Cable Close Grip Front Lat Pulldown

Sit on a flat bench in front of a high pulley with your feet planted, and take a close grip on the bar. Without a knee pad, anchor yourself through your hips and feet, open your chest, and lean back slightly.

Drive your elbows down and pull the bar to your upper chest just below the collarbone. Think of your elbows passing in front of your body down to your sides to carry the contraction into your lower lats.

Pause briefly at your chest, then slowly straighten your arms and let the bar rise. Feel your lats stretch as your arms extend while keeping your hips from lifting off the bench.

The key is feeling the lats under your armpits drawing down along a long path. If your biceps tire first, treat your hands like hooks and think of pulling with your elbows.

Without a knee pad, heavy weight can pull you up off the bench or push you into using momentum. Leaning far back on every rep turns it into a row, so hold your initial torso angle.

Exhale as you pull and inhale as you let the bar rise. A steady tempo matched to your breathing keeps you from rocking on the bench.

If you get pulled up, lower the weight and press your feet into the floor to anchor your lower body first. Pushing your chest toward the bar and pausing for 1 second at the bottom makes the lat contraction clearer.