21 January, 2008
Ask the coach: Lat pull-down to chest
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The lat pull-down is an exercise that works the often over-looked back muscles. People tend to only train what they can see in a mirror, but ignoring the back can lead to bad posture.
The lat pull-down is suitable for beginners and those with more experience. The lats are the wing-shaped muscles that pull-down your arms from overhead and are used in swimming and tennis.
Here are some tips to perform the exercise well.
1. Place your hands over the bars so your elbows and wrists are at 90° and take a seat on the chair. The angles of the hands can vary, but start off with this grip.
2. Initiate the pull-down to your chest from your elbows, going directly down to your chest. Emphasise the squeeze of your shoulder blades together as the bar hits your chest. At this point your elbows should be directly under the bar.
3. Release it slowly until you get a full stretch on your arms. Repeat.
4. Inhale as you pull the bar down and exhale to blow the bar away.
5. The grips can be varied on the bar to work different muscles on the back. A simple adaptation of this exercise is to repeat the movements with palms facing you.
Repetitions: 10-12 per set.
Sets: Start with 2 sets of repetitions and increase to 4.
Tempo: Lower down in 3 seconds, pull back down to chest and hold against your chest for 1 second.
Rest: 60 seconds -- then repeat exercise.