Lat pull down

[usa]

With Lat Pull downs I pull to the front, over hand, and I pull as if I were pulling from my elbows getting a good squeeze at the end. I also don't let the weight fly back up. I keep a good tension during the eccentric part of the lift as well. But I agree chin ups are a main stay for lat development. I do both starting with Chin up and ending with lat pull downs.

 

[acon83]

My back w/o looks like this:
deads
single hand DB rows
ez curl rows
seated rows (sometimes)
chins/pull ups
lat pull downs to chest & behind neck
straight arm lat pull downs

 

[Tuffoldman]

Pullups and Deads kill my back. I don't do lat pull downs at all.

http://staff.washington.edu/griffin/behind_neck.txt

GOOD Info on why not to do behind your neck

~Old

 

[Bowhunter]

Wide grip pulls, d/l's, chins, T-bar or BB rows and narrow grip cable rows is the bulk of my back routine.

 

[ketsugo]

IF AN EXERSIZE HURTS THEN YOU HAVE SOME SORT OF STRUCTURAL WEAKNESS OR INBALANCE THAT NEEDS ADDRESSING. YOU CAN TRAIN AROUND IT UNTIL THAT TIME. BACK IS CAPABLE OF A VARIETY OF MOVES CUZ IT IS MADE UP OF TRAPS, RHOMBOIDS, INFRASSPINATUS, LATS, ERECTORS ECT. DEADS HIT EM ALL. YOU SHOULDNT GET BLOCKY BUT CAN DO RACK DEADS IF PARANOIA SUPERCEDES COMMON SENSE. HERES SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT WHO IS STRONGER? THE MAN DOING CHINS WITH BODYWEIGHT PLUS 100 POUNDS OR THE MAN DOING PULLDOWNS WITH 300??
LET ME SAY ITS NOT THE GUY WHO ANCHORS HIS LEGS TO DO PULLDOWNS AND CAN USE THEM TO GENERATE MOMENTUM. YOU WANT BALANCED SIZE AND POWER , YOU WILL FIND SOME VERSION OF CHINS. IF ONE VERSION HURTS DONT DO IT. THERE ARE SO MANY GRIP AND WIDTH VARIATIONS. TO THE FRONT IS PHYSIOLOGICALLY SOUND AND DOESNT PLACE ROTATORS IN WEAK POSITION. IF YOUR GRIP IS WEAK , TAKE THAT AS AN OMEN THAT YOU ARE MISSING SOMETHING. ONE ARM MACHINE ANYTHING IS A FINISHING MOVEMENT NOT A POWER AND SIZE BUILDER. REAL MASS AND POWER, FUNCTIONAL POWER COMES FROM HEAVY COMPOUND MOVES, WITH DECENT FORM. THERE ARE WAYS TO CHEAT BUT TO MAKE A MOVE MORE INTENSE, NOT EASIER.
DEADS
ROWS
CHINS (CLOSE GRIP OR SOME VARIED MEDIUM GRIP)
ARE THE RECIPE FOR MASS.

machines , pulleys DO have their place in warm ups, finishing, high rep training, dealing with injury ect

 

[SFGiants]

I learned the pulldowns from a Ronnie Coleman video on youtube and he clearly stated not to do then sitting straight up but to give a lean too it.

Now when we talk lean he is saying lean with the weight so you can pull the bar down to your chest it's like benching in a shirt you want to act like your bending the bar to your chest.

No swinging momentum crap although the lean does give slight momentum but it's right at the begining of the lean you start bending the bar to your chest and when I say lean I mean just enough lean to get the bar to your chest not a lean like your doing abs on a pulldown.

Now I agree though with the deads, rows, pulls and chins.

If you can't pull wide or even narrow and there is no machine to help use powerlifting bands to help you.

People can talk all the shit they want about not needing help with pull ups but it was when I was a skinny weak pussy I was able to do these for reps with my dip belt but once I got bigger I needed help because weighing 175 to 190 is not the same as 255 to 270.

Most big guys won't do them because it is hard at a heavy weight but suck in your pride and grab some bands until you no longer need them.

My issue with doing pullups is shoulders not that they are damaged but being a powerlifter takes a huge toll on the shoulders as for us there is no saying I don't deadlift or squat because we compete doing them and we train as heavy as possible at them including the bench.

I have been doing a lot of 5x5 and with this I can add pullups back in on back and shoulder day and it's this thread that got me to see this.

