💪 IMPORTANT REMINDERS: ✅ Get your free training and nutrition plan: www.SeanNal.com/custom ✅ Subscribe to the shorts channel: ruclips.net/channel/UCtoCSRviHk6uFIb-zqeo4yQ ✅ Check out my science-based supplements: www.RealScienceAthletics.com (Save 15% on first order with code RUclips15) P.S. If you signed up for a program and didn't receive it, make sure to check your junk/bulk folder. If it didn't show up there either then contact info[at]seannal[dot]com to have it re-sent.
Crazy how the timing worked out for me. I built out a garage gym and haven’t done lat pulldowns since going to the gym before COVID and just installed a cable pulley and was going to start doing lat pulldowns again today! Thanks Sean! This should help dust off a lot of rust.
@@nicolasklug2311 I thought I replied but I don’t see it. I was going to make a DIY pulley but I bought one directly from Archon for around $40. It was the 70” / 55” dual cable option with a 1” loading pin. Used a first purchase discount too. Ended up being about just a little more than what a DIY would cost but it looks, works and sounds better. Also got MAG grips (Sean uses one in the video) as well and the whole setup works so well.
@@chrisrhinehart45 I don’t have a machine. I wish I did but I don’t have the room. I got a pulley from Archon for around $40. Look at my other reply for details.
The shorts are brilliant but it's great to see a more in depth video again Sean! It's amazing with the lat pulldown how simple it looks but how much people get wrong.
Solid recommendations as always. The most common issues I see are people bringing the bar down way too low, & using too much weight and/or excessive leverage to get the bar down.
I rarely see no. 5, but still notice no. 8. The bonus “mistake” includes helpful tips for how best to use the machine and how to incorporate other complementary exercises. Thanks.
Thank you for helping ease the anxiety of improper form! Sometimes I find it tough to tell if I'm doing something wrong when almost nobody at my gym uses proper form and look these up to reassure myself I'm not crazy for doing it the right way. Thank you!
This is one of the best videos I've seen explaining exercise form. It's straight forward and simple. There are appropriate videos demonstrating technique. And, there's a logical explanation for each point. Nicely done!
@@maratonlegendelenemirei3352 I always thought it was fruity af but I decided to let my ego go yesterday and did them and oh brother let me tell you, my ass knows what it’s like to take a 6 in her back there now
My biggest lat pull-down revelation was making sure the bar was fully stretching me out on the negative. Once I started controlling the negative, and allowing a big stretch, my back blew up. Combined with only doing neutral grip.
1:05 Knee pads firm 1:55 Lats abduct your shoulder leaning when I do the movement I should think of pulling my lats to my side like a circle not bringing the bar down Target lats with the exercise 6:50 Closer grip helps target the lats better
"...I'm not saying you're guaranteed to snap your shit up," Lol. Love your straight-forward approach and no-nonsense teaching style your videos have been helping me a lot recently. Thank you!
Another tip that often goes overlooked is keeping your shoulders down. You wanna make sure you're not shrugging plus, one function of the lats is shoulder depression.
@@pyrrosdimas5798 if you're shrugging then you're transferring all the tension to your traps, loosening up the lats instead of keeping them tight the whole set.
Thats stupid. If shoulder depression is a function of the lats then you should allow your shoulders to elevate at the end of a rep. This is like saying “you should elevate your shoulders when doing overhead press”
@5:18 : There are studies now that show there's MORE hypertrophic potential to controlling the eccentric portion of a repetition. A study was performed where they had participants do only eccentric or only concentric portions of an exercise, and the group that did only the eccentric had greater growth than the portion that did only the concentric. Controlling the weight on the eccentric and even pausing in the stretched position is the most important part of any repetition.
