Intermediate

Half-Kneeling Single-Arm Lat Pulldown

Dropping into a half-kneeling position under a high pulley locks the hips and forces the trunk to resist the rotational pull of the cable while one lat does all the work. The single-arm setup lets you chase a longer range and iron out side-to-side imbalances, and the tall kneeling posture keeps you honest by removing any chance to cheat with the legs. It is an excellent accessory for both back detail and everyday trunk stability.

Equipment
Cables
Body part
Back, Lats
Type
Functional, Strength
Browse by muscle
Latissimus Dorsi
Browse by movement
Vertical Pull
Muscles worked
Target
Latissimus Dorsi
Secondary
Biceps Brachii Long Head, Biceps Brachii Short Head, Brachioradialis, Trapezius Lower
Tertiary
Abdominal External Oblique, Erector Spinae, Infraspinatus

How to do it

  1. 1

    Set a single D-handle on the high pulley and kneel on the leg on the same side as the working arm.

  2. 2

    Plant the opposite foot flat in front for a stable base and square your hips forward.

  3. 3

    Reach up to grip the handle and let the shoulder stretch tall at the top.

  4. 4

    Brace hard, then pull the elbow down toward your hip while keeping the torso from twisting.

  5. 5

    Squeeze the lat at the bottom, then let the arm extend fully under control.

  6. 6

    Finish all reps on one side, then switch the kneeling leg and repeat.

Tips

  • Resist the urge to rotate toward the cable, the anti-rotation demand is half the point.
  • Keep the down knee, hip, and shoulder stacked in a tall vertical line.
  • Let the shoulder blade rise at the top and depress at the bottom for full lat range.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The hips settle back onto the heel of the down leg, which drops the ribs and lets the low back arch under the cable; squeeze the glute of the kneeling leg and stay tall through the set.
  • The front foot lands directly in line with the down knee, so the whole set becomes a balance test; step it out to about hip width and you can put real effort into the pull.
  • Kneeling straight onto a rubber floor ends the set at the knee rather than at the lat; fold a mat or a towel under it before you start.
  • Starting too far out from the pulley lets the cable drag you forward onto the front foot, a little more each rep, until the handle is coming down because your bodyweight is falling back.
  • The ribs flare and the low back extends as the arm reaches overhead, which buys an inch of range from the spine instead of from the shoulder blade.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the half-kneeling single-arm lat pulldown should I do?
Two or three sets of 8 to 12 per side, placed late in the session after your heavier pulling. The load is capped by what the kneeling base can hold rather than by the lat, so pick a weight where you never have to move the front foot, and add reps before plates. If the trunk starts twisting at rep six every time, drop a plate and build back up. Once a week is enough alongside other back work, twice if you are using it to close a side-to-side gap.
What can I do instead of the half-kneeling single-arm lat pulldown with no cable?
A band over a high anchor, pulled with one hand from the same half-kneeling position, reproduces it almost exactly, including the sideways pull the trunk has to resist. A tall-kneeling version on both knees is the fallback if a split stance is uncomfortable, though you lose some of the hip demand. With no band at all, the closest option is a one-arm dumbbell row with the free hand on a bench, which trains the same lat horizontally but drops the anti-rotation work.
What is the half-kneeling single-arm lat pulldown good for, and when is it a poor choice?
It stacks a one-sided lat pull on top of a trunk that has to refuse to twist, which makes it a useful accessory for athletes, for anyone whose back work needs a stability element, and for evening out sides. The kneeling position also removes any chance of helping with the legs. It is a poor choice as your heaviest vertical pull, because the base fails before the lat does, and it doubles the time each set takes. If your knees dislike kneeling, use a seated or standing single-arm version instead.

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