Back · Pulldown and pull-up
Seated Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown
The Seated Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown mainly trains your lats. Also working: biceps and upper back.
Both cables
Stool or box
Stable
How to do it
- Sit tall, feet planted on the floor
- Arms extended, chest up
- Pull to your upper chest, elbows down
- Extend slowly without coming up off the seat
Coach’s tip
Easier on the knees than the kneeling version. Because nothing holds your thighs down, you’ll lift off at around 70% of your body weight: then hook your feet under the frame or move on to pull-ups.
Setup
Pulley
Both pulleys at the top, bench or stool centered underneath
Grip
Lat bar on both cables, or two single handles
Load
Both cables
Needs two cable towers
You need
Stool or box
Stability
A bench, the floor or the frame takes the counterforce, or the cable pulls straight up or down. Good for heavy sets.
Alternatives
Other exercises for the same movement (pulldown and pull-up). In DCFT you can swap with one tap, and the app only offers what your equipment allows.
Questions about this exercise
What muscles does the Seated Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown work?
Mainly the lats. The biceps and upper back help.
How do I set up the cable machine for the Seated Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown?
Pulley: Both pulleys at the top, bench or stool centered underneath. Grip: Lat bar on both cables: or two single handles. You also need: Stool or box.
Can I do the Seated Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown on a single cable tower?
Not like this. The Seated Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown needs both cables at once, so two towers. If you set up DCFT for one tower, the app leaves it out of your plan and uses exercises such as Pull-Up and One-Cable Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown instead.
What can I do instead of the Seated Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown?
For the same movement: Pull-Up, Band-Assisted Pull-Up and Kneeling Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown. In DCFT you swap with one tap.
DCFT
The Seated Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown in DCFT
In the app this exercise comes with your weight: the plate to pin, what you lifted last time and a rest timer that starts by itself.
Free on the App Store for iPhone. Pro is a one-time purchase with no subscription.