This is ridiculous. I have been doing Lat Pulldowns for two decades and I found 2 mistakes I make far too often already and I'm only around the halfway point of the video. Thanks Sean! Now let's see what else you can fix. Btw, I just did my back and shoulder a couple of days ago (2nd time since rejoining the gym after essentially *A DECADE* off) and darned if I did not forget about a nagging pain. I tore my right rotator in my early 30's, then broke my right clavicle in my late 30's. Anyway, I completely spaced out that shoulder raises irritate the shit out of the joint. I used to get cortisone shots for it but after the second injection only worked for a few days I decided to stop and give up on that particular movement since, well a cortisone shot every two days, degrading the joint even further so I could do DB raises seemed kinda stupid. I only did 3 sets of 11 with a 25lbs dumbell and damned if that same spot is not bugging the crap out of me. I had to take 3 months off *everything* that put stress on the joint for it to actually heal, and here we are again two weeks in. So the point of typing all of this out? If something hurts when you do it at the gym, find another exercise. Uncomfortable is fine, but actual pain? Stop and do something else. There is no one exercise that is worth dealing with pain over a 5 on the 1-10 scale; ei I'd put a 5 at something akin to a severe tooth ache, a broken bone the first couple of weeks after the break/fracture when you accidentally move that body part or whack it on something. So not agonizing, but definitely unpleasant. Heh, not as bad as when you initially sprain your ankle severely, or how your head feels the day after a severe concussion, but darn unpleasant none-the-less. So if you've got that really bad earache level of pain in any part of your body from an exercise, find a different method of targeting that muscle group. I'd even go so far as to say even squats, deadlifts or bench are not important enough to put yourself in constant pain when you are working out other body parts or sitting around typing. I put myself in a situation where I have to just accept it and train through it, knowing I'll need months off or surgery to + time off for it to go away or fix it altogether. At only two weeks back to the gym, 45lb overweight to get to my *minimum* healthy weight, and 10%-12% bodyfat over where I should be (I'm somewhere between 27% and 29% if I had to guess); and 13-15% over where I would *like* to be (around 13-14% would be ideal right now which means more than 45lbs would need to be lost as well) so the second that movement felt _wrong_ I should have stopped. Not held an Iron Cross, rotating the weights to try to identify exactly where the pain was. At least I am sure of the exercise *not* to do, but again, the second it actually *_hurt_* the weights should have been racked. Anyway, back to the video. Let's see what else I can _fix_ so hopefully my lat pulldowns will hurt a bit less, and if nothing else, clean up my form a bit. I thought I was going light too, only going up to 150 as higher than that I found myself having to pull with my body by rep 3, but nope. I was rounding my shoulder which I'm sure wasn't doing me, or that irritation any good.
I’ve never clicked a video so fast. I’ve been doing them for a few weeks and I have 0 idea what the right form is I feel like I’ve seen a million different ways. Can’t wait to watch this and now actually do it correct and effectively and not be guessing Edit: so far 0 mistakes made up until the super mechanical form at 4:21 I can have a little more movement and not such a strict form
Keep feet and thigh pad locked down for maximal pull Keep 1.5x shoulder width grip Pull down until bar meets upper chest and no further, dont want to pull it too far Dont hunch your shoulders forward, keep chest up and forward Dont use momentum, controlled momentum is ok if advanced Dont be overly strict either, being a robot statue machine wont maximize muscle overload. Find a middle ground btwn too strict and complete bro mode. Slow down your reps negatives in a way that makes you feel in control, 1,1.5-2 seconds is common. Dont pull bar behind your neck. --- Sit more upright with a flatter back, using a narrower grip to prioritize lats
I'm actually out the door to the gym for back and shoulder night when I saw the video. My grip has been too wide for quite some time now, and I was wondering why the desired result wasn't there. Trying it the proper way this evening. Thank you Sean!
Yea but you're still contracting the muscle so don't think it was useless just because it was a bit wider. I know many pro's BB's who change their grip frequently on most of their back exercises. I'd say changing your grip even once a month could benefit.
Hey Sean I love your videos. Mostly you upload videos of talking which is great, but it would be great to see maybe a typical week of your workout with commentary describing what your doing (old school style)
I'm still going to do lat pulldowns behind my head, because I like the way doing so makes my torso feel. Got to know why you're going in to the gym in the first place. I do it to condition, not train for competition. I go to feel my body sing.
Pulling behind neck with low/moderate weight has been useful to me in increasing range of shoulder movement while recovering from bilateral frozen shoulder. I agree entirely about not using too much weight behind the neck.
As someone who has anterior deltoid issues but the lateral and posterior is fine, doing behind the neck lat pulldown has always been the one exercise i felt to be the most effective. I can do a variety of back exercises and none target the upper back for me as doing it behind the neck, but as you said it has to be controlled and with lighter/moderate weight. i believe the biggest problem with the riskier/more dangerous exercises/exercise variations come from improper form and/or using too much weight
@2:17 - Range of motion - Depends on your intended purpose. If you’re working on learning the muscle ups, pulling the lat bar down past the chest to the belly may be a good idea. I cannot currently do a muscle-up, but the further you pull the bar past your chest, theoretically the greater likelihood you can do a muscle up.
Love you and your channel, thank you. I’m just getting back into the gym finally after almost 2 years being out and it’s almost as if I was destined to take that time off just so I could be properly informed by you. Bless your soul Sean.
This was a really helpful video. I feel like i couldn't feel my lats that well in this movement before. Also for me gripping like a hook helped me engage my lats more, and focusing on driving my elbows down.
I'd suggest if you're having trouble feeling your lats, try doing one arm pulldowns. Start with an overhand grip and change to underhand as you contract. You can contract your lats even tighter b/c you don't have a bar hitting your chest. It takes longer, but will help you to learn the sensation you're looking for.