All the trainers I see at commercial gyms teaching to keep the body totally still are weak and small.

 

[SFGiants]

On the 5x5 part this is something I decided to do a few weeks back to build strength and give my body a break from 1's,2's and 3's for a while and it's working.

 

[Canecorso]

close grip pullup 75 total reps....know one care how you get them? just do the math?

 

[deadweight]

hey guys just wondering how every one here do there pull downs?

pull down behind the neck or pull down to top of chest. should i alternate every few weeks?

i want to widen the back (lats) also want thickness.

my current back workout is :

Dead lifts
T-bar
Seated rows
Lat Pull downs
shrugs


Thanks for any info guys!

If u want thickness for your back ...I FEEL that u must do barbell bentover rows and pull ups...Just those two lifts will give u the thickness that will last.For trap work i would do power clens and barbell upright rows....Just keep in mind stick with your basic lifts for Mass and thickness...dw

 

[pumpitall]

WOW guys that's awesome info, i will take all of it into consideration and see what works for me.

Thanks again for every ones input! Really appreciate it.

 

[ketsugo]

If u want thickness for your back ...I FEEL that u must do barbell bentover rows and pull ups...Just those two lifts will give u the thickness that will last.For trap work i would do power clens and barbell upright rows....Just keep in mind stick with your basic lifts for Mass and thickness...dw

Just wanted to bump this post. The ONLY truly great advice, better than anything i can say, cuz its been proven over decades. If you want a wide, massive back then you need to focus on doing just a few basic compound , freeweight exersizes. NO Elaborate or new fangled set combos or routines, just few heavy basics. In most schools n circles pulldowns just dont cut it. Barbell rows and chins to stretch out scapula. Save pulldowns for warmups, pumps and variations. Rows for thickness and chins for width. Close grip stretches lats and serratuss, wide grip stretches scapula and shoulder girdle. You should do both. No need for one arm isolation moves yet. The power moves like deadweight stated will contribute not only to building the traps, but develop fast twich power , having many positive benefits. Once you reach a certain level, VARIATION will be the key. Fixed arm pushdowns and pullovers will later have a place in your routine, but not now. FOCUS ON MASS TRAINING WITH BASICS. Barbells and the chin station is where you begin.
Pulldown and machines say nay! Save them for later

 

[deadweight]

Just wanted to bump this post. The ONLY truly great advice, better than anything i can say, cuz its been proven over decades. If you want a wide, massive back then you need to focus on doing just a few basic compound , freeweight exersizes. NO Elaborate or new fangled set combos or routines, just few heavy basics. In most schools n circles pulldowns just dont cut it. Barbell rows and chins to stretch out scapula. Save pulldowns for warmups, pumps and variations. Rows for thickness and chins for width. Close grip stretches lats and serratuss, wide grip stretches scapula and shoulder girdle. You should do both. No need for one arm isolation moves yet. The power moves like deadweight stated will contribute not only to building the traps, but develop fast twich power , having many positive benefits. Once you reach a certain level, VARIATION will be the key. Fixed arm pushdowns and pullovers will later have a place in your routine, but not now. FOCUS ON MASS TRAINING WITH BASICS. Barbells and the chin station is where you begin.
Pulldown and machines say nay! Save them for later

i def agree with everything u just mentioned..Save the secoundary lifts for later...Those that start lifting need to first build a soild foundation..Andthe only way to start is with your basics..Nothing in this world builds a foundation like your basics and as u mentioned ketsugo...Its been proven to work.If u look at most powerlifters or weightlifters most of them are thick simply because they stick with mainly the basics...And even your pro BBs when they start a mass faze they seem to go back to the basic roots which is barbell work /basic training..Hmmm I wonder why?...The answer is simple, basic training will pack on the size which = thickness. Another tip for those that are just getting their feet wet in this sport.....Its not how much u do...Its what u do....Facts are no one needs excessive reps to beat down a muscle group...Actually a large muscle group such as your chess only needs just a few sets to rip it down...Those that ask me questions like...Im doing everything u siad but im not getting the size ...The very first thing i ask them..How many sets are u doing?...Most the time they are over trained...Nothing will grow if u stay over trained...I give this advice to all those that are looking to pack on size when it comes down to training....Its 40 persent training and 60 percent enjoying your gains...Which means enjoy your gains instead of over training ...When it comes down to size less is much better...but for some reason most people feel the need to over due it...they just cant sit back and enjoy the slow progress....dw