How to do a Lat Pulldown
The lat pulldown builds the lats by pulling a bar down to the upper chest. Good form drives the elbows down toward the hips with only a slight torso lean. CalmArms grades your pull depth and control and counts each rep automatically.
Muscles: Lats · Rhomboids · Rear Deltoids · Biceps
Demonstration: Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown
How to do it with clean form
- 1
Grip the bar and sit tall with thighs anchored under the pad.
- 2
Pull the bar to your upper chest by driving your elbows down.
- 3
Keep the torso nearly upright — a slight lean only, no rowing back.
- 4
Return the bar under control to a full stretch overhead.
Common lat pulldown mistakes CalmArms catches
Leaning way back and turning it into a row.
Pulling the bar behind the neck or only to the chin.
Using momentum instead of controlling the bar up.
Short reps that never reach a full overhead stretch.
How CalmArms grades the lat pulldown
CalmArms grades how far you pull and how controlled the return is, so a full, upright pulldown scores better than a leaned-back half rep.
Variations graded
Grade your lat pulldown on your next set.
Prop your phone and lift. CalmArms counts every rep and grades your form A–F, hands-free — on-device, no video uploaded.