Thanks, Sean, i was doing the excersice on my toes just like you show on 1:06 , fortunately you uploaded this just on time, tomorrow is back day and i will correct this issue.
Thank you for this and other great videos. I had shoulder surgery about 9 months ago and found the straight bars still hurt due to my range of motion still being limited. I noticed at 7:12 during the bonus tip you are using the MAG pull down handles. I first saw these at a gym in the UK and purchased 3 of these for myself. Since using these I’ve noticed less pain because my grip now places my shoulders in a more natural position for the pull downs. I’d recommend these for folks with shoulder pain using a straight bar. I saw your dumbbell press videos and would compare these to a dumbbell press vs a bench press. On a bench press the hands aren’t free to move as natural as with a dumbbell where I can place my elbows at the 70-75 degree position.
Your channel quickly became my favorite one, when comes to fitness. You're always done to the point, precise and it seems you trully wanna help people. I wish you all the best moving forward
Saw that lat pulldown mistake post on your Instagram and i instantly knew you were gonna do a video about it. Amazing info brother i definitely learned something from this.
Back is my favorite part to exercise so It's cool to see I haven't been making too many mistakes, have a good trainer. Awesome video this is my favorite exercise hope to do pull-ups someday
Additional problems/considerations with some of the points: *#1* If you're using your legs for stability, *_you're doing a leg exercise, not a back exercise!_* (even though we all know you guys need to get off your arses and work on your calves, or you're going to end up with _popsicle_ bods...). *#3* Too much movement places *_a great amount of stress on your lower back and can mess up your lumbar spine with over-rotation:_* you'll have enough trouble with your back as you get older, so don't rush it! *#4* Collapsing your shoulders in, towards your chest, *_will simply amplify the bad effects of today's horrible tendency towards_** cellphone hunchback.*
I am 16 Y/o and struggling to make a good mind muscle connection and correct positions with low weights. No matter how hard I try I dont feel my back. I find your this video helpful and within few hours Im hitting the gym. I’ll surely try It. Thank you Sean❤
Its been a year but if u dont feel ut back ur form is wrong trust me u might think its as good as it can be but if it actually eas u would feel ur back i speak from experince
Thanks Sean, I'm definitely guilty of #4 towards the end of each work set and will look to re-incorporate #8 which had stupidly dropped off the menu. 👏
Hey Sean, I reckon a cool vid would be about your progress of working out, like a transformation video but you could go through mistakes you made and things you did right. Kinda like your video about your old workout forum. Hope you see this 👍
Lastly, don't drop the weight after your set like a wild gorilla. Other people might be using the same cable machine! If you can pull it down, surely you can gently lower the weight back gently.
Hey man great video and awesome tips will put all of them to good use I saw a few of your other videos on work out tips and like within two sessions of going to my gym I instantly saw the results I go to the gym three to four times week I really found that doing five reps of eight on a heavy load has really worked so thank heaps so I’ll do a deal with you, you keep making these videos and I’ll keep watching them 😁 cheers mate take have a good one and thank you kindly 😁
151022 1:43 - Why Wide Grip Is Not Recommended Reposted 1. No having feet firmly planted on the ground and having knee pad not pressing tight 2. Gripping bar too widely Try 1.5× shoulder width You can play around with grip width, but studies have shown a pronated grip outperforms a supinated one. 3. Too much range of motion, pull to upper chest and no further 4. Allowing shoulders to collapse and hunch forward, this engages shoulders more 5. Excessive momentum, if bar path, grip, etc is ok then it is ok for advanced lifters but for most people just use a slight tilt 6. Excessively strict with your form, don't be too rigid, you'll still build muscle, in a way have a middle ground between controlled momentum and rigidity 7. Not controlling the negative, it can stress the joints, don't be too slow on the negative but control the bar as it moves upwards. 8. Pulling bar behind neck, it has no real benefits, and it results in internally rotating shoulders. Bonus: Lat pulldowns shouldn't be primary lat exercises as it can work the upper back, to work lats more use a neutral pronated grip with straight back and pull shoulders down for more shoulder extension
Sean, help us find good supplement brand alternatives, just like when you made that good RUclipsrs video. My country doesn't allow your products imported 😭
Number 6 was the one I really needed to hear. I have a bad low back and I wasn’t sure if allowing your torso to move when pulling down would cause back injuries.
What are the impacts of verticality/angle for lat pulldowns? I was doing them at near 90 degrees with a slight lean at the gym, but with the way my pulley is set up at home, I’m pulling down at about 75 degrees.
