Intermediate

Snatch-Grip Lat Pulldown

Gripping the bar as wide as an Olympic snatch pull opens the shoulders and lengthens the lats at the top for a big stretch, while the wide line of pull hits the teres and the retractors of the upper back hard. The exaggerated width shortens the range slightly but ramps up the demand on the outer back, making it a strong choice for building width and rear-shoulder health. Keep the reps controlled since the stretched position can be humbling under load.

Equipment
Cables
Body part
Back, Lats
Type
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, Trapezius Middle
Tertiary
Deltoid Posterior, Infraspinatus

How to do it

  1. 1

    Grip the bar as wide as it allows with an overhand hold and lock the thigh pad down.

  2. 2

    Sit tall, let the arms stretch fully overhead, and set the shoulders down out of the ears.

  3. 3

    Brace and pull the bar toward the upper chest by sweeping the elbows down and out to the sides.

  4. 4

    Draw the shoulder blades together as the bar nears the collarbones.

  5. 5

    Control the bar back overhead until you feel a strong stretch across the lats.

  6. 6

    Exhale on the way down, inhale on the way up, and keep the torso nearly upright.

Tips

  • Do not force the bar all the way to the chest if the wide grip cuts your range, stop where the lats stay loaded.
  • Pull the elbows out and down rather than straight down to match the wide grip line.
  • Use a moderate load, the stretched start position is where shoulders get cranky if you go too heavy.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • Hands set right against the collars leave nothing to squeeze, and the bar rolls toward the fingertips as the set goes on; take the widest grip you can hold hard, not the widest the bar allows.
  • The top of this one is a deeply stretched, wide-open shoulder position, and letting the bar drag the arms up quickly is what leaves shoulders aching the next day; the last few inches of the return should be the slowest part.
  • The torso leans back further and further to make up for the range the wide grip took away, until the movement has become a seated row on an overhead cable.
  • The bar lands on the collarbones because the wide path finishes higher than a normal pulldown; stop where the lats are still loaded rather than where the bar meets bone.
  • Straps get skipped and the set ends with the hands opening, which on a grip this wide happens well before the back has finished working.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the snatch-grip lat pulldown should I do?
Three sets of 8 to 12 with a moderate load, run as a second vertical pull after a standard pulldown or pull-up rather than as your main one. The stretched start is where shoulders complain, so pick a weight you could manage for fifteen and stop two reps short of a grind. Add reps to the top of the range before adding a plate, and if the grip fails before the back does, use straps rather than bringing the hands in.
What can I do instead of the snatch-grip lat pulldown?
A wide-grip pull-up on a long bar is the bodyweight version, with a band for help if you need it. With a band over a high anchor, take one side in each hand and start with the arms spread wide overhead. In a gym, a wide-grip lat pulldown with the hands a few inches in from the collars is nearly the same movement with a better grip position, and a wide-grip seated cable row reaches the same upper-back muscles from a horizontal angle.
What is the snatch-grip lat pulldown good for, and when should I avoid it?
The very wide grip lengthens the lats overhead and puts the teres and the retractors of the upper back under a long line of pull, which makes it useful for back width, for upper-back detail, and for weightlifters who want that overhead position under control. Avoid it if your shoulders dislike wide overhead positions, because the top of every rep is the most open the joint gets. It is also a poor pick as a heavy lift or as your only pulldown, since the range is shorter than a standard grip gives you.

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