Close-Grip Lat Pulldown

Often included in strength-training programs, the close-grip lat pulldown is a functional upper-body exercise. It is praised for improving your general pulling strength, upright posture, and back muscle symmetry.

Maintaining good exercise form and consistency will help one to fully enjoy the advantages of close-grip lat pulldown. The exercise should also be supplemented with other lat pulldown alternatives programmed in a weekly exercise split for a balanced physique.

We investigate the execution, programming, variants, and advantages of the close-grip lat pulldown in this review.

How To Do

  1. The equipment required is a lat pulldown machine fitted with a narrow grip handle or a typical pulldown bar. Adjust to a weight that provides enough resistance to help you keep correct form over the repetitions of the exercise. When you sit, position the machine so that your knees fit comfortably under the knee pads.
  2. The workout should be carried out with the body facing the lat pulldown machine. Use a pronated (palms facing outwards) or a supinated (palms facing your body) hand grip.
  3. Maintaining a narrow grip on the bar, gently pull the weight toward the upper chest area. Pulling, squeeze the shoulder blades inward and let the lat muscles handle the load. Keep the elbows close but not touching the body in the pulldown and upward motions.
  4. At the maximum pull position close to the upper chest, stop momentarily to let back muscles completely contract. Slowing down the motion will help you to return the bar to the starting position while preserving the resistance.

Tips From Expert

  • Let the target muscle define the exercise movement instead of swinging the torso to create momentum.
  • Emphasize keeping good posture throughout the workout. One gets this by straightening the back, lowering the shoulders, and raising the chest. This prevents stressing the muscles in the neck or the back.
  • Plant your feet firmly on the ground at shoulder width. Keep your back straight and lean slightly backward to activate core muscles and preserve the correct exercise form for muscle activation.
  • Exhale when pulling down and inhale when raising the bar to control your breathing. This will help you to maintain control by increasing body stability.
  • Executing a full range of motion of the arms will maximize target muscle activation. It should be done without resting the weights in between repetitions.

Optimal Sets and Reps

The suggested sets and reps for close-grip lat pulldowns vary depending on the training approach and aim. Refer to the table below for the optimum ranges depending on your fitness goals.

Training Type Sets Reps
Strength Training 3–5 4–6
Hypertrophy 3–4 8–12
Endurance Training 2–4 12–20
Power Training 3–5 2–4 (Explosive)
Optimal Sets & Reps of Close-Grip Lat Pulldown

How to Put in Your Workout Split

Your weekly exercise schedule should be split such that you target every muscle group. Enough rest intervals between exercises should ensure muscle recovery from an ideal split. As shown below, the close-grip lat pulldown can be included in several weekly splits.

  1. Full Body Workout Split — Every time you work out within the week, this split seeks to simultaneously target lower and upper body muscles. Targeting upper body muscles, the close-grip lat pulldown is a great addition to back exercises. The exercise should be done once or twice a week along with planks, bench presses, and squat variations.
  2. Push, Pull, And Legs Workout Split — This split sets aside days for push and pull exercises and an exclusive day for leg workouts. The close-grip lat pulldown can be integrated in pull days targeting the back and biceps. This could include several sets of this exercise, depending on the workout goal, augmented by bent-over rows, deadlifts, and bicep curls.

Primary Muscle Groups

Latissimus Dorsi

Large, triangular shaped muscles located just below your shoulder blades. They extend along your spine down to your pelvis.

Biceps Long Head

Most outside part of your bicep.The front of your upper arm.

Biceps Short Head

Most inside portion of the biceps. Located at the front of your upper arm closest to your chest.

Latissimus Dorsi

The latissimus dorsi muscle covers the whole midsection of the back. It originates from the lower spine, the pelvis, and the lower ribs and inserts into the upper arm bone.

During the exercise, it enables shoulder adduction (bringing the arm closer to the body), rotation, and extension. Pulling heavy objects activates it mostly, thus maximum activation during the close-grip lat pulldown exercise.

One study tracked back muscle activation rates under several grips during a lat pull-down. During a 6-repetition maximal load, a narrow grip activated the latissimus dorsi more than a wider grip. During the close grip lat pulldown, the latissimus dorsi had a muscle activation rate of 70%–80%.

Biceps Long Head

The biceps long head is part of the biceps brachii found on the outer side of the upper arm. The long head is in charge of flexing the elbow and forearm supination (palm facing upward). During the close-grip lat pulldown exercise, these muscles are activated to help stabilize the shoulders during pulling.