Hi Sean, I'm 7'1 and when I do the lat pulldown I can reach the bar whilst sitting. So much so that in order to feel like I get a full range of motion I need to lean back, so I don't really use any momentum. I saw the point about not enough momentum and was wondering what advice you'd have for me? What angle would be too much when involving a little momentum in my lat pulldown for maximum back stimulation?
Being 6'4 (so, not nearly as tall as you are) and having to train at home with bands for the time being(not going to the gym for personal reasons), kneeling works. I do lat pulldowns with my door and my bands, so obviously I'm not going to reap much benefits while standing
@@OnlineWithMikko that instruction is wrong on absolutely every level. fractally wrong. if you tried to get it wrong on purpose, you couldn't have done it better. of course, you are not even considering what part of the back he may be trying to target. please get educated on the subject and do not give advice, you don't know enough yet.
Before you gave your final mistake, I was about to write that the biggest mistake folks are making is thinking that they need to do lat pulldowns. When Covid began, gyms here in Tokyo were closed for a month, so I made a home gym and was forced to do chinups and pullups for my lats. When the gyms opened up, I opted at staying in my home gym. The difference in the size of my lats is amazing.
At 3:12 , he discusses briefly the legitimacy of using "excessive momentum." Can anyone explain when and how this can be used? I didn't understand this short bit. Tia
Would you be able to do a video talking about use of negative movements during reps? I always wonder if I'm overusing them or if there is such a thing as overuse.
bro i was talking about this with my friends at the gym today that i never feel anything in my lats when i train them and then i come home to this video on my recommended. Thanks
💪 IMPORTANT REMINDERS:
✅ Get your free training and nutrition plan: www.SeanNal.com/custom
✅ Subscribe to the shorts channel: ruclips.net/channel/UCtoCSRviHk6uFIb-zqeo4yQ
✅ Check out my science-based supplements: www.RealScienceAthletics.com
(Save 15% on first order with code RUclips15)
P.S. If you signed up for a program and didn't receive it, make sure to check your junk/bulk folder. If it didn't show up there either then contact info[at]seannal[dot]com to have it re-sent.
yes
Can I send you a pic and let me know if I should recomp or not
THANK YOU
Waiting for that video on lat exercises bro .
You Look Like Tom Hanks Idk Why
Social relations are killing your gains.
Social relations are keeping you big as hell.
I agree.
Unless it’s your juice dealer, fully agree
Work as well
Not true
Crazy how the timing worked out for me. I built out a garage gym and haven’t done lat pulldowns since going to the gym before COVID and just installed a cable pulley and was going to start doing lat pulldowns again today! Thanks Sean! This should help dust off a lot of rust.
Hey what model/brand did you buy? Im a home gym owner and am fed up of doing pull ups Lol
@@nicolasklug2311 I thought I replied but I don’t see it. I was going to make a DIY pulley but I bought one directly from Archon for around $40. It was the 70” / 55” dual cable option with a 1” loading pin. Used a first purchase discount too. Ended up being about just a little more than what a DIY would cost but it looks, works and sounds better.
Also got MAG grips (Sean uses one in the video) as well and the whole setup works so well.
@@jamestonbellajo Thanks man appreciate it will look into it !
I would like to know as well where did you get your cable machine from cable machines can do just as good as anything else
@@chrisrhinehart45 I don’t have a machine. I wish I did but I don’t have the room. I got a pulley from Archon for around $40. Look at my other reply for details.
The shorts are brilliant but it's great to see a more in depth video again Sean! It's amazing with the lat pulldown how simple it looks but how much people get wrong.
unfortunately sean gets most of it wrong too.
@@louiscyfer6944 specify please
@@JoseRodriguez-fy9so it's way too long to write it out here. i have to explain it in person, there is a lot of detail to get the mechanics right.
@@louiscyfer6944 I can be on discord if u want
@@JoseRodriguez-fy9so if you are in so cal you can come to my gym and i will walk you through it.
Best advice I ever got for seriously sore lats I’d pull with your arm pits, the difference is unbelievable
Solid recommendations as always. The most common issues I see are people bringing the bar down way too low, & using too much weight and/or excessive leverage to get the bar down.
Brother you're everywhere i go
@@ratpainkillers Haha! I guess that means we both follow the same great channels 👍
Glad to meet you you!
@@ratpainkillers 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I rarely see no. 5, but still notice no. 8.
The bonus “mistake” includes helpful tips for how best to use the machine and how to incorporate other complementary exercises. Thanks.
Thank you for helping ease the anxiety of improper form! Sometimes I find it tough to tell if I'm doing something wrong when almost nobody at my gym uses proper form and look these up to reassure myself I'm not crazy for doing it the right way. Thank you!
This is one of the best videos I've seen explaining exercise form. It's straight forward and simple. There are appropriate videos demonstrating technique. And, there's a logical explanation for each point. Nicely done!
