Muscle Ventures Video Analysis

Attempting to build your back can be challenging because it has many muscles. The Nautilus wide grip pulldown is a worthy addition to your back arsenal because it addresses both a major muscle, the lats, and one that is rarely worked, the teres major.

The teres major may be a mystery to some readers. This muscle, circled in green on the accompanying diagram, contributes to shoulder stabilization and also internal and external rotation of the shoulder. The teres major also has quite a visual presence within the back, so many bodybuilders try to find ways to emphasize it.

As you can see from the picture of me performing the exercise at the start of this post, body position is quite different than the standard lat pulldown. The extreme forward lean is necessary to provide the correct line of pull to accurately target both muscles. When setting up the machine make sure the seat is low enough so that when your arms are in the fully extended position the weights do not bottom out. When you are ready to begin the exercise grasp the handles and then sit down. Adjust your body so you are leaning forward enough so that when you begin the pull your arms and elbows stay in line with your body. Palms face forward for the duration of the exercise.

The following two videos analyses provide examples of me, Nancy Arnold, and my training partner, Bud, performing the exercise.

Bud (Quicktime, 2.7 MB; WMV, 3.7 MB)

As you can see from the video Bud maintains the necessary forward lean throughout his set. He keeps his torso steady and does not rock back and forth as this would be cheating. Also note that when he is at the bottom of the movement his arms are in line with his torso and his palms are facing forward. He demonstrates great execution of the exercise.

Nancy (Quicktime, 3.3 MB; WMV, 4.3 MB)

As you watch me (Nancy) perform the exercise I maintain relatively good position throughout the set except near the end. At the beginning of the set I maintain the forward lean and I also get a good squeeze throughout the back. Notice near the end of the set how I allow my shoulders to rise up and round a bit as I fatigue.

Additional Links

View another exercise variation on the Nautilus Lat Pull Down here.

Although many powerlifters are not fond of weight training machines, they can be used to add variety to a program. Further, creative use of machines can allow you to hit unique training angles that can be hard to attain otherwise.

The nautilus lat pulldown allows for exercises at a variety of angles. Here, my training partner, Nancy Arnold, and I (Bud) show the narrow pulldown on the Nautilus Lat machine. In a later post, we'll show a wide grip variant that Nancy has developed.

The machine is less complicated than it might appear in the photo at left. The trickiest part is the seat adjustment. Adjust the seat height so that your fingertips touch the handles at the top. Then adjust the thigh pad so that it holds you firmly in the seat. Finally, set the weight to slightly less than what you do in a bicycle grip lat pulldown on cable. The machine is like a cross between a very high row and a pulldown.

You perform the exercise by reaching up and grasping the handles. You then pull down leading with your elbows until your hands hit your chest. Your elbows should extend behind the back at this juncture. There are several possible form breaks with this exercise. The first is to involve your lower back. A second is to shrug at the end and involve the shoulder. A third is to shorten the range of motion. Nancy and I illustrate all of these as well as good form.

Nancy (Quicktime, 3.6 MB; WMV 4.3 MB)

The photo-array shows Nancy in one of her first reps of the set and in her last rep of the set. Note how, on the first rep shown, she holds her back straight and appears to pull through the elbows. This is especially apparent in the video version. She has good control of the device at the start of the movement.

By her final rep, Nancy's form has deteriorated. The machine leads her torso up at the start of the movement. On the down portion of the movement, she hunches her shoulders a bit and does not achieve the same range as initially.

The video continues after the end of Nancy's movement because I forgot to turn it off. Although that video is not informative, the audio gives a good view of our lifting strategy. Nancy wants to press weight so that at the end of the set, she barely has acceptable form. On an 8–10 rep regimen, that means the reps have to be good to 8 at least.

Bud (Quicktime, 3.3 MB; WMV, 4.2 MB)

This video clip picks up right where Nancy's left off. I'm a somewhat different animal than Nancy. I hold form pretty well until the end and only made 9 good reps. At the beginning of the set, I get full extension and pretty good pull back through the elbows. On the 9th rep, last shown, I barely get my elbows back even with my body. I'm hunching my shoulders. That said, I am fitting within our strategy.

Neither one of us is making a pretty face at the end of the video.