Lat Pull Downs: Wide Grip for Back Growth and Strength

Compared to a standard grip lat pulldown, this variation puts far more direct emphasis on the lats. If you struggle with back muscles that don't grow or strengthen, trying a lat pulldown with a wide grip is one of the best workouts you can do. 

In this simple guide, we’ll cover how to do a lat pulldown with a wide grip and offer a few pro tips to help you ace your technique. 

We’ll also cover the risks and benefits of this move, what muscles it works, and how to incorporate the lat pulldown wide grip into your weekly workout routine. 

How to Do Lat Pull Downs, Wide Grip

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to properly perform wide grip lat pulldowns:

1. Set-Up

Set your lat pulldown machine up so the thigh pads sit comfortably on your legs. This will prevent you from being lifted by the weight. It’s important to work with a challenging yet manageable weight, too, so that you don’t get pulled out of your seat!

Attach a straight bar handle to your machine. Grab your bar with a wide overhand (pronated) grip, wider than shoulder-width.

2. Body Position

Sit down with your feet flat on the floor and your thighs secured under the pads.

Lean back slightly (about 10-15 degrees) to create an optimal angle for pulling.

Keep your chest lifted and engage your core to stabilize your torso.

3. Action

Pull the bar down towards the upper part of your chest.

Squeeze your shoulder blades together and bring your bar to below chin level or near your collarbone.

Keep your elbows pointed down, and avoid relying too much on your biceps to do most of the pulling. 

4. Reverse

Slowly release your bar back to the “up” position with control, letting your arms straighten out again. 

Keep your lats engaged while your bar returns to the top, but don’t round out your spine or let your shoulders hunch inwards. 

5. Sets and Reps

3-4 sets of 8-12 reps. Make sure your movements aren’t too jerky and that you’re focused on engaging your back muscles the whole time. Try to work through each rep at a consistent pace and rate. 

Pro Tips

• Don’t swing or use momentum to pull your weight down.
• Stay slow and controlled. Focus on contracting your lats when you pull the weight down and feeling your shoulder blades pull together. 
• Don’t let the bar touch your chest or bounce off it. Controlling your weight and range of motion is the best way to make sure you’re engaging your lats effectively.

Why You Should Try Lat Pulldowns

Wide grip lat pulldowns are an effective exercise for developing the muscles of the upper back, especially the latissimus dorsi (lats). Here are some key reasons why you should include wide grip lat pulldowns in your routine:

1. It Gives You Wings!

No, this isn’t a Red Bull ad. 

The arm position that you use in a lat pulldown with a wide grip specifically targets your outer lat muscles. This helps to broaden your back and give you a better overall size around your upper body. 

If you’re looking for a "V taper" shape, a common goal for men in the gym, this is one way to get it. Along with toning your abs, broadening the lats creates the overall look.

2. Upper Body Strength Gains

Not only is it great for the lats, but wide-grip pulldowns strengthen multiple muscles in your upper body, including the trapezius, rhomboids, and biceps. 

This can help to improve your all-around pulling strength and efficiency. 

3. It Helps You Stand Tall

Wide grip lat pulldowns can help you correct rounded or sloped shoulders by strengthening your upper back.

If you tend to slouch or slump over, a stronger back can help you to stand tall again. 

Better posture can contribute to: 

• Less lower back pain 
• More confidence
• Proper joint alignment 

4. Real-World Application

Lat pulldowns mimic pulling movements required in many daily activities and sports, like lifting or climbing. You build functional strength that translates to real-world tasks.

5. Master Your Pull-Ups

When you’re ready to transfer your lat pulldowns from the machine to a pull-up bar, you’ll have the strength to do it. 

Wide grip lat pulldowns make an excellent accessory exercise to improve your pull-up performance. They train the same muscles that you use to pull your body weight up.

So if you’re struggling to get your first pull-up or you’re an old pro and just want to adjust your technique or work into more complex moves like muscle-up progressions, doing a lat pulldown with wide grip helps ensure that you have the strength to do so. 