Dude I caught myself doing a few of these without knowing I was doing them. Thanks for clearing it up man 👏🏽
The flat feet one nailed me immediately lol
@@ethioman123 It's not so much the foot position as the knees and butt. You can still anchor yourself without having your heels flat on the ground.
“Three things in life that matter most”
Bench, Squat, Deadlift, right?
Pull ups too but yeah
Barbell banded booty hip thrusts!
@@maratonlegendelenemirei3352 I always thought it was fruity af but I decided to let my ego go yesterday and did them and oh brother let me tell you, my ass knows what it’s like to take a 6 in her back there now
Not when your back has seen better days.... 🤣
As a personal trainer thank you, literally you are my teacher and I pass along your knowledge
My biggest lat pull-down revelation was making sure the bar was fully stretching me out on the negative.
Once I started controlling the negative, and allowing a big stretch, my back blew up. Combined with only doing neutral grip.
1:05
Knee pads firm
1:55
Lats abduct your shoulder leaning when I do the movement I should think of pulling my lats to my side like a circle not bringing the bar down
Target lats with the exercise
6:50
Closer grip helps target the lats better
"...I'm not saying you're guaranteed to snap your shit up,"
Lol. Love your straight-forward approach and no-nonsense teaching style your videos have been helping me a lot recently. Thank you!
Every word is gold. My favorite gym coach on yt.
I just started weight lifting going from bodyweight training and watching your content has helped me a lot. Thanks!
Guilty of gripping too wide, but now I know. Thanks, bro.
Another tip that often goes overlooked is keeping your shoulders down. You wanna make sure you're not shrugging plus, one function of the lats is shoulder depression.
I usually shrug it in the top and then pull them down as the bar goes down
@@pyrrosdimas5798 if you're shrugging then you're transferring all the tension to your traps, loosening up the lats instead of keeping them tight the whole set.
Thats stupid. If shoulder depression is a function of the lats then you should allow your shoulders to elevate at the end of a rep. This is like saying “you should elevate your shoulders when doing overhead press”
afaik if you dont let your shoulders lift a bit on the top you aren‘t using full ROM.
Thanks doggo. Looks like its a rest day for you
@5:18 : There are studies now that show there's MORE hypertrophic potential to controlling the eccentric portion of a repetition. A study was performed where they had participants do only eccentric or only concentric portions of an exercise, and the group that did only the eccentric had greater growth than the portion that did only the concentric.
Controlling the weight on the eccentric and even pausing in the stretched position is the most important part of any repetition.
So happy with this video, its the 1 exercise iv felt there's something missing and its been the wider grip that's been holding me back! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Hey, I was just wondering if you’re still happy with this video?
I had no idea about the foot position, thanks!
3:54 This is game changing for me to hear. I thought that restriction and robotic form is the 100% way to go. I appreciate this!
I’m making a book of exercise tutorials to pull out in the gym when I need it- this is hella helpful. Thanks Sean
Man, your content is so ON POINT with science and honesty and true kinesiology that is is just purely addictive!!! THANK YOU!!!
SABEINE YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL ADORABLE SEDUCTIVE RAVISHING CAPTIVATING AND PASSIONATE ❤
This is ridiculous. I have been doing Lat Pulldowns for two decades and I found 2 mistakes I make far too often already and I'm only around the halfway point of the video. Thanks Sean! Now let's see what else you can fix.
Btw, I just did my back and shoulder a couple of days ago (2nd time since rejoining the gym after essentially *A DECADE* off) and darned if I did not forget about a nagging pain. I tore my right rotator in my early 30's, then broke my right clavicle in my late 30's. Anyway, I completely spaced out that shoulder raises irritate the shit out of the joint. I used to get cortisone shots for it but after the second injection only worked for a few days I decided to stop and give up on that particular movement since, well a cortisone shot every two days, degrading the joint even further so I could do DB raises seemed kinda stupid. I only did 3 sets of 11 with a 25lbs dumbell and damned if that same spot is not bugging the crap out of me. I had to take 3 months off *everything* that put stress on the joint for it to actually heal, and here we are again two weeks in. So the point of typing all of this out?
If something hurts when you do it at the gym, find another exercise. Uncomfortable is fine, but actual pain? Stop and do something else. There is no one exercise that is worth dealing with pain over a 5 on the 1-10 scale; ei I'd put a 5 at something akin to a severe tooth ache, a broken bone the first couple of weeks after the break/fracture when you accidentally move that body part or whack it on something. So not agonizing, but definitely unpleasant. Heh, not as bad as when you initially sprain your ankle severely, or how your head feels the day after a severe concussion, but darn unpleasant none-the-less. So if you've got that really bad earache level of pain in any part of your body from an exercise, find a different method of targeting that muscle group. I'd even go so far as to say even squats, deadlifts or bench are not important enough to put yourself in constant pain when you are working out other body parts or sitting around typing.
