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Lat pulldowns are the single best exercises to target your back muscles to develop the coveted V-shaped. However, you should have more options in your arsenal. What are you going to do without a lat pulldown machine?
Or, what if you just want to change things up with other effective lat exercises to build your back? This article will outline the anatomy and function of the lats, before providing 8 alternatives that are more accessible or hit the lats in a way pulldowns just can’t.
As you could guess, the lat pulldown exercise will primarily target the lats. Your lats are the most powerful pulling muscle in the upper body.
However, the lat pulldown is actually going to train your entire back to a varying degrees.
But let’s be real, the lats are the star and why we use the lat pulldown.
The lats are the largest and strongest muscle in the upper body. They’re also the most superficial muscle in the back, covering everything from the iliac crest up.
Being the widest muscle in the body, the lats are spread across the entirety of your back, and even protrude out when well-developed. This gives them the nick-name “wings”.
The last function revolves around pulling the arm back in a range of motion. This is why it’s the primary mover in both vertical pulling (lat pulldowns) and horizontal pulling movement (back row).
In total, the lats perform;
In addition, it plays a synergistic effect in extension and lateral flexion of the spine.
All versions of lat pulldowns will hit the lats, but some might lean more towards one function over another.¹
Lat pulldowns allow a lifter to use a significant amount of weight while targeting the lat. They’re also highly versatile and easily manipulated to add variation in your training.
This tends to allow some lifters to create a greater mind-muscle connection to build a bigger back.
The primary downside of lat pulldowns is that you need a lat pulldown machine!
Whether you want to switch things up to better develop your lats, lat pulldowns are really hitting well for you, or you simply don't have access to a lat pulldown machine, here are the best alternatives you can do...
This exercise exploded in popularity when Arnold Schwarzenegger outlined them as a staple in his back training routine.
This alternative has both practical and biomechanical benefits.
How to:
To get the most out of this exercise, keep those elbows in a fixed position. Drive through the elbows, thinking only about flexing and extending the shoulder with your elbows tight to your sides.
This has many of the same benefits as the dumbbell pullover, being an isolation exercise and really stressing the lats in that stretched position.
Performed on cables, the straight arm pulldown provides constant tension through the movement - unlike the dumbbell version - and elicits a great contraction.
There is also more chance for modifications, with a variety of grips and handles available to allow you to find your best fit. However, this does have a similar drawback to lat pulldowns, most people don’t have cable machines at home!
With that said, you can set-up a system using a band. As it’s an isolation, you don’t need a significant amount of load as you do with the lat pulldown.
Set up:
Set the cable up to slightly above head height, with a bar, single rope or dual ropes attached. These all provide unique benefits:
How to:
Related: Best Cable Back Exercises
Pull-ups are an obvious lat pulldown alternative as it’s a very similar movement. Studies even show that progressive training on the lat pulldown leads to superior pull-up performance.² However, you need minimal equipment to knock out reps.
Many parks have bars, companies make stand-alone stations as well as door and wall-mounted kits that can fit in just about anyone's home.
One benefit of this movement contrasts with those before. It is an even bigger compound than lat pulldowns. The main difference is the involvement of your core.
If you can perform pull-ups accurately, ensuring your lats are getting the brunt of the work, they can provide even more bang for your buck and be a great way to slap on slabs of muscle.
Set up:
As we discussed previously, grip impacts which muscles support the lats more. Two main pull up variations are underhand close grip, also named chin-ups, or overhand wide grip. For the former, aim for shoulder width apart and the latter, 6-8 inches outside shoulder width.
How to:
Related: Best Pull Up Alternatives
Unlike some of the previous movements, this one requires some more high-tech kit. Low cable rows really allow you to focus on shortening the lats in a way that can be difficult during lat pulldowns. This variation lets you focus on imbalances and the mind-muscle connection training one arm at a time.
How to:
One-arm dumbbell rows are commonplace in training plans across the world, and with good reason.
Not only are they easy access, but they also can be manipulated to smash your lats or upper back depending on how you perform them. Lat dominant variations, like the low cable row, get the lat nice and short while loading them relatively heavy.
When performing dumbbell rows and wanting to target the lats, focus on bringing the elbow back towards your hip with a sweeping motion rather than pulling your elbow up.
How to:
Again, this can easily turn into a mid and upper back exercise, so make sure the lat is the limiting factor when performing these.
Related: Best Dumbbell Back Exercises
Barbells are wonderful pieces of equipment, with many basing their whole programs around barbells with excellent results. Barbell rows can be manipulated and moulded to fit almost any goal or purpose when it comes to back growth.
Lat focused barbell rows let you load the lats heavy, getting them short under a decent load. To do this, focus on three things;
How to:
Related: Best Barbell Back Exercises
This movement has often been called a “Meadows row”, popularized by the late John Meadows. This movement, like the other row variations, lets you get the lats shorter than most lat pulldown variations. One bonus of this version is the stability caused by the landmine.
This allows you to focus on the mind-muscle connection and training your lats to their fullest. This is a wonderful hybrid between a free-weight and machine-like movement. These can be done at home! All you need is a bar and a corner you don’t mind messing up a little!
How to:
You can manipulate which part of the back works by changing foot positions, shuffling forward will hit the lats while backward will hit the upper back. The main thing to remember is the weight should be coming into the hip crease.
The exercise can be performed easily at home with a minimal kit, making them a great alternative to lat pulldowns. All you need is a straight bar - which can be a barbell in a rack or a pull-up bar - and somewhere to put your feet.
Despite the name, the stability added from the foot support means these resemble pulldowns more closely than pull-ups, making them a great weapon in the home training arsenal. Not only this, but they are easier than pull-ups, lowering the exercises barrier for entry, and easy to load as you can just pop a plate on your lap.
How to:
It looks like this...
Consider the following when selecting from the exercises above...
Vertical pulls are the closest to lat pulldowns in terms of movement pattern and have great lat development. These can be used as a direct replacement for lat pull downs, whether you’re training at home or in a gym, and are the easiest like for like substitution out of this list. However, it is important to recognize how difficult these can be. If you need, you can use variations such as assisted pull-ups.
Lat focused horizontal rows include the compound movements- dumbbell, barbell, landmine, plate loaded and cable. These are amazing at shortening the lats but don’t allow for full lat stretch. This just means you should be sure to pair them with pull-overs if you can’t perform vertical pulls.
The isolations in this list are the cable and dumbbell pullovers. They take out the biceps and other back muscles to focus solely on the lats. If you’re looking to add some lat volume - without added stress to supporting muscles - these are both great options. However, you shoulds still combine them with other lat exercises, for great loads.
Author: Tom MacCormick (BSc in Sports Science and Coaching, MSc in Strength and Conditioning)
For more great lat training content, check out the 10 Best Lat Exercises.
If you have any questions about lat pulldowns or alternative exercises, please feel free to leave a comment below, and we will reply as soon as we can…
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Tom MacCormick
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