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
See it in motion
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
Kovo programs the cable lat pulldown for you and tracks it every session.
The AI builds your whole program, drops the right lifts into each workout, and adjusts your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More back exercises
- How to do the back extension bench back extension
- How to do the barbell good morning
- How to do the barbell bent over row
- How to do the barbell shrug
- How to do the cable straight arm pulldown
- How to do the chin-up
Last reviewed April 2026.