The pulldown exercise or the cable lat pulldown is a strength training

Strength training

Strength training is the use of resistance to muscular contraction to build the strength, anaerobic endurance, and size of skeletal muscles. There are many different methods of strength training, the most common being the use of gravity or elastic/hydraulic forces to oppose muscle contraction...

 exercise designed to develop the latissimus dorsi muscle

Latissimus dorsi muscle

The latissimus dorsi , meaning 'broadest muscle of the back' , is the larger, flat, dorso-lateral muscle on the trunk, posterior to the arm, and partly covered by the trapezius on its median dorsal region.The latissimus dorsi is responsible for extension,...

. It performs the functions of downward rotation and depression of the scapulae combined with adduction and extension of the shoulder joint.

Muscles

The standard pulldown motion pulldown is a compound movement that requires dynamic work by muscles surrounding the three joints which move during the exercise. These are the elbow

Elbow

The human elbow is the region surrounding the elbow-joint—the ginglymus or hinge joint in the middle of the arm. Three bones form the elbow joint: the humerus of the upper arm, and the paired radius and ulna of the forearm....

 in conjunction with the glenohumeral and scapulothoracic joints in the shoulder

Shoulder

The human shoulder is made up of three bones: the clavicle , the scapula , and the humerus as well as associated muscles, ligaments and tendons. The articulations between the bones of the shoulder make up the shoulder joints. The major joint of the shoulder is the glenohumeral joint, which...

 girdle.

Arm-torso

The latissimus dorsi performs extension and adduction of the arm directly to the spinal fascia. It bypasses the scapulae unlike other muscles which perform this function, so work performed by this muscle will not contribute to muscles that affect the scapulae. The lower sternal fibers of the pectoralis major also perform this role of extension and adduction to a lesser degree.

The contraction of these adductor/extensor muscles can indirectly depress and downwardly rotate the scapulae, this is only required when they are pulled into elevation and upward rotation by the contraction of muscles that attach to the scapulae. If the weight were being pulled solely by the lats, for example, the scapulae would simply be pulled down by gravity, along for the ride.

Scapular

Muscles that attach to and depress the scapulae include the lower trapezius muscle

Trapezius muscle

In human anatomy, the trapezius is a large superficial muscle that extends longitudinally from the occipital bone to the lower thoracic vertebrae and laterally to the spine of the scapula...

 and the pectoralis minor. The pec minor also works in conjunction with the rhomboid muscle

Rhomboid muscle

The rhomboid muscles, often simply called the rhomboids, are rhombus-shaped muscles associated with the scapula and are chiefly responsible for its retraction. There are two rhomboid muscles:* Rhomboid major muscle* Rhomboid minor muscle...

 and levator scapulae to perform downward rotation of the scapulae. If the weight is pulled to touch the front of the chest, the rhomboids work increases, while pulling the weight down to touch the back of the neck will work the upper trapezius muscle

Trapezius muscle

In human anatomy, the trapezius is a large superficial muscle that extends longitudinally from the occipital bone to the lower thoracic vertebrae and laterally to the spine of the scapula...

.

Muscles the adduct and extend the arm which attach to the scapulae include the posterior deltoid muscle

Deltoid muscle

In human anatomy, the deltoid muscle is the muscle forming the rounded contour of the shoulder. Anatomically, it appears to be made up of three distinct sets of fibers though electromyography suggests that it consists of at least seven groups that can be independently coordinated by the central...

s, the teres major, and minor stabilizing contribution from some rotor cuff muscles (infraspinatus and teres minor as lateral rotators, subscapularis as medial rotators).

Elbow

Muscles which flex the elbow joint such as the biceps brachii muscle

Biceps brachii muscle

In human anatomy, the biceps brachii, or simply biceps in common parlance, is, as the name implies, a two-headed muscle located on the upper arm. Both heads arise on the scapula and join to form a single muscle belly which is attached to the upper forearm...

