Reverse-Grip Lat Pulldown

What is the Reverse-Grip Lat Pulldown?

The reverse-grip lat pulldown is a machine vertical pull performed with an underhand, roughly shoulder-width grip. Supinating the hands puts the biceps in a stronger pulling position and lets the elbows drive down and back close to the body, which shifts the emphasis toward the lower lats, making it a great complement to wide-grip pulls that hit the upper back.

Muscles worked

Primary: Back

The lats are the prime mover, and the underhand grip lets the elbows tuck and drive back, biasing the lower lats as the bar comes to the chest.

Secondary: Biceps

The biceps take a bigger share than an overhand pulldown because the supinated grip puts them in a strong pulling position.

How to perform the Reverse-Grip Lat Pulldown

1. Take a supinated shoulder-width grip on a straight bar, palms facing you, which tucks the elbows closer to the body than a wide overhand grip.
2. Lock your thighs under the pad and sit tall with a very slight backward torso lean, chest lifted toward the bar.
3. Begin by setting the shoulder blades down and back before allowing the elbows to bend, keeping the wrists straight.
4. Pull the bar toward the lower chest by driving the elbows straight down along the ribs, which emphasizes the lower lats and lets the biceps assist.
5. Touch the bar to the lower chest and squeeze, avoiding the urge to lean way back and turn it into a rowing motion.
6. Extend the arms back overhead under control into a full stretch before beginning the next repetition.

Suggested working range: 8–12 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Mechanics

A bilateral vertical pull with a supinated grip: the shoulders extend and adduct while the elbows flex and stay close to the torso, bringing the bar to the upper chest. As a compound pull the underhand grip both recruits the biceps more and lets the elbows travel further behind the body, emphasising the lower lats compared with a pronated grip.

Form cues

• •Grip the bar underhand at about shoulder width and keep the torso close to upright.
• •Drive the elbows down and back close to the ribs, pulling the bar to the upper chest.
• •Squeeze the lats at the bottom and think about tucking the elbows behind you rather than curling the bar.
• •Let the bar rise to a full stretch overhead without shrugging before the next rep.

Common mistakes

• •Leaning far back and rowing the bar into the belly rather than pulling it down to the lower chest.
• •Letting the biceps take over and curling the bar down instead of driving the elbows straight down the ribs.
• •Failing to extend the arms fully overhead between reps, cutting the lat stretch short.
• •Shrugging the shoulders up at the top rather than starting each rep with the shoulder blades set down.

Variations & alternatives

• •Standard lat pulldown: an overhand grip that shifts emphasis toward the upper lats and back.
• •Chin-up: the bodyweight underhand vertical pull once you can handle stacks near your own weight.
• •Close-grip pulldown: a narrow neutral or pronated grip that also biases the lower lats.
• •Wide-grip lat pulldown: a wide overhand grip for outer-lat and upper-back width.

Conventional Deadlift

Back · Barbell

Barbell Row

Back · Barbell

Pull-Up

Back · Bodyweight

Lat Pulldown

Back · Machine

Seated Cable Row

Back · Cable

Programming: sets, reps & when to use it

Use the reverse-grip lat pulldown as a primary or secondary vertical pull in the library’s 8–12 rep range. Its lower-lat and biceps emphasis makes it a strong pairing with a wide-grip pull that hits the upper back, so you cover the lats from both angles. Because the biceps are involved, it sits well on a pull day alongside rows and arm work. Two to four sets build the lats well.

Frequently asked questions