Close Grip Vs. Wide Grip LAT Pulldown: Which Is Better

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Aug 9, 20230 comments

Lat Pulldown Muscles Worked

1.Arm muscles

The arm strength required is tremendous, which can effectively exercise the arm muscles, especially our biceps can be significantly exercised. Our arms need to continuously exert force to pull the high position down to our abdominal part in the exercise process. After persevering for a long time, we can find that our arm strength has also increased a lot.

2.Latissimus dorsi

The exercise of the latissimus dorsi is mainly because our back is stretched forward to pull down the high position. Because our arms are tightened ahead, it has a stretching effect on the back muscles. In this way, our back can be stimulated, effectively exercising the latissimus dorsi.

3.Chest muscles

The effect of exercising the chest muscles is relatively not so noticeable, but if you persist for a long time, you can also find that your chest muscles become firmer. This is mainly because our chest is inward when we tighten the rope to the body—clamped to achieve the effect of exercising the chest muscles.

How To Do Lat Pulldown?

Sit on the Lat Pulldown Machine: Begin by sitting on the lat pulldown machine, ensuring that your thighs are secured underneath the thigh pads. Adjust the weight bench height so that your feet are flat on the floor, and your knees are at a 90-degree angle.
Adjust the Resistance: Set the desired weight by attaching the appropriate weight plates to the weight stack. Start with a weight that challenges you but allows you to maintain proper form.
Grasp the Straight Bar: Reach up and grab the lat pulldown bar with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Ensure that your palms are facing away from you. You can also use a V-bar or other handle attachments for variation.
Position Yourself: While maintaining a straight posture, lean back slightly, and stick out your chest. Keep your shoulders down and relaxed. This is your starting position.
Engage Your Core: Before initiating the movement, engage your core muscles by pulling your navel towards your spine. This will provide stability and support throughout the exercise.
Initiate the Pull: Exhale and begin pulling the bar down towards your upper chest, bringing your elbows down and back. Focus on engaging your lats (latissimus dorsi) as you perform the movement. Avoid using excessive momentum or jerking motions.
Squeeze Your Back Muscles: Once the bar is close to your upper chest, squeeze your back muscles and pause briefly to maximize the contraction. This helps to target the lat muscles effectively.
Control the Release: In a controlled manner, slowly extend your arms back up to the starting position while inhaling. Maintain tension in your lats throughout the exercise and avoid fully relaxing your muscles at the top of the movement.
Repeat the Movement: Perform the desired number of repetitions according to your training program. Aim for a controlled and smooth motion, focusing on the mind-muscle connection and feeling the activation in your back muscles.

Close Grip LAT Pulldown Vs. Wide Grip

There are also two types of LAT pulldown: wide-grip and close-grip. Different exercise methods are very other. Many people may not know this very well before. What is the difference between it and the narrow grip so that everyone can choose the way that suits them in the future?

Difference 1: The armed force is different

The difference between the high-position pulldown wide grip and the narrow grip is that the distance between them is different, which will lead to other arm strength points. If it is a wide grip, it can better exercise the shoulders and back because the vital point is Mainly on the arms. Still, the back of the shoulders, including the trapezius muscles of the back, are exerting force, and if the grip is narrow, it is more dependent on the arm, and the shoulder and back will be less exerted. Therefore, the narrow grip can exercise the upper arm muscles better than the wide grip. The body's fullness and stimulation to that part are also more robust.

Difference 2: Exercise parts are different

The high pulldown wide-grip and narrow-grip, in addition to the different arm strength, the exercised parts are also other, if it is a wide grip, in addition to exercising the back muscles, you can also exercise the pectoral muscles, because the pectoral muscles need to exert force and participate in sports During the process, if it is a narrow grip, the chest will have less space to exert influence. The pulling force mainly acts on the back muscles, which will put more pressure and stimulation on the back. Therefore, the narrow grip high pulldown is more effective for the back muscles than the wide grip. The exercise effect is better.

Difference 3: The purpose of training is different

Both the high-position pulldown wide-grip and narrow-grip can train the back muscles, but choosing one depends on the purpose of individual training. If you want to increase the width of your back, you should choose a wide grip, and if you're going to increase the thickness of your back muscles, you should select a narrow grip.

Close Grip LAT Pulldown: Technique, Muscles Worked, Benefits, Precautions

How To Do A Close Grip Lat Pulldown

1.Inhale, contract the latissimus dorsi, pull down the horizontal bar vertically from the top of the head to the chest, tighten the scapula and tighten the latissimus dorsi muscle; pause for 2-3 seconds for peak contraction.