I put myself in a situation where I have to just accept it and train through it, knowing I'll need months off or surgery to + time off for it to go away or fix it altogether. At only two weeks back to the gym, 45lb overweight to get to my *minimum* healthy weight, and 10%-12% bodyfat over where I should be (I'm somewhere between 27% and 29% if I had to guess); and 13-15% over where I would *like* to be (around 13-14% would be ideal right now which means more than 45lbs would need to be lost as well) so the second that movement felt _wrong_ I should have stopped. Not held an Iron Cross, rotating the weights to try to identify exactly where the pain was. At least I am sure of the exercise *not* to do, but again, the second it actually *_hurt_* the weights should have been racked.
Anyway, back to the video. Let's see what else I can _fix_ so hopefully my lat pulldowns will hurt a bit less, and if nothing else, clean up my form a bit. I thought I was going light too, only going up to 150 as higher than that I found myself having to pull with my body by rep 3, but nope. I was rounding my shoulder which I'm sure wasn't doing me, or that irritation any good.
I’ve never clicked a video so fast. I’ve been doing them for a few weeks and I have 0 idea what the right form is I feel like I’ve seen a million different ways. Can’t wait to watch this and now actually do it correct and effectively and not be guessing
Edit: so far 0 mistakes made up until the super mechanical form at 4:21 I can have a little more movement and not such a strict form
Love this video bcoz u showed the visual of mistakes and the difference too.
Damn i do so many of these mistakes. Explains why I can't feel my back while doing pull downs. Will try to follow these tips today
Keep feet and thigh pad locked down for maximal pull
Keep 1.5x shoulder width grip
Pull down until bar meets upper chest and no further, dont want to pull it too far
Dont hunch your shoulders forward, keep chest up and forward
Dont use momentum, controlled momentum is ok if advanced
Dont be overly strict either, being a robot statue machine wont maximize muscle overload. Find a middle ground btwn too strict and complete bro mode.
Slow down your reps negatives in a way that makes you feel in control, 1,1.5-2 seconds is common.
Dont pull bar behind your neck.
---
Sit more upright with a flatter back, using a narrower grip to prioritize lats
I'm actually out the door to the gym for back and shoulder night when I saw the video. My grip has been too wide for quite some time now, and I was wondering why the desired result wasn't there. Trying it the proper way this evening. Thank you Sean!
You’re welcome Terry :)
Yea but you're still contracting the muscle so don't think it was useless just because it was a bit wider. I know many pro's BB's who change their grip frequently on most of their back exercises. I'd say changing your grip even once a month could benefit.
Perfecting timing! I’m getting back to it after getting over a nasty stomach flu that kept me out for three weeks.
Hey Sean I love your videos. Mostly you upload videos of talking which is great, but it would be great to see maybe a typical week of your workout with commentary describing what your doing (old school style)
I'm still going to do lat pulldowns behind my head, because I like the way doing so makes my torso feel. Got to know why you're going in to the gym in the first place. I do it to condition, not train for competition. I go to feel my body sing.
Pulling behind neck with low/moderate weight has been useful to me in increasing range of shoulder movement while recovering from bilateral frozen shoulder. I agree entirely about not using too much weight behind the neck.
Straight to the point, as always. Thank you
As someone who has anterior deltoid issues but the lateral and posterior is fine, doing behind the neck lat pulldown has always been the one exercise i felt to be the most effective. I can do a variety of back exercises and none target the upper back for me as doing it behind the neck, but as you said it has to be controlled and with lighter/moderate weight. i believe the biggest problem with the riskier/more dangerous exercises/exercise variations come from improper form and/or using too much weight
Back lat pulldown. An excellent exercise for enchancing the back's width.
@2:17 - Range of motion - Depends on your intended purpose. If you’re working on learning the muscle ups, pulling the lat bar down past the chest to the belly may be a good idea. I cannot currently do a muscle-up, but the further you pull the bar past your chest, theoretically the greater likelihood you can do a muscle up.
Once you see results, it becomes an addiction.
Literally what I needed. Thank you!
Love you and your channel, thank you. I’m just getting back into the gym finally after almost 2 years being out and it’s almost as if I was destined to take that time off just so I could be properly informed by you. Bless your soul Sean.
Good stuff, thanks for clarifying! Really have problems feeling my back during exercises and this should help :)
Will definitely apply these in my next back session. Thank you for all your tips and advise! 👊
Thank you for clearing all my doubts
This was a really helpful video. I feel like i couldn't feel my lats that well in this movement before. Also for me gripping like a hook helped me engage my lats more, and focusing on driving my elbows down.
