The lat pulldown could be a reliable and effective alternative to back-training staples like chin-ups or pull-ups. Pulldowns will be useful for novice lifters who may not yet be strong enough to perform high-quality repetitions, in addition to more experienced lifters looking to attenuate the role of their core or lower body while zeroing in on back musculature.
The pulldown will be taken to a different level, nevertheless, when you recognize that the exercise doesn’t should be performed with each hands fixed to at least one straight bar. This familiar setup could make for a smooth and stable pull, nevertheless it also disguises just how much work one side of your body is doing in comparison with the opposite side.
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Because of this, choosing a unilateral (single-sided) movement can provide unique advantages and increased back focus. When the secret is muscular development and pulling strength, these details are huge. Here’s learn how to get your back on the right track with the single-arm lat pulldown.
Single-Arm Lat Pulldown
Ideal Single-Arm Lat Pulldown Technique Demo
Coach Lee Boyce provides a transparent demonstration of the single-arm lat pulldown in motion. See the movement performed with each arm after which read on to learn the main points.
Learn how to Do the Single-Arm Lat Pulldown
The only-arm lat pulldown may feel barely awkward at first, especially should you’re not used to performing back exercises with one arm at a time. But any time spent learning the movement can pay off with recent size and strength.
Step 1 — Know Your Equipment
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Chances are you’ll be stuck with whatever equipment your gym offers, but some pulldown setups are more user-friendly than others. The gold standard is a dual pulley system. This makes it easy to connect individual handles to every pulley, which can be more naturally aligned with each of your shoulders.
The second most suitable choice can be a singular pulley attachment that operates on a pivot. That way, although the pulley is positioned in the middle above your head, it still turns within the direction of your working arm through the movement.
Least optimal can be a single pulley attachment that is totally fixed to the machine with no room to show or pivot. Many older pieces of apparatus are constructed this fashion, but when it’s the one “pulldown” station available, consider organising either on the ground at a manually adjustable cable setup (like one for triceps pressdowns) or on the bottom beside the seat on the pulldown station.
Form Tip: The important thing point is to position the pulley as close in-line along with your working-side shoulder as possible. It will allow probably the most comfortable, best line of pull through the exercise.
Step 2 — Sit Tight, Grab Hold, and Stretch
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Secure your thighs under the pad and reach as much as come up with the handle. Since you’re only reaching one arm, it must be easier to stretch higher while reaching above your head.
Your body will naturally reach higher with one arm in comparison with raising each arms overhead. If you’ve gotten doubts, you’ll be able to quickly test it yourself — Stand facing a wall and lift each hands above your head to the touch the very best point you’ll be able to reach. Then drop one hand and repeat. You’ll undoubtedly get higher with the one arm by comparison.
Within the overhead stretched position, your palm should face toward the machine.
Form Tip: This deep stretch will can help you contract and stretch through an extended range of motion, which is able to enhance the training effect on the goal muscles. (1)
Step 3 — Set Your Shoulder and Pull
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Rest your non-working hand comfortably on the leg pad or in your torso. “Reverse” the stretched position by actively setting your working shoulder — lower it by pulling your shoulder blade down and “in” to your mid-back. Push your chest up high and make your neck “long.”
Pull through your elbow, don’t take into consideration curling along with your arm. Squeeze your upper back and lats tight. Take into consideration tucking your elbow into your back pocket. Don’t let your upper body crunch sideways as you pull down.
Form Tip: Reap the benefits of the one handle, which means that you can play along with your hand and wrist position. You’ll be able to supinate (turn your palm to face you) as you lift the load or or can rotate to a thumbs-up position. Discover a wrist angle that works efficiently, comfortably, and powerfully for you.
Step 4 — Return to the Overhead Stretch
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When your hand reaches shoulder-level, feel a powerful contraction through your side. Return to the starting position by reversing the motion. Lower the load slowly and control the movement as you reach overhead to full extension.
Don’t overstretch by leaning toward the non-working side. Keep your torso stable and vertical throughout the exercise. When your arm is straight, shrug your shoulder blade up for optimum activation.
Form Tip: Let your overall mobility and suppleness guide your movements. Ideally, aim to bring your hand down near shoulder-level. Don’t force any excessive range of motion and don’t turn it into an ab exercise by crunching to the side — that won’t help to recruit your back.
Single-Arm Lat Pulldown Mistakes to Avoid
The only-arm lat pulldown can invite some easy technique or programming errors that may reduce the muscle and strength gains. Listed here are the most important points to look at out for.
