The lat pulldown works the back first, with the biceps and forearms as secondary muscles — the Zyra Workouts catalog files it as a cable compound movement under back, resting 120 s, stepping 2 kg on the stack. It is the loadable cousin of the pull-up, and the one vertical pull in the catalog where the progression engine can drive the load. This guide covers the lat pulldown row, what the grip variations change mechanically, and where it sits among the back swaps.
Muscles worked
| Role | Muscle group | Counts per working set |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Back | 1 set |
| Secondary | Biceps | 0.5 set |
| Secondary | Forearms | 0.5 set |
Mechanically the pulldown is the pull-up turned upside down: the bar comes to you instead of you going to the bar. The lats and the rest of the back pull the upper arms down and in (shoulder extension and adduction), the biceps and forearm flexors bend the elbows and hold the bar. Because your thighs are pinned under the pad and your torso is supported by the seat, the catalog does not credit the core — the one difference from the pull-up row, which lists core as a third secondary.
Grip variations
One row, several grips. The catalog does not split them, so whichever you use logs to lat pulldown and adds the same 1 / 0.5 / 0.5. What each grip changes is the path of the elbows — a mechanical description, not an EMG measurement:
| Grip | Hands | Elbow path | Logged as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide overhand | outside the shoulders, palms away | out to the sides | lat pulldown |
| Medium overhand | about shoulder-width, palms away | slightly forward of the sides | lat pulldown |
| Close neutral | palms facing each other on a V-handle | forward and down | lat pulldown |
| Underhand | palms toward you, shoulder-width | forward and down, biceps pull more directly | lat pulldown |
Because they share a history, the progression engine compares this session's wide-grip set with last session's set on the same row whatever the grip was. Keep one grip for a block, or the recommendations will mix two movements. If you want two grips tracked separately, the app supports custom exercises — a custom "close-grip pulldown" gets its own row and its own history.
Setup and execution
- Set the thigh pad so your legs are held down without lifting your heels.
- Take the grip, sit, and let the arms straighten fully with the shoulders up toward the ears — that is the start.
- Pull the shoulder blades down first, then drive the elbows down and back until the bar reaches the top of the chest, torso leaning back only slightly and staying there.
- Return under control to straight arms; do not let the stack land between reps.
- Log the stack weight as marked. Stack pins are usually 5 kg apart; the engine's 2 kg step assumes an add-on increment or a magnetic plate is available, and if it is not, the nearest pin is what you log.
Rep and RIR targets by goal
Compound row, compound table.
| Goal | Reps | RIR | Rep ceiling | Sets (beginner / intermediate / advanced) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 3–5 | 2 | 6 | 3 / 4 / 5 |
| Hypertrophy | 6–10 | 2 | 10 | 2 / 3 / 4 |
| General fitness | 8–12 | 2 | 12 | 2 / 3 / 4 |
RIR is reps in reserve — how many more reps were left when the set stopped. @RIR 2 means the set ended two reps short of failure. The rep ceiling is the engine's "expected max": the midpoint of the range plus the RIR target, round((repMin + repMax) / 2) + rir. Beat the ceiling and the load steps up next time. Default rest is 120 s — the middle tier, shared by the rows and other supported pulls.
How progression steps on this exercise
Cable rows step 2 kg, and cables are assumed adjustable, so there is no plate-inventory check and the wand never turns red. On the hypertrophy target (6–10 @RIR 2, ceiling 10):
| Last set | Next session |
|---|---|
60 kg × 11 | 62 kg × 6 — progress |
60 kg × 8 | hold 60 kg × 8 |
60 kg × 5 | 58 kg × 6 — back-off |
In plain terms: the same rule as every other lift, with a 2 kg step. Because a pulldown stack typically moves in 5 kg pins, a 62 kg recommendation may mean "60 plus a 2.5 kg add-on" or "the next pin, then chase reps" — the engine recommends, you log what was actually on the stack. The 1RM page estimates a single-rep max from any logged set.
Alternatives
Ranked for the lat pulldown (same primary — back; +4 loadable, +2 same category, +1 same equipment, then name):
| Rank | Alternative | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seated cable row | compound, cable — 7 |
| 2 | Barbell bent-over row | compound, barbell — 6 |
| 3 | Chin-up | compound, bodyweight — 6 |
| 4 | Conventional deadlift | compound, barbell — 6 (back-primary in the catalog) |
The seated cable row tops the list on equipment alone. Note that a swap from a vertical pull to a horizontal one keeps the back count intact — the catalog does not distinguish the two pulling directions — so if you care about the mix, that is a programming choice the count will not make for you.
The short version
Back first, biceps and forearms at 0.5 each, no core credit. Compound targets, 120 s rest, 2 kg steps on the stack. Every grip logs to the same row and counts the same, so hold one grip per block for clean recommendations. Seated cable row is the first swap; the pull-up and chin-up are the bodyweight versions. Zyra Workouts is a training log, and this page is a guide to one movement in its catalog. Educational overview only — not medical advice.