Single-arm lat pulldown

What it is

A cable pulldown performed one arm at a time with a single handle. Working unilaterally allows more shoulder-blade travel and a greater range than a bar, and stops the stronger side quietly doing more of the work.

Muscles worked

Primary: Lats. Secondary: Mid-back (rhomboids, traps), Upper back, Biceps, Core.

How to perform it

1. Set a high cable with a single handle and kneel or sit facing the machine.
2. Take the handle with one hand and let the arm extend fully overhead, allowing the shoulder blade to rise.
3. Pull the elbow down and towards your hip, driving the shoulder blade down and back.
4. Return under control to a full overhead stretch before the next rep.

Common form faults

• Twisting the torso to pull further. Brace the core and keep the torso square; a little rotation is natural, wrenching round is not.
• Stopping short of the overhead stretch. Let the arm straighten fully and the shoulder blade travel upward — that extra range is the whole point of going single-arm.
• Pulling with the biceps. Lead with the elbow, not the hand, and pause briefly at the bottom of each rep.

Programming

A lat accessory in moderate to higher reps. Particularly useful for addressing side-to-side differences, and as a second vertical pull after heavy chin-ups or pulldowns.