6. Lets You Switch Things Up

Wide grip lat pulldowns add variety to your back training routine, allowing you to hit the muscles from different angles and prevent plateaus.

Incorporating wide-grip lat pulldowns helps enhance upper body strength, aesthetic back development, and overall pulling capacity. 

Lat Pulldowns, Wide Grip Workout Routine

Day 1: Back & Biceps

1. Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns – 4 sets x 8-12 reps
2. Barbell Bent-Over Rows – 4 sets x 8-10 reps
3. Dumbbell Single-Arm Rows – 3 sets x 10-12 reps (per arm)
4. Seated Cable Rows – 3 sets x 10-12 reps
5. EZ Bar Curls – 3 sets x 10-12 reps
6. Hammer Curls – 3 sets x 10-12 reps

Wide grip lat pulldowns will help you to engage your upper back and lats more effectively. Pairing them with rows is a good way to work towards overall back thickness.

Day 2: Chest & Triceps

1. Flat Barbell Bench Press – 4 sets x 6-8 reps
2. Incline Dumbbell Press – 4 sets x 8-10 reps
3. Chest Dips – 3 sets x 10-12 reps
4. Overhead Triceps Extension (Dumbbell) – 3 sets x 10-12 reps
5. Triceps Pushdowns (Cable) – 3 sets x 10-12 reps

This push day workout targets the muscles you use to generate the force to push things but it lets your back recover while working muscle groups that complement it.

Day 3: Rest and Recover

Try a lighter cardio workout like a slow incline treadmill walk for 30 minutes. You can also use this day for stretching, or opt out of any kind of workout entirely. If you want to move your body, aim for something that is low-key and doesn’t strain your muscles too much. 

Day 4: Back & Shoulders

1. Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns – 4 sets x 8-12 reps
2. Pull-Ups (Assisted if needed) – 3 sets x 6-8 reps
3. Dumbbell Shoulder Press – 4 sets x 8-10 reps
4. Face Pulls (Cable) – 3 sets x 12-15 reps
5. Lateral Raises – 3 sets x 10-12 reps
6. Dumbbell Shrugs – 3 sets x 10-12 reps

Focus: Emphasize lat development with pulldowns and pull-ups while incorporating shoulder exercises to balance the upper body.

Day 5: Leg Day

1. Squats (Barbell or Dumbbell) – 4 sets x 8-10 reps
2. Leg Press – 4 sets x 10-12 reps
3. Romanian Deadlifts – 3 sets x 8-10 reps
4. Walking Lunges – 3 sets x 12 steps per leg
5. Calf Raises (Standing or Seated) – 3 sets x 15-20 reps

Give your back a break by focusing on leg strength and growth. This allows your back muscles to recoup and rest up for day 6. 

Day 6: Back & Biceps

1. Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns – 4 sets x 8-12 reps
2. T-Bar Rows – 4 sets x 8-10 reps
3. Chest-Supported Dumbbell Rows – 3 sets x 10-12 reps
4. Reverse Grip Lat Pulldowns – 3 sets x 10-12 reps
5. Preacher Curls (EZ Bar or Dumbbell) – 3 sets x 10-12 reps
6. Concentration Curls – 3 sets x 10-12 reps (per arm)

Focus: This day mostly mirrors the work you’re doing on day 1 but with a slight variation. Here, it’s a good idea to focus on both wide and reverse grip lat pulldowns so you hit different parts of the lats.

Day 7: Rest and Recover

Suggestions: 30 minutes of light cardio or stretching. Try a low-key hike, slower yoga session, or restorative walk. 

