How to Work the lateral muscles with wide grip lat pull downs

Learn how to do wide grip lat pull downs. Presented by Real Jock Gay Fitness Health & Life.

Benefits

When done properly, wide-grip lat pull-downs will help you build a broader, stronger back and improve your posture. When done improperly, they'll wrench your back out of whack. If you want that sexy "V" shape between your shoulders and your waist, this is a keeper.

Muscles worked

Lats (triangular muscles on either side of the back)

Starting position

Seat yourself at a cable station beneath a long-bar attachment suspended from the cable. Stabilize yourself using the pads above the knees. Reach up and grip with bar with palms facing away from you, hands a little more than shoulder width apart.

Exercise

1. From the starting position, pull the bar downward toward your chest. Keep your shoulders down throughout the movement. As you pull down, broaden your chest, pull through your pinkies and slightly tuck your elbows a little bit forward to isolate your lats.

2. Bring the bar close to your chest, as you exhale and squeeze your lats.

3. Slowly resist the upward motion of the bar as you return to the starting position. Repeat until the set is complete, and do a total of four sets.