Full-Range Pulldowns For Carving Definition Into Every Inch Of Your Back
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Full-Range Pulldowns For Carving Definition Into Every Inch Of Your Back
Nick Nilsson has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been innovating new training techniques for more than 18 years.
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For me, it’s rare that I do pulldowns – I’d rather do chins or weighted chins to hit the back for targeting growth. But when I DO perform pulldowns, THIS is one my very favorite versions of it.
Believe me, if you have a hard time feeling your back working when you train it, this is the cure…your lats will be burning by the end of the set…heck, after just a couple of reps!
This exercise is a combination of a pulldown movement and a rowing movement – the two basic planes of movement for the lats. The trick here is that you’re going to go from one directly into the other without releasing the tension in your lats. It’s very tough but very effective.
The good thing is, you don’t need to be super-strong to perform this exercise – even a total beginner can do it. Just adjust the weight to what you’re able to use.
Basically, all you need is a pulldown machine. I prefer a close, underhand grip but you can do wide-grip as well. Use a weight that’s lighter than you think you’ll need for this one – about 1/2 to 2/3 of what you’d normally use for pulldowns (trust me on this – don’t be a hero).
Start the movement like a normal pulldown. Pull the bar down to your upper chest.
Now the critical part…holding the bar IN PLACE IN SPACE, lean all the way back (you’ll see this best in the video, which I’ll give you a link to). You’ll now be in a vertical rowing position.
Now row the bar all the way down as far as you can. You’re hitting a peak contraction on the lats twice in this exercise. It’s quite an experience!
Now come back up, bringing your body up and the bar up at the same time. The way down is a two-part movement but the way up is all at once.
Now do it again!
Believe me, you will get a real burn in your lats by the end of the first set of this one. It’s one of my favorites for carving definition into the back.
And as I mentioned above, if you have a hard time feeling your lats working when you do back training, this exercise is one of my favorites for basically forcing the issue. Your lats will have no choice but to activate and respond!
Another trick you can work with is as you’re doing the pulldown and the row, breathe IN so that you’re expanding your chest as you pull. This puts the lats in the best possible position to contract – it’ll make a big difference!
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