Pro-Tips:

• Aim for Progressive Overload: Gradually increase the weight on wide grip lat pulldowns and other exercises to promote strength and muscle growth.
• Use Your Rest Breaks!: Give yourself 60-90 seconds of rest between each set. Proper rest intervals between sets in strength training allow your muscles to take in the efforts of your workout to train for hypertrophy. Proper rest also lets your body eliminate muscular waste so that it won’t accumulate and make you sluggish or ineffective. 
• Focus on Form: Ensure strict form, especially on lat pulldowns—avoid using momentum and concentrate on contracting your lats.
• Fuel Your Body: Always support your muscle growth with proper nutrition—focus on adding lean protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats to your diet. Make sure to eat something protein-rich no more than two hours after you work out.

Lat Pulldowns, Wide Grip— Benefits and Risks 

With great back muscles come great advantages! 

That being said, you can still manage to get injured while doing a wide-grip lat pulldown. Here are a few benefits of these exercises along with some risks to be mindful of.

Benefits of Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns

1. Lat Definition: Wide grip lat pulldowns primarily target the latissimus dorsi muscles, helping to build a broader and more defined upper back. This contributes to the sought-after "V" shape.
2. Stronger Upper Body Strength: This exercise strengthens not only the lats but also the biceps, shoulders, and upper back muscles like the trapezius and rhomboids, leading to better overall pulling strength.
3. Better Posture: Strengthening the upper back and lats can help correct rounded shoulders and slouching, improving posture and reducing the risk of back and neck pain.

Risks of Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns

1. Shoulder Strain: If done wrong, especially with a very wide grip or too much weight, lat pulldowns can put unnecessary strain on your shoulders. Your shoulder joints, also called glenohumeral joints, can be ultra-sensitive and at high risk for injuries. Working with too much weight before you’re ready can lead to shoulder impingement symdrome or o.  Using a lat pulldown machine, it’s all too easy to let the machine pull you! Not only does this defeat the purpose of the exercise, hampering your ability to get stronger, but loading too heavy of a weight can jerk your shoulders into uncomfortable or downright dangerous positions. Always use a weight you know you can reliably lift. 
2. Lower Back Strain: Leaning back too far or using momentum to pull the bar down can stress the lower back, increasing the risk of strain or injury. Proper form is essential to avoid this risk.

No matter what, make sure you’re using proper technique and moving with control.

Lat Pulldowns, Wide Grip— Muscles Worked

Wide grip lat pulldowns primarily target the latissimus dorsi (lats) but also engage several other muscles in the upper body. Here's a breakdown of the muscles involved:

Primary Muscles Worked:

1. Latissimus Dorsi (Lats)

The largest muscle in the upper back is responsible for pulling the arms down and back and creating a "V" shape in the torso.

Secondary Muscles Worked:

2. Trapezius (Traps)

Your upper and middle traps help keep your shoulder blades stable and help drive the pulling motion.

3. Rhomboids

These small back muscles sit between your shoulder blades. Rhomboids help to pull your shoulder blades back during the pulldown.

4. Teres Major

This small muscle works with your lats to help pull your arms down and in. 

5. Posterior Deltoids

The back part of your shoulder helps stabilize and control your wide grip lat pulldowns. 

6. Biceps Brachii

The biceps engage as secondary movers during the pulling phase of your pulldown. 

7. Brachialis and Brachioradialis

Smaller muscles of the arm and forearm assist in elbow flexion during the pull.

8. Core Muscles

Your abdominals and core work to stabilize you and keep your posture in line during your pulldowns.

Big Picture

Wide grip lat pulldowns are an effective exercise for strengthening and developing the upper body, particularly targeting the latissimus dorsi muscles. By employing a wider grip, this variation emphasizes the outer portion of the back and can enhance shoulder stability and posture.

References

Creech JA, Silver S. Shoulder Impingement Syndrome. [Updated 2023 Apr 17]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554518/

de Salles, B. F., Simão, R., Miranda, F., Novaes, J.daS., Lemos, A., & Willardson, J. M. (2009). Rest interval between sets in strength training. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 39(9), 765–777. https://doi.org/10.2165/11315230-000000000-00000