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When it comes to training your back, the close grip lat pulldown is a great exercise to add to your routine.
This move primarily works the latissimus dorsi muscles, but also recruits other muscles in the back and arms as well. With proper form, you can really target these muscles and see great results.
What Muscles Does Close Grip Lat Pulldown Work?
- Back
- Lats
How To Perform Close Grip Lat Pull Down
The close grip lat pulldown works the major muscles of the back: lats, rhomboids, lower back muscles, and hamstrings.
To perform a close grip lat pulldown, pull the bar up toward your chin and, as you come back to the starting position, slowly lower the bar back to the starting position.
Utilize a hand position that is comfortable to you and squeeze as hard as you can. Do this in addition to your lat pulldown.
- Place your feet shoulder-width apart, arms above your head, and grip the barbell in close grip.
- Curl the bar to your lower back.
- Pull the bar down to the top of your knees, keeping a flat back and in the bottom of your feet.
- This is the starting position.
- Fully squeeze the bar and place your elbows back.
- Release the bar, and step back to the starting position.
- Start with a weight that is challenging for you to do the full range of motion.
- Sample Workout
- This sample workout will develop your back, shoulders, and upper body simultaneously.
Are Close Grip Lat Pulldowns Better?
The short answer is no. The actual weight on the bar matters, but what you will notice is that a strong lat is often associated with a strong back.
A more detailed look into why this is the case would include the fact that your lat is the biggest muscle on your back, and it allows you to externally rotate your spine and even helps stabilize your spine during heavy lifts.
When compared to an overhead squat where the lat is a secondary muscle, a close grip lat pulldown can improve your power, strength, and coordination.
What About My Grip?
The correct hand positions and grip angles of the close grip lat pull down will also help you train your back muscles better and improve your muscle performance. The key to perfecting the exercise is focusing on alignment.
I often place my thumb next to the bar, but you can do the exercise either with your thumb fully or partially outside the bar and do any variation in between.
Are Close Grip Pulldowns Effective?
Yes, it is one of the best upper back exercises, even when you’re focused on upper back. Here are the main benefits you will gain from this exercise.
Directly target the muscles of the back. Use the right tools for the job. Trackable progress.
Regularly use the exercise to hit your main body parts. Watch the alignment of your spine to avoid injury.
You will also get an amazing core workout as you engage your abdominal muscles in order to stabilize the movement.
Open or Closed?
Lat pulldowns differ from lat pulldowns in that the arms are open and the hands are closed.
The motion in the open lat pulldown position is somewhat similar to an upright row in that you will pull the bar toward you as you pull up.
Open lat pulldowns are better for training the lats, due to the differences in muscle activation.
However, closed lat pulldowns have been shown to increase muscular size over open lat pulldowns.
If You’re Not Doing These, You Need to Start
Working your back muscles is a great way to increase the size and strength of those all-important “chicken wings” that we use for everything from carrying groceries, to throwing an impressive punch.
It’s a great exercise for strengthening and shaping your back muscles.
If you want to get that strong, ripped look like Dwayne Johnson, make sure you are adding close grip lat pulldowns to your workout.