The lat pulldown machine is used for more than exercising your back. Change from a seated to a standing position to use this weight machine to strengthen the backs of your upper arms, the triceps. The lat pulldown bar provides workout variation and intense triceps strengthening.
Lat pulldown
The lat pulldown exercise strengthens your latissimus dorsi, the largest muscle in your back. A lat pulldown bar resembles a pullup bar. It is straight in the middle with a slight bend down in the bar on both ends. You sit while performing a lat pulldown. With your hands positioned near the bend in the bar, pull the bar down to the top of your chest. The triceps are not involved in this back pulldown. You use your upper and middle back, rotators in your shoulders and the front of your upper arm, the biceps.
Triceps Pushdown
The lat pull down bar is used from a standing position to strengthen your triceps. Stand facing the bar. Place your hands on the straight bar approximately shoulder distance apart. Face your palms toward the floor. Begin with your elbows bent at a 90-degree angle, with your elbows close to your sides and your forearms parallel to the floor. Exhale and straighten your arms as you pull down the bar to the front of your hips. Inhale and release the bar to start position. Select a weight amount that allows you to complete eight to 12 repetitions of the pushdown.
Triceps Pulldown
Use the lat pull down bar to strengthen your triceps with a reverse grip. Stand facing the bar. Position your feet hip distance apart and stand up tall. Place your hands shoulder distance apart on the straight bar, palms facing up. Begin with your arms bent to a 90-degree angle and straighten your arms to pull down the bar. A common error with this exercise is bending the wrists. Keep your wrists straight so your hands are an extension of your forearms.
Workout
Incorporate the triceps pushdown and pulldown into your arm strengthening workouts. Substitute the lat pulldown bar for the straight handled or wavy bars for new stimulation to your triceps. The lat pulldown bar requires focused movements as you bend your arms during the second phase of the exercise. Resist the weight stack while pulling up the bar to increase the intensity of your workout and improve the strength of your arms.
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