The body’s broadest muscle is also one of the hardest to feel working. Collect your gold star on the way out if you guessed the lats or the latissimus dorsi. Some lifters find it challenging to form a mind-muscle connection with their lats because they are often used with other muscles when training hard and heavy.
Many great exercises target the lats but also involve the forearms, biceps, posterior delts, and the upper back. But when you take those muscles out of the equation, you’ll feel your lats then, and that’s where the straight-arm Lat Pulldown comes in. It is as close as an isolation exercise for the lats as there is and a cure for those who cannot feel their lats.
Improving the straight arm Lat Pulldown is not about adding weight but about adding movement. Strength and conditioning guru Tony Gentilcore, former co-owner of Cressey Performance and current co-owner of Core Collective in Brookline, MA, has created the Straight Arm Press Down With Hinge.
Hang on to your lats, as this move is one more way to help give you wings.
Benefits of the Straight Arm Pulldown
Gentilcore, the owner of a 600-pound deadlift and an impressive set of wings, gets right to the point on why this exercise is the bomb.
“Straight arm lat pulldowns are an excellent accessory movement that targets the lats. Granted, you won’t be able to use as much load compared to the seated variety, but I find that, when done with solid technique (and one tosses their ego out the window), they’re able to “feel” their lats more because there’s less body English involved. Another benefit the standing straight-arm version provides compared to seated lat pulldown is more anterior (front) core engagement.” explains Gentilcore.
Benefits of The Straight Arm Press Down With Hinge Variation
As great as the traditional straight-arm variation is, Gentilcore sees a problem with it and, as he explains, aims to solve it by adding the hinge.
“I like the conventional straight-arm pull-down to target the lats. However, add a hinge if you REALLY want your lats to fire up. As the video shows, as I raise my arms, the hinge drastically emphasizes lengthening at the lats, which is essential for more potential muscle growth.
My variation solves the limiting factor of the straight-arm lat pulldown, which is the limited range of motion. The arms tend to stop at chest level, so there’s less shoulder flexion involved (arms go overhead). Adding the hinge motion helps to offset this and adds more ROM and stretch to the lats, which can lead to bigger wing potential.” says Gentilcore.
Top Tips For The Straight Arm Press Down With Hinge
Gentilcore suggests going lighter than you think, as feeling your lats through the entire ROM is critical.
Plus, when you extend and straighten your arms out in front of you, push your hips back as if trying to shut your car door (hinge), and emphasize a nice stretch sensation in that position. Pause for a 1-2 second count, then return to the starting position.
Also, feel your lats working as you pull your arms back closer to your body. Maintain a controlled tempo throughout the set; don’t let the weight control you.
Programming Suggestions
Gentilcore suggests you incorporate these into your workouts in two ways. First, use them as a primer or warmup for deadlift day because engaging your lats is vital for maintaining a neutral spine. One or two sets of 10-15 reps will do here. Second, use them as an accessory on upper body day, performing 3 to 4 sets of 10-15 repetitions.
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