Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown
Introduction: The Classic Back-Width Builder
If your goal is to build a wide, sweeping V-taper, the Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown is one of the most essential movements in your arsenal.
Bodybuilders have used it for decades as a staple lat-width exercise because:
- It targets the upper lats and teres major more effectively than close-grip variations
- It emphasizes the outer lat fibers that create that wide-wing look
- It provides an easier mind–muscle connection than pull-ups for many lifters
- It allows controlled progression through stable machine mechanics
While many treat the wide-grip pulldown as a simple pulling exercise, maximizing its lat activation is a skill — and when done properly, it becomes one of the most valuable tools for building a dramatic, aesthetic back.
Muscles Worked
Primary Target
- Latissimus dorsi (upper and outer fibers)
Secondary Muscles
- Teres major
- Rhomboids
- Lower traps
- Biceps brachii
- Brachialis
- Rear deltoids
Stabilizers
- Core
- Forearm flexors
- Mid traps
The wide grip reduces biceps involvement and increases lat recruitment — but only if the technique is right.
How to Perform the Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown
Setup
- Sit down on the pulldown machine and secure your thighs with the pad.
- Grab the bar with a wide overhand grip, slightly outside shoulder width — or to the bend of the bar.
- Sit tall with a slight arch in your lower back.
- Lift your chest (“proud chest” cue).
- Depress your shoulders (pull shoulder blades down, not back).
This position shifts tension from the traps to the lats.
Execution
- Initiate the rep with your lats — not your arms
Before bending the elbows, pull your shoulder blades downward.
This is critical for lat engagement.
- Pull the bar to your upper chest
Target point: just below the collarbone.
Keep elbows pointed down and out, not straight back.
This elbow path is what biases the upper and outer lats.
- Squeeze the lats hard at the bottom
Hold for 1 second.
Imagine “pressing your elbows into your back pockets.”
- Control the eccentric (3 seconds)
Let the bar rise slowly until arms are fully extended.
Keep tension on the lats — don’t let shoulders rise up toward your ears.
Breathing
- Inhale as you raise the bar
- Exhale as you pull it down
Smooth breathing helps maintain core stability and optimal posture.
Key Technique Cues for Maximum Lat Activation
- “Chest up. Shoulders down.”
This one cue alone can double lat activation.
- “Pull with elbows, not hands.”
This reduces biceps takeover.
- “Elbows move in a slight outward arc.”
This is what makes the wide-grip pulldown unique —
It recruits the outer lat fibers that create width.
- “Never lean back excessively.”
This turns the movement into a row.
- “Get a full stretch at the top.”
The lat stretch at the top of each rep is critical for hypertrophy.
Common Mistakes and Fixes
❌ Leaning too far back
Turns the pulldown into a row.
Fix: Keep torso near vertical with only a slight lean.
❌ Pulling the bar behind the neck
Increases shoulder stress and reduces lat activation.
Fix: Always pull to the upper chest.
❌ Using momentum or swinging
Removes tension from the lats.
Fix: Slow the eccentric and brace your core.
❌ Shrugging during the pull
If your traps take over, the lats shut off.
Fix: Depress shoulders before each rep.
❌ Underhand grip or too narrow grip
Changes muscle recruitment entirely.
Fix: Use a wide overhand grip. Hands outside shoulders.
Training Variations
- Semi-Wide Pulldown (Shoulder Width + 1 Hand)
More elbow flexion → slightly more lats + biceps
Better for heavy work with stricter form.
- Wide Neutral-Grip Pulldown
Uses a multi-grip bar.
Reduces shoulder stress while keeping width stimulus.
- Slow Negatives Pulldown
3–4 second lowering phase for lat fiber lengthening and stretch hypertrophy.
- 1.5 Rep Wide Pulldown
- Full rep
- Half rep
- Repeat
Massive lat burn.
- Dead-Stop Pulldowns
Pause at the top for full lat stretch.
Brutal for hypertrophy.
Programming Guidelines
Hypertrophy (Lat Width Focus)
- 3–4 sets
- 8–12 reps
- Slow eccentrics
- 1–2 reps shy of failure
Strength & Progression Blocks
- 4–5 sets
- 6–8 reps
- Heavier, controlled work
- Perfect for building carryover to heavy pull-ups
End-of-Session Lat Finisher
- 2–3 sets
- 12–20 reps
- Constant tension
- No lockout, deep stretch every rep
Where It Fits in Your Back Day
Best Placement:
First or second movement in a back-width focused workout.
Example width-focused session:
- Wide-Grip Pull-Up or Pulldown
- Close-Grip Pulldown
- Single-Arm Lat Pulldown
- Straight-Arm Pulldown
- Dumbbell Row (to balance width with some thickness work)
For a mixed back day:
- Deadlift or Barbell Row
- Wide-Grip Pulldown
- Seated Cable Row
- Straight-Arm Pulldown
- Machine Row
Who Should Use the Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown
Perfect For:
✔ Bodybuilders chasing V-taper width
✔ Beginners who struggle with pull-ups
✔ Lifters wanting better mind–muscle connection
✔ Anyone with poor lat activation
✔ Physique athletes focusing on upper-lat shape
Not Ideal For:
❌ Anyone with shoulder impingement (use neutral-grip pulldown instead)
❌ Those who ego lift with poor control
Advanced Bodybuilding Tips
- Keep elbows 10–15° in front of the torso at the bottom.
This is peak lat recruitment position.
- Think about “breaking the bar apart.”
Externally rotate slightly — massive increase in lat activation.
- Add a loaded stretch after your last set.
Hold the bar at the top for 20–30 seconds.
One of the best lat-growth techniques.
- Pull explosively, lower slowly.
Hyper-efficient for hypertrophy.
- If you struggle to feel your lats, use straps.
Grip fatigue should never ruin lat engagement.
Practical Summary
- Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown is one of the best exercises for back width and V-taper aesthetics.
- Form and cueing matter more than weight.
- Excellent as a primary or secondary lat movement.
- Slow eccentrics + chest up + elbows down/out = maximal lat growth.
