💥 LAT-PULL DOWN GRIP & ISOLATION

🚨 Lat pulldown’s are said to build the width of the back during hypertrophy training and they’re a key workout to any back routine. There’s a variety of variations- narrow, medium and wide (as well as reverse). We’ll be looking at the first 3.

📌Which is best for what- Looking at emg data of the 3 different grips we see what muscles are activated more during each grip. The Biceps brachii is activated more during medium grip compared to narrow during the eccentric phase. Lats are activated more in wide grip during the eccentric portion of the lift compared to the narrow grip however compared to medium grip there isn’t a statistical difference. The infraspinatus part of the rotator cuff is activated more during wide grip in the eccentric phase perhaps to control the weight more. When looking at 6RM for each grip, Wide grip had 4% less weight than medium grip and 4% less than narrow grip.

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⁉️What do these findings mean- 1) If you want to isolate(emphasize) the lats more perform wider grip and focus on the eccentric motion more (when your arms are coming up). If you’d like to focus on the biceps more during a lift (perhaps you’re combining back and biceps) medium grip will allow for better biceps contraction. And lastly if you would like to go heavier narrow grip is best then medium and wide last.

📍Lastly if you’d like to isolate the lats as much as possible it is important to focus on the pull to come from the elbow not the biceps. Studies show people new to training cued to focus on activation of the lats had a greater increase of lat activation. It is crucial to have the mind-muscle connection to isolate the muscle as much as possible (if that’s your target). Remember to focus on pulling down with the elbows your lats attach way back on the humerus its important to know where the pull should be coming from.