According to research, lat pulldowns effectively engage the biceps brachii. However, actual percentages may vary depending on the individual's grip. According to one study, biceps brachii activity is higher with a medium grip compared to a narrow grip.

Biceps Short Head

The short head is also part of the bicep brachii located on the bicep’s interior. It drives forearm supination and arm flexion. The short heads are engaged during the narrow grip lat pull-down exercise to flex the elbow as one pulls.

The close-grip lat pulldown works the bicep brachii, making it an effective cable bicep workout. However, because everyone is different, activation rates for the short head of the biceps may differ.

Secondary Muscle Groups

Sternal Head of Pectoralis Major

Large muscles located underneath your clavicle head. Makes up most of your chest area

Upper Trapezius

Triangular shaped muscles located between your neck and shoulder blades.

Middle Trapezius

Muscles located in the middle of your back between your upper and lower traps.

Brachialis

Muscle which starts at the middle of your upper arm and connects just below the elbow.

Brachioradialis

Muscle located between outside portion of your forearm from the elbow to the wrist.

Posterior Deltoid

Muscles located at the back of your shoulder. Helps with posture.

Posterior Deltoid

The deltoid muscle makes up the bulk of the shoulder and is composed of three heads. The posterior deltoid is one of them, located at the back of the shoulder.

The narrow grip of the close-grip lat pulldown stimulates the posterior deltoids to help stabilize the shoulders during exercise movements. These muscles are moderately activated during the exercise.

Brachialis

The brachialis muscle lies beneath the long and short heads of the biceps brachii. This muscle is less visible but necessary for elbow flexion. During the close-grip lat pulldown, the brachialis helps push the bar closer to the torso by flexing the elbow.

Brachioradialis

The brachioradialis is found on the forearm on the outermost side. The main purpose of the muscle is elbow flexion, thus it becomes active to execute the close-grip lat pulldown.

The exercise's narrow grip, more so when the palm is pronated (palms facing down), activates the brachioradialis. Unfortunately, there haven't been enough targeted muscle activation studies to determine an exact activation rate range for this muscle.

Upper Trapezius

The upper trapezius are upper back muscles covering the neck, shoulders, and upper back. To maintain shoulder stability, the upper trapezius muscles are moderately activated during the close-grip lat pulldown. These muscles may have a lower activation rate than the latissimus dorsi and biceps brachii during this exercise.

Middle Trapezius

The middle trapezius is an upper back muscle that comprises part of the greater trapezius muscle.

It experiences secondary activation during the close-grip lat pulldown to hold the shoulder joint steady. Thus, it helps to stop the shoulder blades from winging or shrugging during exercise, which would stress the upper back muscles.

Sternal Head Of Pectoralis Major

The sternal head and the clavicular head make up the pectoralis major muscle. Its primary purpose is the internal rotation of the upper arm. It also drives the arm forward, or flexion, and toward the side of the body, or adduction.

During the close-grip lat pulldown to steady the shoulder joint, the muscle undergoes secondary activation. It is mainly involved in the eccentric phase or when returning weights to the starting point.

Equipment

Lat Pulldown Machine

Lat Bar

Lat Bar

This provides a useful cable machine attachment that allows you to work your lats. Ensure you use the right grip width.

Lat Pulldown Machine

This is a great piece of equipment for working your lats and core. Ensure your legs are under the pads.

Variations

Exercises that target the same primary muscle groups and require the same equipment.

Lat Pulldown

Cable Preacher Curl

Reverse-Grip Lat Pulldown

Alternatives

Exercises that target the same primary muscle groups and require the different equipment.

Pull-Up

Assisted Pull-Up

Dumbbell Hammer Curl

Weighted Pull-Up

Dumbbell Single-Arm Bent-Over Row

Chair Inverted Row

Chin-Up

Pulse Row

Barbell Biceps Curl

Dumbbell Pullover

Who Should Do?

Strength Training Beginners

The close-grip lat pulldown is a great workout for strength training beginners since it is less intimidating. It is an effective exercise that can help increase basic strength in your arms and back. 

In addition to working the biceps and forearms, this exercise works the latissimus dorsi muscles. These are essential for the development of the entire back. It also requires a basic movement pattern, thus one can quickly learn appropriate exercise techniques.

