, Close Grip) Underhand + close grip = more lower lat engagement. Drive your elbows down toward your hips. Control the negative. No swinging. 2️⃣ Cable Rows (Elbows Tucked) Keep your elbows tight to your body. Pull to your lower ribs. Squeeze. Slow return. 3️⃣ Chest-Supported Row (Machine) Now we build that upper back shelf. Upper traps, rear delts, upper lats. Go to failure, then finish off with kelso-shrugs If you want my full structured workout program — the exact split, sets, reps, progression — DM me “PROGRAM” and I’ll send it to you for free.

How to stop messing up your single arm lat pulldowns Single arm lat pulldowns are an amazing exercise for the lats. But most mess these up by using the wrong arm path. You don’t want to bring your elbow way past your torso and twisting at the bottom. Instead, you want to simply drive your elbow down towards your hips. Get stronger with these over time and your lats will grow.

To execute a Lat Pull Down effectively, you need to focus on moving your shoulder blades rather than just pulling with your arms. This ensures you’re actually hitting your latissimus dorsi (the “wings” of your back) and not just exhausting your biceps. 1. The Setup • The Grip: Use a “thumbless” or “hook” grip slightly wider than shoulder-width. This helps reduce bicep involvement. • The Seat: Adjust the thigh pads so your legs are locked in tight. If your feet are dangling, you’ll lose stability. • The Posture: Sit tall with a very slight lean back (about 10–15°). Avoid leaning so far back that it becomes a row. 2. The Execution • The “Scapular Pull”: Before you bend your elbows, pull your shoulders down and away from your ears. This “sets” the lats. • Drive with Elbows: Imagine you are trying to put your elbows into your back pockets. Pull the bar down toward your upper chest, not your stomach. • The Chest Meet: The bar should come down to roughly chin or collarbone height. You don’t need to touch your chest if it causes your shoulders to roll forward. • The Stretch: Control the weight on the way up (the eccentric phase). Let the bar pull your shoulders up at the very top for a full stretch. Common Mistakes to Avoid • The Momentum Swing: If you’re rocking your torso back and forth to move the weight, it’s too heavy. Keep your torso still. • Behind the Neck: Avoid pulling the bar behind your head; this puts unnecessary stress on the rotator cuffs and offers no extra benefit for the lats. • The “Crunched” Chest: Keep your chest “proud” and up throughout the movement. If your chest collapses inward, your shoulders are taking over. Pro-Tip for Mind-Muscle Connection Think of your hands as mere hooks. Your arms are just the “cables” connecting the bar to your elbows. The movement starts and ends at the elbow and shoulder blade. #gym #workout #fitness #muscle #education

How to target your lats on a SEATED CABLE ROWS Save this video, and follow for more value 🔥

The Lat Pulldown is a staple for a reason, but the difference between "just moving weight" and "optimal hypertrophy" is all in the setup and the shoulder blades. ​The Breakdown: ​1️⃣ The Anchor: Pull the thigh pads down tight. If your hips are lifting off the seat, you can’t generate maximum force. 2️⃣ The Grip: Position your hands just outside shoulder width. Use a "thumbless" grip (False grip) if you find your biceps taking over, it helps shift the focus to the back. 3️⃣ The Big Secret (The Scapular Depression/Elevation): Before you bend your arms, depress your shoulder blades. Think about pulling your shoulders away from your ears. 4️⃣ The Drive: Don't pull the bar to your stomach. Think about driving your elbows into your side pockets. Stop when the bar reaches chin height; pulling lower usually causes the shoulders to roll forward (internal rotation) Tip: Focus on a slow, controlled eccentric (the way up). Letting the weight "stretch" your lats at the top is where the most muscle growth happens! What are some exercises that you guys struggle with as far as form? Drop a comment below and let your boy know so I can make more content to help you guys on your fitness journey. ​#BackDay #LatPulldown #Hypertrophy #StrengthTraining #fitnesseducation

You’re not training the lats as good as you can be if you’re not getting your elbows down by the side of your body. This is because your lats do shoulder adduction, meaning by focusing on driving your elbows down you’re able to train the lats through its full active range of motion. And considering that the lats will have the best leverage in that bottom part of the rom.. this makes it even more important to do so.

The lat pulldown is a powerhouse move for building a strong, sculpted back — but only if your form is on point. Small mistakes can shift tension away from your lats and increase strain on your shoulders and neck.