Going Too Heavy
Probably the most common mistake should almost go without saying, though it doesn’t only apply to the single-arm lat pulldown — check your ego on the door. It is a far more precise, unilateral version of the pulldown, which itself is notorious for overly heavy loading that requires more body swing than lat activation.
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There’s no place for that with the single-arm lat pulldown, neither is there any real use for it. You’ll be subject to excessive swinging or twisting to get the load down, and also you’ll ultimately be using all the pieces except your lats to get the job done.
Avoid it: Keep loading relatively lighter to cut back the temptation to swing the load. Deal with using perfect form throughout each section of the movement and take a look at to feel your back muscles contracting and stretching.
Slouching within the Finished Position
Like every back exercise, the goal should all the time be to take care of a “proud chest,” especially through the contracted phase of the lift, to make sure good posture and proper muscle activation.
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It’s easy to “close yourself up” as you complete the pull, by adding something of an abdominal crunch to the pattern. This is just not ideal since it reduces stress on the goal muscle and puts you in an inefficient position.
Avoid it: Deal with starting tall and ending just as tall, and even taller. This posture cue will make you aware of your overall body position.
Learn how to Progress the Single-Arm Lat Pulldown
As a comparatively straightforward, cable-based exercise, you’ll be able to approach this exercise with confidence regardless of your experience level.
Adjust Load
Like many movements, you’ll be able to adapt the challenge by simply changing the loading. Most cable stacks go as light as 10 to twenty kilos. Even while keeping your goal rep range the identical, you’ll be able to accommodate nearly any strength level by reducing the load to perform repetitions with crisp technique.
Similarly, you’ll be able to go as heavy as possible while maintaining form. As previously discussed, swapping form for more weight is anything but productive. Fortunately, when using good technique and a moderate rep range, even probably the most experienced lifters will find the total weight stack to be good enough.
Advantages of the Single-Arm Lat Pulldown
This unilateral movement offers the advantages of single-side training combined with the advantages of a cable pulley.
Scapular Mobility
Scapular mobility is the neglected key to each successful back exercise, including the single-arm lat pulldown. Lifters sometimes mistakenly think that stability is the one function of the scapulae (shoulder blades). As such, they consider the scapulae shouldn’t be allowed to maneuver during exercise.
This will likely be true in movements just like the barbell bench press, nevertheless it’s not something that truly promotes shoulder joint health. For each joint in your body, there’s actually a certain degree of stability and mobility needed to take care of proper joint function. Depending on the joint in query, there can be a greater need for one over the opposite.
For instance, hinge joints just like the knees and elbows require more stability than mobility on account of the limited nature of their responsibilities and available joint angles. There remains to be a level of mobility they should create proper range of motion, and to permit for a little bit little bit of “give” laterally and medially.
Within the case of the scapulae, stability is paramount, nevertheless it’s essential that they possess the capability to maneuver across the ribcage in elevation/depression (up and down), and in protraction/retraction (forward and back together).
This brings us to where most lifters drop the ball when performing pulling movements. Simply put, the shoulder blades must direct the motion of any pull pattern – chin-ups, rows, and yes, pulldowns too. Initiating the movement by simply pulling along with your hands won’t do much to have interaction the upper back muscles and lats.
To practice the correct mechanics, it’s useful to interrupt the movement down into pieces, learning learn how to engage your lower traps, rhomboids, and lats. You’ll be able to do that by keeping your elbow straight while pulling through only the primary portion of the lift.
Applying this idea to the single-arm lat pulldown will support your quest for muscle, keep the main focus in the correct places, and keep your scapulae strong and healthy.
Muscle Size
The only-arm lat pulldown is a primary selection for hypertrophy on account of its greater isolation on each individual side of the muscle — making both sides of your back perform work by itself. The added stretch and long range of motion for every rep also supports muscle growth and strength.
Reduced Joint Strain
Using a single handle means that you can customize your hand and wrist’s start and finish position. This ability to rotate will be useful for lifters who struggle with a history of shoulder, elbow, or wrist issues. These seemingly small changes accumulate right into a movement that takes on a completely recent identity as a hidden weapon for back day.
Muscles Trained by the Single-Arm Lat Pulldown
All pulldowns are considered “back exercises,” however the single-arm lat pulldown provides a singular spin on the commonly familiar exercise. This ends in a recent approach to muscle reccruitment.
Lats
When done appropriately, the single-arm lat pulldown primarily focuses on the lats. One key function of the latissimus (lats) is bringing your arm from an overhead position toward the body’s centerline.
