Lat pull downs vs. pull ups

[rippedyearround]

I think pull ups/chin ups are a more difficult exercise, no question. However, (as in my case) I carry much more mass in my lower body (proportionately) than my upper body, so i feel like I may never be able to fully utilize this exercise because my damn hips and legs weigh too much for my arms and back to pull. The more i can squat, the fewer chins i am capable of doing. Any suggestions?

 

[hellraiser27]

In the world of physics there is no difference.
Pulling the weight down toward you or pulling yourself up is exactly the same.

 

[btech]

In the world of physics there is no difference.
Pulling the weight down toward you or pulling yourself up is exactly the same.

What about in the world of pullups?

The two exercises do not feel identical at all, and I'm not just referring to how your core works during a pullup and not during the pulldown. I'm sticking to pullups.

 

[Jim550]

pullups. But I still do both....

 

[IRON37]

I never touched lat pulldowns much until the last few months. I cannot deny that they have totally changed the look of my back. Almost exclusively affecting the teres minor & major muscles it seems. Then when I went to pullups it felt mainly in my lower lats. Rack chins really seem to hit the same areas as pulldowns do for me.

 

[Ness]

In the world of physics there is no difference.
Pulling the weight down toward you or pulling yourself up is exactly the same.

This just might be the worst post ever....no offense.

 

[NeverSoft]

I do both, but prefer pull ups.


Most people that I witness doing Lat pull downs are not using the exercise to it's full potential. The idea behind the Pull down is to simulate the same range of motion as the pull up - in order to get the benefit you must use correct form.

This will forever be a debate, just like any other cable/machine vs. free weight.

Everyone will always post and claim different results as well....

Try both, ultimately it's your decision.

 

[jstrong20]

I think pull ups/chin ups are a more difficult exercise, no question. However, (as in my case) I carry much more mass in my lower body (proportionately) than my upper body, so i feel like I may never be able to fully utilize this exercise because my damn hips and legs weigh too much for my arms and back to pull. The more i can squat, the fewer chins i am capable of doing. Any suggestions?

Yeah do ladders. Say you can do 5 reps. Well instead of doing 5 straight reps do 1 rep wait 10 seconds then 2 reps then 1,2,1,2,1,2,1 until you can't get one. Then after a couple sessions do 1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2,1,2,1 until you can't do one. then up to 4 then 5. Its a good way to increase pullup strength.

 

[seala8]

I do both...

Right on

 

[maldorf]

I always liked doing shoulder width pull ups first and then for a second movement doing narrow grip pulldowns with the parallel grip. Both really seem to hit the muscles different and complement each other. I always felt like the shoulder width pullup hit me better than the similar pull downs, but when you first start out and dont have a lot of strength the pull downs make more sense since youre not able to do enough reps on the pull ups.

 

[highoutput]

Agreed. Plus, when you do pullups, you are working several muscles. With lat pull downs, you are concentrating only certain muscles.

I agree with this.

 

[Joejo]

I always liked doing shoulder width pull ups first and then for a second movement doing narrow grip pulldowns with the parallel grip. Both really seem to hit the muscles different and complement each other. I always felt like the shoulder width pullup hit me better than the similar pull downs, but when you first start out and dont have a lot of strength the pull downs make more sense since youre not able to do enough reps on the pull ups.

This is exactly what I do. Hell when I started doing pullups I needed assistance. Now I do them with weight added. If I do close grip pullups then I do wide grip pull downs. I always keep changing grips on the pull/chin up and do the opposite grip with pulldowns.

 

[Ness]

Progression?

I do weighted pullups using a dip belt. I hang (3) 45lb plates between my legs for reps. If I want to progress, I can always toss another weight on the chain. However, most cable pull downs have a set weight stack. Most dont go past 250lbs...so how do you progress with cables after you clear the stack?

 

[aussiebulldog]

I do weighted pullups using a dip belt. I hang (3) 45lb plates between my legs for reps. If I want to progress, I can always toss another weight on the chain. However, most cable pull downs have a set weight stack. Most dont go past 250lbs...so how do you progress with cables after you clear the stack?

Add weights on top of the stack or with a pin.
sometimes the cable needs strengthening.

 

[the_warrior]

Pullups / chin variations have always been problematic for me in terms of weight progression. I've had greater success with rack chins and cable or hammer machine pulldowns. I also find that I can get a better feel on these movements. My favorites are the btn hammer pulldown and pretty much any rack chin variation. The problem with the latter is the difficult of setting up the weight, especially if you lack a training partner and require a substantial amount of weight added (I ended up using around 120lbs).

 

[SisyphusRocks]

I do both - the day after doing pull downs my abs and seratus
are sore though.

 

[D BO]

I do both but pullups rule. I find them to be one of the most important if not the most to strengthen and add size to your back

 

[stepintoliquid]

did pulldowns for a couple years.... results were meh. been doing pull ups for the past couple of months.... back is blowing up.

 

[ksimmfitness]

They are both great upper back exercises and should be interused. The pull up is a bit more challenging and tends to work more secondary and stabilizer muscles becuase you must prevent your body from swinging, the pull down is done seated so the weight is easier to control. However, because you are seated, during a pull down, and somewhat locked into position, due to the lap restraining mechanism, you can 'heave' more weight, so that in itself offers a huge benefit for those trying to add muscle mass to the upper back.

 

[rippedyearround]

Yeah do ladders. Say you can do 5 reps. Well instead of doing 5 straight reps do 1 rep wait 10 seconds then 2 reps then 1,2,1,2,1,2,1 until you can't get one. Then after a couple sessions do 1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2,1,2,1 until you can't do one. then up to 4 then 5. Its a good way to increase pullup strength.

nice. I will definitely incorporate that. Thanks.