Lat Pulldown

[Amkey]

The other day I read an article telling me NOT to pull the bar behind my neck because its unatural movement. Well this is how I have been doing it forever and then the other night I pulled the bar in front of me and really wasnt feeling the pull. I didn't think I was getting near the workout I do for behind the neck. WELL i woke up the next morning and WOW was my back sore. All those muscles felt seriously worked out. So if anyone out there does it behind the neck....try pulling down in front of you and let me know if you felt the same.
amk

[Lemur-X]

Yeah. My wife of all people pointed this out to me once I started working out.

Mind you, the last time I lifted was 7 years ago in high school, and the instructor in my weight training class neglected to tell anyone about proper form, etc. I wonder how much damage I may have done in the past....

--Steve

[Lee J B]

Yes problems caused by this movement can be very serious indeed, especially as the back and lower back area are concerned. I've posted on this on DF.com in the past.... many, many, many people make the mistake You should also find you can slightly increase the weight now your doing it the other way.

[Amkey]

Lee,
I sooo noticed that. I thought it was great that I was getting better soreness and that I was able to up the weight.
Amk

[Julius]

i know the biceps are effected as a secondary muscle in the lat pulldown, but i mostly feel it there, and not in my lats/back. any solutions?

[mustang GT]

Originally posted by Julius
i know the biceps are effected as a secondary muscle in the lat pulldown, but i mostly feel it there, and not in my lats/back. any solutions?

Which grip do you use? Overhand or underhand? I think overhand would be better to keep the biceps more out of it. Also, try having your thumbs loose, so just grip the bar with your fingers and leave your thumbs out of it. I thumbless grip might help to keep the biceps out of it as well.

[Lee J B]

Mustang hit the nail on the head, overhand grip will exclude the biceps a lot more.

[redrock22]

http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/research/pull.shtml

[Merrida]

Also, FLEX your way through the movement. THINK your way through it. If you're thinking of pulling the bar down with your arms, then your arms will yank most of the weight. If you concentrate on flexing your lats, and by default in a secondary fashion, your arms act like hooks which just sort of happen to draw the bar down.... (you have to THINK differently).... it helps. You feel it more.

Also, thumb on top, overhand grip.

Too wide a grip and you have to compensate with your shoulders and end up throwing your neck and lumbar into the movements. It also helps you to maintain the vertical pulldown.

[Amkey]

After I realized that I was doing the weight wrong then I realized I could up the weight and I did by quite a bit and thats when I felt the soreness
Amk

[Helene]

Thumb on top or thumbless grip?

[Amkey]

I do it thumbless

[PixlPushr]

I can never seem to get my lats "sore"

I use all the weight that I can without my form going to hell... (pulldowns)

[Lee J B]

Is pulldowns all you do for lats ? that could be why.... although pull downs hit them, they dont hit them as well as others such as low lateral rows (cable). If not, remember that sometimes its good to experiment with weight just outside your correct form range - take ronnie coleman for example his form is terrible on most exercises but it it just that which enables him to continually enhance his physique (along with the tons of other stuff he pumps into his body )

[carcajou]

Originally posted by Julius
i know the biceps are effected as a secondary muscle in the lat pulldown, but i mostly feel it there, and not in my lats/back. any solutions?

A good 'focus trick' is to pretend you are actually PUSHING the resistance DOWN with your ELBOWS. Next time you do the exercise keep this in mind...during your warm up set too. It is so simple yet makes such a difference.