Correct Lat Pulldown and Seated Row Form

[ProtoFuze]

I cannot seem to get any hypertrophy going at all after my lat workouts and I do between 8-10 reps with 5 sets on pulldowns and seated rows so I'm wondering, I must be doing it wrong in the form department, anyway have any hints with this? I'm really trying to build the upper and lower and tie into the waist to get that more straight look and with no muscle foundation thats damn hard Thanks alot for any help!

 

[Mudge]

Freeweight rows I think should be the base of the routine, then deadlifts. Pulldowns and cable rows are finishing movements for me.

 

[vanity]

It's hard to critique form when we can't see you actually lifting the weight. Many people butcher both of these exercises.

For these moves to work you have to have proper technique.


For lat pulldowns:
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You could use both wide/close and forward/reverse grips.
Bring the bar down slowly and evenly to the top of your chest and then back up .
Keep your back straight and only lean back very slightly.
Don't lean far back in order to lift more weight and don't bring the bar lower than the top of your chest.
Don't bend your wrists.
Don't rock back and forth.
Try using different cable handles.

Seated cable rows:
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Sit up tall and tighten your abs.
You could use both a forward or reverse grip.
Squeeze your shoulder blades together as you pull the bar to your lower chest.
Don't round your back.
don't rock back and forth.

The most important thing regarding these two exercises is to concentrate on your back muscles . Many people use their arms to pull down the weight. It's critical that you use your back and not your biceps and other muscles to lower the weight.

You're arms should be fairly relaxed as you lower the weight . Almost all the effort should be coming from the back muscles. Feel the muscles contracting in your back. If you are feeling these exercises anywhere else then you are doing them incorrectly. Follow this simple principle and I'll guarantee you will see gains.

And finally, make sure you are using enough weight that your last rep is difficult. But remember , the heavier you go the more the tendancy to cheat and use your arms increases. It's upto you to find the right weight to maximize the effort your back muscles are making.

Ya, like Mudge says, Freeweight Rows are also very good.
And don't forget Pullovers. Experiment.

P.S: I've owned a cable pulldown/row machine for a while and I have to say that my entire back has gotten alot stronger since making it a big part of my workouts.

 

[Quadsweep]

Do chins and pullups unless you are incapable of lifting your own bodyweight. Period There is simply to much cheating going on when using the inferior lat pull down machine. Your body will try to get the job done in the easist possible manner. You will constantly have to battle your bodys natural inclination towards using the abdominals, errectors, hips and rocking motions when using the machine. But of course there is a time and place for cable pulldowns

If you choose to stick with the cable pull machine then try to put your thumbs on top of the bar. This will make it harder for you to pull with your arms.

Im not very fond of isolation movements and it may sound a bit cheasy but you could give stiff arm pull-downs a try. At least it will isolate the lats and give a wider range of motion than you get with dumbell pullovers. But then again you might have a problem when going heavy on this one.

Seated cable rows:

Elbows tucked in/narrow grip. This will hit the lats.