Back · Cable
Cable Lat Pulldown
How to do the cable lat pulldown, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Cable
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Vertical Pull
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Sit at a lat pulldown machine with a shoulder-width grip on the bar, palms facing forward. Pull the bar down towards your chest while keeping your torso upright. Squeeze your shoulder blades together as the bar reaches chest height, then slowly allow the bar to rise back up to the starting position. Repeat.
- 1Feel your lats pulling the bar down toward your chest
- 2Keep your shoulder blades depressed and squeeze at the bottom
- 3Control the bar's upward movement to feel a stretch on the way up
Common mistakes
- Avoid leaning back too far or using momentum
- Don't let your shoulders shrug up; keep them down
- Avoid pulling the bar behind your neck; bring it to the front
Muscles worked
The cable lat pulldown mainly works the lats and biceps, with the forearms, lower traps, mid traps, upper abs, and rear delts assisting.
- LatsPrimary
- BicepsPrimary
- ForearmsSupport
- Lower TrapsSupport
- Mid TrapsSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- Rear DeltsSupport
Cable Lat Pulldown strength standards
See how your cable lat pulldown ranks, from Bronze to Champion. These are the same standards the Kovo app uses to rank your lifts.
Bronzee1RM95 lb
Silvere1RM137.5 lb
Golde1RM195 lb
Platinume1RM250 lb
Diamonde1RM285 lb
Champione1RM312.5 lb
Find your rank
Enter your best set. We estimate your 1RM and match it to a tier.
Kovo tracks this rank automatically as you train, across every lift, and levels you up as you get stronger.
Kovo programs the cable lat pulldown for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More back exercises
- How to do the archer pull-up
- How to do the resistance band assisted pull-up
- How to do the machine assisted pull-up
- How to do the back extension bench back extension
- How to do the machine back extension
- How to do the back lever
Last reviewed April 2026.