2.Exhale, controlled reduction! Stretch the lats along the same path until the lats are fully stretched.

Close Grip Lat Pulldown Muscles Worked

BACK MUSCLES

Close grip LAT pulldowns are similar to normal ones, and they all exercise the back muscles. Specifically, it works the latissimus dorsi, the middle and lower parts of the trapezius, and the rhomboids beneath the trapezius. However, unlike the standard and wide pulldown, the narrow pulldown mainly increases the thickness of the latissimus dorsi, while the other is to expand the width of the latissimus dorsi.

UPPER ARM MUSCLES

The upper arm muscles can also be trained in the close grip LAT pulldown, which is not much different from the regular LAT pulldown. Mainly the biceps, brachialis, but also the triceps. However, the premise of a little distance means that the force must be concentrated into a smaller range, so the stimulation of the biceps will be more profound, which will help increase its circumference, vast distance and regular The high pulldown does not have this effect.

PECTORALIS MAJOR

Close grip LAT pulldown can also exercise the pectoralis major. Its exercise effect is the best in the high pulldown. Mainly it will exercise the middle part of the pectoralis major, which helps shape and cultivate the chest line, not just Expanding the width and thickness of the pectoral muscles, and often do close grip LAT pulldown, which can make the chest shape better and firmer.

Benefits Of Close Grip LAT Pulldown

Close grip LAT pulldown is an excellent way to thicken your back muscles, primarily targeting the middle of the latissimus dorsi and working on the traps (lower-middle), rhomboids, biceps, brachialis, and pectoralis major. You can do pull-ups first, pull down with a bit of distance and high position, and choose a weight that is less than your body weight to carve muscles. When the weight is equal to the body weight, it is equivalent to the pull-up.

👉Precautions Of Close Grip LAT Pulldown

1.Pay attention to pulling the weight with the force of the lats, not the arms

2.When pulling down, the shoulder muscles should be relaxed. Do not shrug when the movement is restored, which will affect the force of the latissimus dorsi. The body should not swing back and forth, and the body should always remain perpendicular to the ground.

3.Pay attention to the reasonable control of the movement rhythm. When the movement is restored, the latissimus dorsi controls the campaign to restore, not fix it in a completely relaxed state.

4.To stimulate the lower lats more, keep your chest up and your back slightly arched. When pulling the bar down, pull it toward your lower compartment for a better squeeze.

Wide Grip LAT Pulldown: Technique, Muscles Worked, Benefits, Precautions

How To Do A Wide Grip Lat Pulldown

As you exhale, pull your shoulders and upper arms back and down, pulling the handle down until it touches your upper chest.

Pause for a second in the tucked position, contract the shoulder blades, and slowly return the handle to the starting position with the arms straight and the lats fully extended. Inhale during this part of the movement.

Wide Grip LAT Pulldown Muscles Worked

Wide grip LAT pulldowns are an excellent way to thicken your back muscles. They primarily work the mid-lats and work on the traps (lower-middle), rhomboids, biceps, brachialis, and pectoralis major. When the weight is equal to the body weight, it is equivalent to the pull-up. You can do pull-ups first, use a high pulldown when you don't move, and choose a weight less than your body weight to carve your muscles.

Benefits Of Wide Grip LAT Pulldown

Many lifters look to vertical pulling exercises such as pulldowns or chins ups to train the lats. A wider grip is more aligned with these goals, targeting the lats more than a narrower grip variation. They are more lat-focused.

They carry over more to pull-ups. As pull-ups also use a wider grip, wide grip lat pulldowns are a great option for those looking to improve their pull-up strength or train a similar movement within a higher rep range.

👉Precautions Of Wide Grip LAT Pulldown

1.Hold the training handle with both hands, divided into positive grip, reverse grip, and opposite grip. Although they are all back training, the positive grip focuses more on a few muscle groups in the upper back. The reverse grip can maximize the overall stimulation of the latissimus dorsi.

2.Be careful not to pull down the back of your neck. Otherwise, you will quickly hurt your shoulders.

Close Grip Vs. Wide Grip LAT Pulldown: Which Is Better?

Wide-grip LAT pulldowns are better suited for those who aim to train their lats more directly, whether for strength or hypertrophy. It's also better for those who want to improve their pull-up strength or wish to teach at higher reps than their current pull-ups.

The close grip LAT pulldown is better for lifters looking to increase overall back strength because you can use more weight. It's also ideal for those looking to train the rhomboids or traps rather than the lats.

However, if your back size and strength goals are different, both variations may have a place in your training program.

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