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Because a lat muscle rests on both sides of your back, the single-arm lat pulldown means that you can deal with one specific muscle during each set, which may address any developmental imbalances which may be present.
Upper Back
Your upper back, as a complete, contributes to the single-arm lat pulldown. Collectively, your lower trapezius and rhomboids work as direct synergists to support the prime mover (lats) through the exercise. Your upper back provides stability and support, while also controlling your scapulae through the overhead stretch and peak contraction.
Biceps
Your biceps are recruited in lots of back exercises as your arm extends and contracts. Particularly, your biceps are more significantly recruited as you rotate your hand right into a supinated (palm facing you) position. (2)
Obliques
Since the single-arm lat pulldown is a unilateral exercise, there’s an added contribution out of your obliques on the perimeters of your abdominals. These muscles resist excessive lateral flexion (sideways bending) of the spine when performing the lift through a full range of motion. As you deal with keeping a stable torso through the exercise, your obliques are activated to take care of your posture.
Learn how to Program the Single-Arm Lat Pulldown
Since the single-arm lat pulldown is a comparatively focused exercise, being performed with one arm at a time, it’s not well-suited to very heavy loading. Nevertheless, due to multi-joint nature and high degree of muscular involvement, extremely high repetition training may fatigue support muscles before the first goal muscles.
Moderate Weight, Moderate Repetition
Approach the single-arm lat pulldown with a classic set and rep scheme for reliable size and strength gains. Three to 4 sets of 10 to 12 reps will allow you to goal your back with a really perfect period of time under tension while not having to load super-heavy, and potentially form-destroying, weights.
Single-Arm Lat Pulldown Variations
This exercise is already, technically, an alternative choice to a conventional, straight bar lat pulldown, so the list of modifications for more effectiveness or user-friendliness is comparatively short. Of note, one exercise stands out as an awesome alternative. For it, all you would like is an adjustable bench and cable pulley.
Cobra Pulldown
Set an adjustable bench to a roughly 45-degree incline and place is alongside a high cable pulley. Grab a single handle attachment and lay your side on the bench. This unique setup puts you in position to tug diagonally, and means that you can hit the lats directly with super-strict form.
The position essentially immobilizes your upper body and removes the involvement of any cheating muscles just like the lower back or abs. The goal is to avoid lifting heavy and deal with muscle recruitment.
Half-Kneeling Single-Arm Lat Pulldown
It is a common and effective pulldown variation that means that you can position your body more directly in-line with the cable pulley. An additional benefit of the half-kneeling position is a passive stretch of the hip flexor in your kneeling side and increased glute activation to stabilize your hips and pelvis through the exercise.
Nevertheless, the half-kneeling single-arm lat pulldown also can change the pulling angle by adding a diagonal, barely more horizontal, line of pull somewhat than an overhead (vertical) pulldown motion. This could increase recruitment of your upper back muscles and should reduce the work done by your lats.
Regularly Asked Questions
Can I do single-arm lat pulldowns and one other pulldown variation in the identical workout?
You’ll be able to, so long as they’re programmed in another way. The only-arm lat pulldown can either be used as the primary exercise, as a “primer” to activate your back muscles, or because the last exercise to thoroughly work your fatigued lats and upper back by isolating both sides.
When you use a special set/rep scheme for every movement — for instance, starting with 4 sets of eight straight-bar lat pulldowns and ending the session by doing the single-arm lat pulldown for 3 sets of 12 reps — you’ll be able to avoid redundancy in your workouts.
Larger Lats, One Side at a Time
The only-arm lat pulldown is the intermediate back-training movement you didn’t know you needed. Make sure that you’ve gotten the classic pulldown movement down pat, together with a superb handle on basic mechanics of your shoulders and shoulder blades. Then it’s off to the races as you employ the exercise for higher volume and great isolation. Time to get some single-sided gains while constructing a strong and more muscular back.
References
- Pallarés, JG, Hernández-Belmonte, A, Martínez-Cava, A, Vetrovsky, T, Steffl, M, Courel-Ibáñez, J. Effects of range of motion on resistance training adaptations: A scientific review and meta-analysis. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2021; 31: 1866– 1881. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.14006
- Youdas, J. W., Amundson, C. L., Cicero, K. S., Hahn, J. J., Harezlak, D. T., & Hollman, J. H. (2010). Surface electromyographic activation patterns and elbow joint motion during a pull-up, chin-up, or perfect-pullup™ rotational exercise. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 24(12), 3404–3414. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181f1598c
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