I'd suggest if you're having trouble feeling your lats, try doing one arm pulldowns. Start with an overhand grip and change to underhand as you contract. You can contract your lats even tighter b/c you don't have a bar hitting your chest. It takes longer, but will help you to learn the sensation you're looking for.
where would I be without this man?!
Thanks, Sean, i was doing the excersice on my toes just like you show on 1:06 , fortunately you uploaded this just on time, tomorrow is back day and i will correct this issue.
Amazing video, so many people do this workout wrong, I do prefer wider grip myself though.
Thank you for this and other great videos. I had shoulder surgery about 9 months ago and found the straight bars still hurt due to my range of motion still being limited. I noticed at 7:12 during the bonus tip you are using the MAG pull down handles. I first saw these at a gym in the UK and purchased 3 of these for myself. Since using these I’ve noticed less pain because my grip now places my shoulders in a more natural position for the pull downs. I’d recommend these for folks with shoulder pain using a straight bar. I saw your dumbbell press videos and would compare these to a dumbbell press vs a bench press. On a bench press the hands aren’t free to move as natural as with a dumbbell where I can place my elbows at the 70-75 degree position.
Wow, i started to see some plateau in my back workout, and did some of the mistakes, will corrected as soon as possible. Great video.
Your channel quickly became my favorite one, when comes to fitness. You're always done to the point, precise and it seems you trully wanna help people.
I wish you all the best moving forward
Saw that lat pulldown mistake post on your Instagram and i instantly knew you were gonna do a video about it. Amazing info brother i definitely learned something from this.
Back is my favorite part to exercise so It's cool to see I haven't been making too many mistakes, have a good trainer. Awesome video this is my favorite exercise hope to do pull-ups someday
Ye I tried pullups and they are hard. It s my second month in the gym
Welcome back the Legend of the Science Truth my favorite RUclipsr Sean Nal.
Tomorrow's pull day and this video pops up
Lmao same
i recommend seated rows as a primary lat exercise, and variants of single arm rows etc
I like how sean simply calls some exercises awkward in his videos
Additional problems/considerations with some of the points: *#1* If you're using your legs for stability, *_you're doing a leg exercise, not a back exercise!_* (even though we all know you guys need to get off your arses and work on your calves, or you're going to end up with _popsicle_ bods...). *#3* Too much movement places *_a great amount of stress on your lower back and can mess up your lumbar spine with over-rotation:_* you'll have enough trouble with your back as you get older, so don't rush it! *#4* Collapsing your shoulders in, towards your chest, *_will simply amplify the bad effects of today's horrible tendency towards_** cellphone hunchback.*
I am 16 Y/o and struggling to make a good mind muscle connection and correct positions with low weights. No matter how hard I try I dont feel my back. I find your this video helpful and within few hours Im hitting the gym. I’ll surely try It.
Thank you Sean❤
Its been a year but if u dont feel ut back ur form is wrong trust me u might think its as good as it can be but if it actually eas u would feel ur back i speak from experince
Very helpful. ThanX a lot! (Isenbüttel, Germany)
Thanks Sean, I'm definitely guilty of #4 towards the end of each work set and will look to re-incorporate #8 which had stupidly dropped off the menu. 👏
Good informative video. I like how you get straight to the point of the video. No fluff in between. Just the facts.
Hey Sean, I reckon a cool vid would be about your progress of working out, like a transformation video but you could go through mistakes you made and things you did right. Kinda like your video about your old workout forum. Hope you see this 👍
Brilliant Video. Thanks
"They don't have any neutral grip attachments at this gym"
Jeez, even MY gym has that...
China.. hard to get stuff done when everyone's bing chilling...
@Jacob Hively it's definitely unique.
Thank you so much with this tips man you help me fix my form when doing a lat pulldown
Lastly, don't drop the weight after your set like a wild gorilla. Other people might be using the same cable machine! If you can pull it down, surely you can gently lower the weight back gently.
The more i know the more i love this game, and that because of guys like you 👏
Hey man great video and awesome tips will put all of them to good use I saw a few of your other videos on work out tips and like within two sessions of going to my gym I instantly saw the results I go to the gym three to four times week I really found that doing five reps of eight on a heavy load has really worked so thank heaps so I’ll do a deal with you, you keep making these videos and I’ll keep watching them 😁 cheers mate take have a good one and thank you kindly 😁
151022
1:43 - Why Wide Grip Is Not Recommended
Reposted
1. No having feet firmly planted on the ground and having knee pad not pressing tight
2. Gripping bar too widely
Try 1.5× shoulder width
You can play around with grip width, but studies have shown a pronated grip outperforms a supinated one.