Athletes

The exercise is relevant to a broad spectrum of athletes, particularly those engaged in continuous pulling tasks and events. That covers swimming, gymnastics, rowing, and rock climbing.

The upper-body muscle groups involved in such demanding activities need well-developed biceps and an upper back. The exercise is good since it develops the lats, which make up most of the back muscles and biceps. This develops explosive strength and power, therefore improving performance.

People Rehabilitating From Shoulder And Elbow Injury

If done moderately, the close-grip lat pulldown is an efficient exercise for shoulder, elbow, and lower back rehabilitation. It can be used following an injury or post-operative surgery. This is because the exercise distributes the load between the arms and shoulders. 

People with weakened shoulder and elbow joints will find the exercise manageable and effective, especially with progressive weight loading. Still, consult a physiotherapist or medical practitioner before using the exercise for rehabilitation.  

Who Should Not Do?

People With Impingement Or Shoulder Injury

Impingement is pain resulting from increased inflammation and irritation in some structures of the shoulder joint, namely the tendons. If the rotator cuff tendons suffer from this disorder, the pain can be quite severe with exercise. For such a person, doing the close-grip lat pulldown can also increase inflammation, aggravating the condition. 

Apart from impingement, the exercise’s range of motion might impact those suffering major shoulder injuries. So people with rotator cuff damage should be cautious when doing this exercise. 

Individuals With Lower Back Problems

Although close-grip lat pulldowns mostly target the upper back, the load can move to the lower back. This is particularly true in cases of incorrect form: leaning back too much or overloading weights.

Pre-existing conditions can be triggered by additional stress on the lower back, which can increase pain and inflammation. See a doctor for rehabilitation treatments if you have lower back problems before strength training to ensure your safety.

Individuals With Tennis Or Golfer’s Elbow

Also known as tendonitis, Tennis or Golfer’s elbow causes elbow tendons to become inflamed. Because the close-grip lat pulldown can potentially aggravate the inflammation, even those with mild tendonitis should avoid doing it. 

The exercise involves considerable elbow flexion and scapula retraction (pulling shoulder blades together). This motion pattern may slow down the recovery process in people with golfer’s elbow. As such, it is advisable for such people to concentrate on healing their injuries first. 

Benefits Of The Exercise

Grows Muscles 

The close-grip hand position activates the lats and the bicep brachii, increasing their muscle mass. However, higher volumes of effort training are necessary for optimal muscle development in diverse groups.

Working out regularly thickens the target muscle, resulting in balanced muscle development. This is good since most people have underdeveloped lat muscles.

Concentrate on maintaining good exercise form if you want the muscles to develop more quickly and effectively. Gradually increase weights as well, as you gain more endurance from the exercise. 

Builds Strength

The exercise helps to build basic strength in the upper body, making it a mainstay in strength-training programs. Developing the lats and bicep muscles helps one improve their pulling strength. This improves performance in physical or sporting activities involving rowing or pulling the body weight, like swimming and mountain climbing.

Performing the exercise regularly also increases forearm strength and grip power. Research suggests that higher training volume leads to more gains in strength and endurance. This results in more lifting or pulling power. 

Improves Posture

The close-grip lat pulldown workout primarily strengthens the lats and other upper-body muscles responsible for supporting the spine and shoulders. For those with poor posture, developing these muscles can be corrective. 

The lats and rhomboids, which are nearer the spine, pull the shoulder blades back. As the muscles get stronger, the shoulder and shoulder blades align better, preventing slouching.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the close-grip lat pulldown work on?

The latissimus dorsi is the main target muscle engaged in this exercise. The exercise also stimulates the biceps and forearm muscles but with lesser activation.

Which is better, wide or close-grip lat pulldowns?

None is better than the other. Both of them work the lats with more engagement on the arms for the close-grip variation.

Why do I never feel lat pulldowns?

You should feel the stress on the target muscles if you are doing the exercise right. Poor exercise form, using light weights, and neurological factors may cause you not to feel the effects.

What muscles do close-grip lat pulldowns work?

The exercise mainly activates the latissimus dorsi but also engages the bicep brachii and forearms to a lesser extent.

Resources

Endomondo.com refrains from utilizing tertiary references. We uphold stringent sourcing criteria and depend on peer-reviewed studies and academic research conducted by medical associations and institutions. For more detailed insights, you can explore further by reading our editorial process.

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