Almost every time I go to the gym, I see a bodybuilder doing lat pulldowns incorrectly. The Lat Pulldown is a very effective exercise for developing the lats, rhomboids, teres major/minor, rear delts, and biceps. However, if done incorrectly, it is ineffective and potentially harmful to you. Here are three common mistakes to avoid when doing the Lat Pulldown:

Pulling Bar Behind Neck – The shoulder joint, while incredibly flexible, was not designed to pull behind the neck. Long-term shoulder work (pushing and pulling) behind the next will eventually result in shoulder problems such as impingement and rotator cuff tears.

When doing Lat Pulldowns, pull the bar up toward your upper chest near your collarbone area. This requires your back to be arched, with your chest pushed forward, shoulders retracted, and elbows slightly behind your torso. You may need to lean your torso back slightly to ensure the bar is clear of the front of your face. Don’t “rock and sway” your upper torso to gain momentum during the pull. Let the muscles in your upper back and arms do all the work.

pulling the bar up to the waist – Many trainers lower the bar to the waist or lower rib cage. To do this, the arms rotate forward to help move the bar toward the lower rib/waist area. At this point, the lats aren’t even involved. Movement towards the waist/lower rib area is a wasted movement and serves no purpose. In fact, additional stress is initiated on the shoulder during this part of the exercise. Pulling the bar down towards the waist/lower rib area is probably the most common mistake I see in performing the Lat Pulldown. As mentioned above, the bar must be pulled toward your upper chest for effective and safe execution of this exercise.

handle too wide – Some trainers seem to think that since the side bar is about four feet wide, you should grab it at the far ends of the bar. This is an error for several reasons. First, an extra wide grip reduces your range of motion on this exercise. Second, the extra wide grip increases the separation force on the shoulder joint, which can eventually lead to shoulder problems.

Proper grip positions for Lat Pulldowns are a narrow grip that is about 6 to 12 inches or a wide grip that is 3 to 6 inches wider than the width of your shoulders. The narrower grip will stretch your outer lats more and help give your back more width. The wide grip will hit your trapezius and core lats more. You should do both in your routine for maximum development.

Make sure you don’t make these three mistakes and follow the tips listed above for safe and productive execution of the Lat Pulldown exercise. The Lat Pulldown is a great exercise if you do it correctly.