Lat Pulldown (Neutral Grip)
The neutral grip lat pulldown is a vertical pulling exercise performed on a cable machine using a parallel grip attachment. It targets the latissimus dorsi muscles while placing slightly less stress on the shoulder joints compared to wide-grip variations.
Since the neutral grip places less stress on the shoulder joint, our AI analyzes your reported joint pain and recovery data to suggest this variation when your shoulder mobility is limited or recovery scores are low. By tracking your RPE and load over time, the app ensures you are progressively overloading your lats without compromising form, adjusting volume based on how well you slept and recovered from previous pull sessions.
Form Cues
- Keep your chest lifted and spine neutral throughout the set
- Drive your elbows straight down toward your hips
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the bottom of the movement
- Control the weight on the way up to feel a full stretch in your lats
- Keep your core braced to prevent excessive arching
- Don't use momentum or swing your torso to pull the weight down
- Don't let your shoulders shrug up towards your ears during the pull
- Don't pull the bar lower than your upper chest
- Don't round your shoulders forward at the bottom of the rep
Common Mistakes
- Leaning back excessively
- Using momentum to jerk the weight
- Pulling primarily with the biceps
- Shrugging shoulders at the bottom
- Cutting the range of motion short
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily targets the latissimus dorsi to build back width, while the neutral grip shifts slight leverage to the biceps and improves mechanical advantage for heavier loads. It also effectively engages the rhomboids and middle trapezius for upper back stability, as well as the rear deltoids.
Primary
Secondary
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