Single-Arm Lat Pulldown

Start

Finish

How to do it

Kneel under a high pulley with a single handle, start with the arm fully stretched overhead and the shoulder allowed to rise, then pull the elbow down to your side and finish by pulling the shoulder blade toward the back pocket.

Muscles worked

Primary: back · Also works: biceps, core

Equipment

Cables, Full gym

Common mistakes

• Twisting the whole torso to help the arm down instead of staying square to the machine
• Never letting the shoulder rise at the top, which skips the stretch that makes this version worth doing
• Pulling so heavy the free hand ends up gripping the frame and assisting

Variations

• Half-kneeling single-arm pulldown for more core demand
• Single-arm pulldown with a slight cross-body finish

Can't do this one? Swap it for

• Lat Pulldown
• Single-Arm Cable Row
• Band Lat Pulldown

Related exercises

• Pull-Upback
• Lat Pulldownback
• Barbell Bent-Over Rowback
• Single-Arm Dumbbell Rowback
• Resistance Band Rowback
• Inverted Rowback