Essomio™

← All exercise guides

back

Wide-Grip Pulldown

Seated at a cable machine, you pull a wide bar down to your upper chest. The standard machine exercise for a wider back.

beginnerlat pulldown machinelat bar attachment

Wide-Grip Pulldown, start position
START
Wide-Grip Pulldown, end position
END
BEFORE YOU START3
  1. Attach the handle to the high cable.
  2. Set the thigh pad so it holds your legs down firmly.
  3. Choose the weight with the pin.
HOW TO DO IT

Get into position

  1. Stand and grab the handle before you sit down.
  2. Grab the bar wider than your shoulders with your palms facing away.
  3. Sit down and slide your thighs under the pad.
  4. Lean back very slightly and lift your chest.

Check: Your arms are straight overhead, your thighs are locked under the pad, and your chest is up.

Pull down

  1. Pull the handle down to your upper chest. Lead with your elbows, as if putting them in your back pockets.
  2. Squeeze your shoulder blades together for a second at the bottom.

Check: The handle is at your upper chest, your elbows point down, and your body has not leaned back further.

Return slowly

  1. Let the handle rise slowly until your arms are straight again. Let your shoulders rise up at the top for a full stretch.

Check: Your arms are straight overhead again and the weight has not touched down on the stack.

That is one rep. Repeat for your set, then stand up with the handle and let it rise gently before letting go.

Breathe out as you pull in about 1 second; breathe in as you return over 2 to 3 seconds.

MUSCLES WORKED
Wide-Grip Pulldown: muscles worked, front view
Wide-Grip Pulldown: muscles worked, back view

latsupper backbiceps

Red marks the muscles doing the work; amber the assisting ones. Same body for every exercise, so guides compare at a glance.

COMMON MISTAKES3
  • Leaning far back and heaving the weight down. Momentum does the work instead of your back. Fix: Keep the lean slight and still; lower the weight if you must swing.
  • Pulling with the arms and shrugging the shoulders up. Fix: Start the pull by driving your elbows down; keep your shoulders away from your ears.
  • Letting the weight yank your arms up. Fix: Return slowly, over 2 to 3 seconds.
SAFETY1
  • Stand up with the handle to finish; do not let it fly up out of your hands.
EQUIPMENT SETTINGS
  • lat pulldown machine · thigh pad: snug on top of your thighs so you cannot lift off the seat
RELATED EXERCISES

easier: seated cable row

harder: pull up

variants: close grip pulldown, reverse grip pulldown, behind neck pulldown, rope pulldown

© 2026 Essomio LLC. The illustrations, muscle charts and guide text on this page are works of Essomio LLC, all rights reserved. They are for your personal use and may not be copied, redistributed or used to train models without written permission — see Licensing.