3. Too much range of motion, pull to upper chest and no further
4. Allowing shoulders to collapse and hunch forward, this engages shoulders more
5. Excessive momentum, if bar path, grip, etc is ok then it is ok for advanced lifters but for most people just use a slight tilt
6. Excessively strict with your form, don't be too rigid, you'll still build muscle, in a way have a middle ground between controlled momentum and rigidity
7. Not controlling the negative, it can stress the joints, don't be too slow on the negative but control the bar as it moves upwards.
8. Pulling bar behind neck, it has no real benefits, and it results in internally rotating shoulders.
Bonus: Lat pulldowns shouldn't be primary lat exercises as it can work the upper back, to work lats more use a neutral pronated grip with straight back and pull shoulders down for more shoulder extension
Sean, help us find good supplement brand alternatives, just like when you made that good RUclipsrs video. My country doesn't allow your products imported 😭
India?
@@abcsoxx3801 Countries in Scandinavia etc.
I've decided only to listen to this channel for gym advice .
Cheers
Good choice
Number 6 was the one I really needed to hear.
I have a bad low back and I wasn’t sure if allowing your torso to move when pulling down would cause back injuries.
Great video, Make more video like this for other exercises.
What are the impacts of verticality/angle for lat pulldowns? I was doing them at near 90 degrees with a slight lean at the gym, but with the way my pulley is set up at home, I’m pulling down at about 75 degrees.
Hey what model/brand did you buy? Im a home gym owner and am fed up of doing pull ups Lol
Great video. I'm glad I only did one mistake, which is due to I'm to small for the machine, so I will grab some plates next time
Hi Sean, I'm 7'1 and when I do the lat pulldown I can reach the bar whilst sitting. So much so that in order to feel like I get a full range of motion I need to lean back, so I don't really use any momentum. I saw the point about not enough momentum and was wondering what advice you'd have for me? What angle would be too much when involving a little momentum in my lat pulldown for maximum back stimulation?
Not Sean here, have u tried kneeling?
Being 6'4 (so, not nearly as tall as you are) and having to train at home with bands for the time being(not going to the gym for personal reasons), kneeling works. I do lat pulldowns with my door and my bands, so obviously I'm not going to reap much benefits while standing
leaning back changes the angle. sit on the ground if you need to. you don't need momentum at all. sean unfortunately still gets a lot of this wrong.
Inhale, Pull the bar down to your chest, arching your back and bringing your elbows back.
@@OnlineWithMikko that instruction is wrong on absolutely every level. fractally wrong. if you tried to get it wrong on purpose, you couldn't have done it better. of course, you are not even considering what part of the back he may be trying to target. please get educated on the subject and do not give advice, you don't know enough yet.
Thanks for the great advice, I'm a nightmare for 1, 4 and 6.
5:06 Sean is so hot that he needs a giant fan to cool him at least a little bit
Thank you for this video. I hope you make video for other common exercises mistakes in the future
Before you gave your final mistake, I was about to write that the biggest mistake folks are making is thinking that they need to do lat pulldowns. When Covid began, gyms here in Tokyo were closed for a month, so I made a home gym and was forced to do chinups and pullups for my lats. When the gyms opened up, I opted at staying in my home gym. The difference in the size of my lats is amazing.
thank you for all of the useful informations.
Thank you sir
Best way to do lat pull-downs…
Stand up from the seat, and walk to the nearest fixed horizontal bar and do pull ups instead.
U speak fast thats what i love with you
6:54 that’s just training your biceps
Nuh uh
Amazing tips! Thank you!
Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior ✝️❤️
Woh this is a really good video. I learned lot. Definitely using this technique from now on.
Tried the supinated close grip today (Mike Mentzer's favourite) and definitely the best variation for lat engagement
Thanks for your advice
Thanks a lot. Tried it today in the gym, feels way better too. Appreciated :]
Thank you Sean.
Just the video I needed. Thanks Sean.
Excellent, thanks Sean!
At 3:12 , he discusses briefly the legitimacy of using "excessive momentum." Can anyone explain when and how this can be used? I didn't understand this short bit. Tia
Hes talking about athletes who train for endurance in that range
Thank you Sean, out of all the BS advice available, your tips and explanations are the best and most helpful 👍
Would you be able to do a video talking about use of negative movements during reps? I always wonder if I'm overusing them or if there is such a thing as overuse.
How are you training that you think may be overuse if I may ask?
@@Aaronduhmoron I will sometimes take my whole last set as negative focused movements, especially if I struggled on the last rep on my last set.
Glad I came across your channel, really like your content and approach
You are the best. Genius and funny lessons.
bro i was talking about this with my friends at the gym today that i never feel anything in my lats when i train them and then i come home to this video on my recommended. Thanks