, brachialis muscle

Brachialis muscle

The brachialis is a muscle in the upper arm that flexes the elbow joint. It lies deeper than the biceps brachii, and is a synergist that assists the biceps brachii in flexing at the elbow...

s and brachioradialis muscle are active to improve leverage. As the biceps originate on the scapula unlike the other two which originate on the humerus, the biceps are inclined to serve a role as a dynamic stabilizer, much as the hamstrings would during a squat. This is because, while the biceps shortens as the elbow flexes, it will also lengthen as the shoulder extends.

A supinated grip at the forearm allows the biceps to contribute more strongly as an elbow flexor. A prone grip will rely more greatly on the other flexors, the brachialis and brachioradialis.

Similarities

The pulldown is extremely similar to the pull-up, but uses moving external weights or resistance with a fixed body rather than a fixed bar and a moving body. This makes the pull-down an open-chain movement and the pull-up a closed-chain movement. The weight moved can also be adjusted to be more or less than the weight of the person doing the exercise.

Form

The pulldown usually uses a weight machine

Weight machine

A weight machine is an exercise machine used for weight training that uses gravity as the primary source of resistance and a combination of simple machines to convey that resistance to the person using the machine...

 with a seat and brace for the thighs. The starting position involves sitting at the machine with the thighs braced, back straight and feet flat on the floor. The arms are held overhead at full extension, grasping a bar connected to the weight stack. The movement is initiated by pulling the elbows down and back, lowering the bar to the neck, and completed by returning to the initial position. Variations can include touching the bar to the chest versus the back of the neck, or varying hand position (wide versus narrow), pronated

Pronation

In anatomy, pronation is a rotational movement of the forearm at the radioulnar joint, or of the foot at the subtalar and talocalcaneonavicular joints. For the forearm, when standing in the anatomical position, pronation will move the palm of the hand from an anterior-facing position to a...

 versus supinated

Supination

Supination is a position of either the forearm or foot; in the forearm when the palm faces anteriorly, or faces up . Supination in the foot occurs when a person appears "bow-legged" with their weight supported primarily on the anterior of their feet.The hand is supine in the anatomical position...

). The exercise can also be done using cable machines, a handle attached to a cable is pulled toward the body, this can be done while seated on a bench or stability ball, kneeling, or in a standing or squatting position. The number of repetitions and weight moved varies according to the specific training plan of the person training.

The chin-up

Chin-up

The chin-up is a strength training exercise. The verb chinning means to do them. People frequently do this exercise with the intention of strengthening muscles such as the latissimus dorsi and biceps, which extend the shoulder and flex the elbow, respectively.It is a form of pull-up in which the...

/pull-up is a very similar exercise that moves the body against a fixed bar rather than moving a bar against a fixed body.

Muscle involvement

Irrespective the variation, pulldowns will work the latissimus dorsi muscle

Latissimus dorsi muscle

The latissimus dorsi , meaning 'broadest muscle of the back' , is the larger, flat, dorso-lateral muscle on the trunk, posterior to the arm, and partly covered by the trapezius on its median dorsal region.The latissimus dorsi is responsible for extension,...

 in the back, posterior deltoid muscle

Deltoid muscle

In human anatomy, the deltoid muscle is the muscle forming the rounded contour of the shoulder. Anatomically, it appears to be made up of three distinct sets of fibers though electromyography suggests that it consists of at least seven groups that can be independently coordinated by the central...

s in the shoulder and the biceps brachii

Biceps brachii muscle

In human anatomy, the biceps brachii, or simply biceps in common parlance, is, as the name implies, a two-headed muscle located on the upper arm. Both heads arise on the scapula and join to form a single muscle belly which is attached to the upper forearm...

 and brachialis muscle

Brachialis muscle

The brachialis is a muscle in the upper arm that flexes the elbow joint. It lies deeper than the biceps brachii, and is a synergist that assists the biceps brachii in flexing at the elbow...

 of the arm. If the weight is pulled to touch the front of the chest the rhomboids are also worked, while pulling the weight down to touch the back of the neck will work the upper trapezius muscle

Trapezius muscle

In human anatomy, the trapezius is a large superficial muscle that extends longitudinally from the occipital bone to the lower thoracic vertebrae and laterally to the spine of the scapula...

.