Lat pulldown machines are usually available in gyms and fitness centers -- even some home multi-station gyms have a lat pulldown machine. You would typically use this machine to do the lat pulldown exercise, which targets your back muscles, but you can also use the lat pulldown machine to do triceps pushdown exercises.
Lat Pulldown Machine
The lat pulldown machine is a cable machine with a high pulley. It has an integrated weight stack, a seat and thigh pads that secure your legs in place so you don't lift off the seat. A straight lat bar is the most common handle attachment, but you can attach other handles to a lat pulldown machine. When you use the lat pulldown machine for triceps exercises, you do not use the seat or the thigh pads.
Triceps Pushdown
The pushdown exercise targets your triceps, the muscles on the back of your upper arm. Stand behind or over the lat pulldown seat and grab the lat bar with a shoulder-width, overhand grip. Pull the bar down until your upper arms are next to your sides and your forearms are about parallel to the floor. This is the starting position. Straighten your elbows, pushing the weight down until it is in front of your thighs.
Techniques
Engage your abdominal muscles by pulling your belly button toward your spine -- this helps stabilize your torso as you perform the pushdown movement. Your upper arms should not move throughout the exercise; do not allow your elbows to pull forward as you lower the weight back to the starting position. When you pushdown, fully extend your arms, but do not allow your elbows to lock out -- maintain a slight bend in the joints.
Variations
You can do several different variations of the pushdown exercise on the lat pulldown machine. If you use the lat bar, try different grips. Try a close grip, standard grip or a reverse, palms-up grip. If available, use different attachments. Some of the most common lat pulldown machine attachments include a V-handle, rope attachment, a D-handle and a short bar. A D-handle allows you to do the pushdown one-arm at a time and the rope attachment provides an extended range of motion because you can pull your hands apart at the bottom of the movement.
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