Lat Pull Down Exercise

An essential component to fitness is resistance, or weight training, due to the positive effect it has on the muscular system, and also the skeletal system. “Lat-pull down exercises have been shown to significantly increase the strength of pulling maneuvers about the glenohumeral joints” (Doma 2013). Athletes must train their muscles to perform to their best of their abilities in their sport of choice, because if they neglect to train their muscles, they will run a higher risk of having an injury. The most effective way to train an athlete’s muscles is through multi-joint lifts, in which the motions can be related to many basic movements in sports. Weight- related strength is the most important factor in performing motor skills (Clemons 632).

The hands should be firmly gripping the bar in the pronated position. Studies have shown a slight increase in the muscle activation while using a medium grip versus a wide or narrow grip (Andersen et al. 1136). Andersen believes that a medium grip is better than wide and narrow grip, but Lusk disagrees with this. The wide grip has proposed to most effective way to perform the lat pull down (Lusk. 1895). This is defined by a subject's arms which are vertical and shoulder width apart, then adducting them approximately fifty degrees from the head. The front lat pull down is a 2 joint exercise that consists of abducting the shoulder and flexing the elbow. Also, when performing the eccentric part of the exercise when the bar is stopped at the chest in the isotonic movement the arm should be between thirty five and forty five degrees between the upper arm and the body. When conducting research on this exercise all factors must be accounted for including the movements by the humerus, radius and ulna. Each person will have a slightly different movement for the front lat pull down, because of the differences between men and women; young adults and older adults. For instance, a difference might be the landmarks women use on the bar to set their grip versus a man, because women usually have narrower frames than men; also women usually have little background in strength

It is important that the hands do not change position during the lift, because this could cause injury. The hands should still be firmly gripping the bar in the pronated position. Studies have shown a slight increase in the muscle activation while using a medium grip (Andersen et al. 1136), but as stated above not all experts agree on this part of the lift some believe that medium grip is better for muscle activation but other experts believe wide grip has more muscle activation than medium and narrow grip. The end position should be the same posture and form as starting point, which means, that you do not want your subject performing the lift with a rounded back as it can lead to injury. Performing a posterior lat pull down is deemed less safe than an anterior lat pull down, because performing a posterior lat pull down requires the individual to have adequate flexibility in their internal rotators. Most athletes typically do not have the flexibility to perform this exercise safely (Roberts 42). However, performing lat pull downs in front of the neck will strengthen the musculature of the Latissimus Dorsi, Rhomboids, Posterior Deltoid, Teres Major, and the Elbow Flexors without jeopardizing shoulder joint integrity (Roberts 42). This shows that anterior lat pull downs puts less stress on the Glenohumeral joint and the Scapulothoracic joint