Rowing with a big lean
Hold a small, fixed lean; swinging back to 45 degrees turns it into a row and lets momentum lift the weight.
Vertical pull · Cable
Close Grip Lat Pulldown
The close grip lat pulldown uses a narrow neutral-grip handle to pull toward your upper chest with elbows tucked. It often allows a longer range and heavier loads than a wide grip, and suits anyone building lat size or working toward pull-ups.
- Primary
- Back
- Secondary
- Biceps
- Starting rep range
- 8–12 reps
- Target effort
- 1.5 reps in reserve
- Progression
- 5 kg / one stack step
Muscles worked
The lats pull the upper arms down and back toward the hips, which a tucked-elbow path suits well. The biceps and brachialis assist more than on a wide overhand grip because the neutral grip is a strong elbow-flexing position.
How to set up
- Attach a V-bar or close neutral-grip handle to the high pulley.
- Set the thigh pad so your legs are locked in snugly.
- Grab the handle with palms facing each other and sit down with arms fully extended.
- Lean back slightly, about 10-20 degrees, with your chest up.
How to do each rep
- Start by pulling your shoulders down, then drive your elbows down toward your hips.
- Pull until the handle reaches your upper chest, with elbows close to your sides.
- Pause briefly, then let the handle rise over 2-3 seconds until your arms are straight and lats stretched.
- Keep the torso angle fixed; do not rock back to start each rep.
Common close grip lat pulldown mistakes
Arms doing the work
Think about driving the elbows down rather than curling the handle with your hands.
Cutting off the stretch
Let your arms straighten fully and shoulders rise slightly at the top of each rep.
Sets, reps, and progression
Surpass starts the close grip lat pulldown at 8–12 reps with about 1.5 reps in reserve. As a compound lift it usually belongs early in the session, when you are fresh.
Work in 8-12 reps and add one pin once all sets reach the top with a controlled stretch. Rotate with wide-grip pulldowns or pull-ups between training blocks for variety.
Know what to lift next time
Surpass shows what you lifted last time beside a target for this set, and adjusts it from your reps and RIR. Free on iPhone, no account needed.
Close Grip Lat Pulldown alternatives
These train the same main muscles. Swap when the equipment is busy, something hurts, or progress has stalled for several weeks.
Questions
Close grip vs wide grip lat pulldown: which is better?
Neither is strictly better. Close grip usually allows a longer range and heavier loads with more arm help; wide grip brings in more upper back. Both build the lats.
Does the close grip pulldown work biceps?
Yes, the biceps assist in bending the elbows, more so than on a wide grip. It is still primarily a back exercise, so do separate curls if arm size is a goal.