Underhand Cable Pulldowns
How to do the Underhand Cable Pulldowns with correct form, the muscles it works, and where it fits a training plan you actually stick to.
Lats
Biceps, Mid Back, Shoulders
Cable
How to do the Underhand Cable Pulldowns
- 1
Sit down on a pull-down machine with a wide bar attached to the top pulley. Adjust the knee pad of the machine to fit your height. These pads will prevent your body from being raised by the resistance attached to the bar.
- 2
Grab the pull-down bar with the palms facing your torso (a supinated grip). Make sure that the hands are placed closer than the shoulder width.
- 3
As you have both arms extended in front of you holding the bar at the chosen grip width, bring your torso back around 30 degrees or so while creating a curvature on your lower back and sticking your chest out. This is your starting position.
- 4
As you breathe out, pull the bar down until it touches your upper chest by drawing the shoulders and the upper arms down and back. Tip: Concentrate on squeezing the back muscles once you reach the fully contracted position and keep the elbows close to your body. The upper torso should remain stationary as your bring the bar to you and only the arms should move. The forearms should do no other work other than hold the bar.
- 5
After a second on the contracted position, while breathing in, slowly bring the bar back to the starting position when your arms are fully extended and the lats are fully stretched.
- 6
Repeat this motion for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
Log it, see it on your body.
Every Underhand Cable Pulldowns set you log feeds Ascend's anatomy heatmap, so your lats volume is visible at a glance, and counts toward your bodyweight-strength tier.
Where the Underhand Cable Pulldowns fits
The Underhand Cable Pulldowns shows up in training built around a specific goal. See how it fits:
More lats exercises
Underhand Cable Pulldowns: common questions
What muscles does the Underhand Cable Pulldowns work?
The Underhand Cable Pulldowns primarily works the Lats. It also recruits the Biceps, Mid Back and Shoulders as supporting muscles.
Is the Underhand Cable Pulldowns suitable for beginners?
Yes. The Underhand Cable Pulldowns is a beginner-level exercise, so it's a solid choice if you're new to training. Start light and focus on the movement pattern before adding load.
What equipment do I need for the Underhand Cable Pulldowns?
To do the Underhand Cable Pulldowns you'll need a cable machine.
Is the Underhand Cable Pulldowns a compound or isolation exercise?
The Underhand Cable Pulldowns is a compound exercise, it moves multiple joints and works several muscle groups at once, which makes it efficient for building overall strength.
How do I do the Underhand Cable Pulldowns with correct form?
Sit down on a pull-down machine with a wide bar attached to the top pulley. Adjust the knee pad of the machine to fit your height. These pads will prevent your body from being raised by the resistance attached to the bar. Follow the full step-by-step above for the complete movement.
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