4 Lat Pulldown Alternatives to Build a Bigger Back
OUT OF ALL the machines you'll find on the gym floor, few are as effective and useful for building back muscle than the lat pulldown machine.
"The lat pulldown is one of the best tried and true ways to grow your back," says Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S., MH fitness director. While you can typically find one of these heavyweight rigs in most gyms, that's not always going to be the case. You might not find one of them in a small hotel fitness space, a "functional' CrossFit box, and especially not in your cobbled-together garage training set-up. So, what should you do instead when you need to train the big muscles of your back?
Replicating the lat pulldown is tough to do, but these four alternative exercise options will serve you well in the times you can't make it to the gym and need a substitution.
What Does the Lat Muscles Do?
Let's talk about what the lat muscles do to get a better picture of what body movements we're trying to recreate. The lat muscles, or the latissimus dorsi, are the largest muscles in your back. The lats stretch from below the shoulder blade to the low portion of the back. It has two primary roles: adducting the arm, or bringing the upper arm inward towards the torso, and extending the shoulder, or pulling the upper arm back behind our torso.
Why the Lat Pulldown Is Important
The lat pulldown machine is such a valuable piece of equipment because it allows you to hone an important movement pattern: vertical pulling. This is a reliable way to build back muscle—but it's not something that's easy to accomplish. You can also perform a vertical pull with a classic pullup, but not everyone is strong enough to be able to pile up rounds of pullup reps. Since you're using the machine, rather than your bodyweight, you can perform a vertical pull more reliably.
"None of [these moves] can fully replace the lat pulldown," says Samuel. "That machine is that good and that special. But we can come really, really close as long as we're focusing on these ideas."
4 Best Lat Pulldown Alternatives
Seated Isometric Lat Hold
Why: This creative move works when you're stuck with little to no equipment and still need to hit your lats for back day. It works through that moment of peak contraction that you would traditionally hit at the bottom of the lat pulldown. You'll need two chairs or two benches of the same height, or anything that you can drive your elbows down into. Don't underestimate this move—it's tougher than it looks.
How to Do It:
Set up your benches or chairs a little wider than shoulder-width apart.
Sit in between them. Plant your elbows into the bench or chair on both sides.
Drive down into your elbows. Think about trying to push your shoulders away from your ears.
Hold for 3 to 5 seconds.
Sets and Reps: Aim for 2 to 3 sets of 3 to 5 second holds.
Seated Banded Lat Pulldown
Why: This is a more obvious replacement for the lat pulldown machine. If you have a band, you can set yourself up a makeshift rig. It won't be as effective, as the band won't provide a ton of resistance off the beginning of the rep when there's not much tension through the band. You will have quality resistance at the end of the movement when the band is the most stretched, so make sure to hold the contraction at the bottom of the movement.
How to Do It:
Anchor your band to sturdy high point like a rack or a doorframe. Sit down on the ground directly underneath it.
Keep the core tight as you pull your elbows down.
Think about squeezing the shoulder blades together at the bottom point of pull.
Sets and Reps: Aim for 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps.
Band-Resisted Dumbbell Row
Why: The band-resisted dumbbell row presents a challenge to both the beginning and end of the motion, and will combine horizontal and vertical planes. It's going to require a bit more lat engagement at the beginning of your traditional dumbbell row.
How to Do It:
Lace a resistance band around a dumbbell, and anchor the resistance band in front of you. Have a box or bench next to you to support yourself with your opposite hand.
Hinge through the hips, keeping the core engaged to maintain a flat back as you bend over. Grab the dumbbell with one hand, and plant the oppose on the box.
Pull the elbow down and back, squeezing the shoulder blades together.
Sets and Reps: Aim for 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.
Seated Pullup or Chinup
Why: The classic pullup utilizes the vertical pulling movement pattern in a similar way to the lat pulldown. It has its limitations though: the bodyweight exercise is much more difficult to perform properly, and if you do have the strength to do them, it's difficult to load beyond your bodyweight without specialized equipment. The seated pullup and chinup allows you to scale the difficulty, making it easy to tailor to your ability. If bodyweight reps get too easy, you can prop your feet onto a bench or a chair and place a medicine ball or sandbag onto your lap to load up the movement.
How to Do It:
Grab a rack and barbell or a smith machine. Lower the bar to just a bit above shoulder height. The higher you place it, the harder it's going to be.
You can choose an overhand or underhand grip here.
Pull yourself up to where your chin comes clears the bar.
As you get better at the exercise, try to place less of your weight through your feet.
Sets and Reps: Aim for 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.
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