Single-Arm Lat Pulldown

What is the Single-Arm Lat Pulldown?

The single-arm lat pulldown is a cable vertical pull performed one side at a time with a D-handle, letting each lat work through its own full range against an independent load. Training one arm in isolation exposes and evens out side-to-side differences a two-handed bar can hide, and the free handle allows a longer, more rotational pull than a fixed bar.

Muscles worked

Primary: Back

The lat of the working side is the prime mover, driving the upper arm down and back through a full, unrestricted range to pull the handle to the ribs.

Secondary: Biceps

The biceps of the working arm assist by flexing the elbow to help complete the pull toward the bottom of each rep.

How to perform the Single-Arm Lat Pulldown

1. Attach a single D-handle to the high pulley of a lat tower and secure your thighs under the pad so you stay anchored during a one-sided pull.
2. Grip the handle with one hand, sit tall, and let that arm extend fully overhead so the working lat reaches a complete stretch and the shoulder rises slightly.
3. Set the working shoulder blade down first, then pull the handle down toward the same-side hip by driving the elbow low and back.
4. Allow the torso a small counter-rotation away from the working arm so the lat can travel through a longer contracted range than a two-arm bar permits.
5. Squeeze the lat hard at the bottom with the handle near the ribs, keeping the non-working hand off the thigh so it cannot cheat the pull.
6. Return the handle overhead under control into the full stretch, then complete all reps before switching to the other side.

Suggested working range: 10–15 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Mechanics

A unilateral vertical pull on a cable: the working shoulder extends and adducts while the elbow flexes to bring the handle down beside the torso. As a compound single-arm movement, the independent handle removes the stronger side’s ability to compensate and lets the lat travel through a slightly greater range, including some torso rotation, than a bilateral bar allows.

Form cues

• •Anchor yourself against the seat or a braced stance so the working lat pulls rather than the whole body sliding up.
• •Start from a full overhead stretch and let the shoulder blade rise before driving the elbow down.
• •Pull the handle toward the same-side hip, feeling the lat contract, and pause briefly at the bottom.
• •Match the reps and range on your weaker side and let it set the load for both.

Common mistakes

• •Resting the non-working hand on the thigh and pressing through it to cheat the working arm through the pull.
• •Pulling with the biceps and forearm rather than initiating from the shoulder blade and driving the elbow down.
• •Locking the torso rigidly and refusing any rotation, which surrenders the extra contracted range the single arm offers.
• •Cutting the overhead stretch short so the lat never fully lengthens between reps.

Variations & alternatives

• •Standard lat pulldown: the two-handed bar version for loading both lats together with more total weight.
• •Single-arm cable row: a horizontal one-arm cable pull that hits the mid-back from a different angle.
• •Neutral-grip pulldown: a two-handed narrower pull that also emphasises the lower lats.
• •Half-kneeling single-arm pulldown: kneeling to lock the torso and remove any lower-body cheat.

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 single-arm lat pulldown as a secondary vertical pull in the library’s 10–15 rep range, where a full stretch, a hard contraction, and honest per-side effort matter more than heavy load. It’s ideal for bringing up a lagging or weaker lat, since neither side can carry the other. Run the weaker side first and match it on the stronger side. A few sets per arm builds the lats well.

Frequently asked questions