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Close-grip pulldown

Also called close-grip lat pulldown, narrow-grip pulldown, close-grip cable pulldown.

What is a close-grip pulldown?

The close-grip pulldown is a lat pulldown performed with the hands close together. This version uses an overhand grip on a curved bar and pulls it in front of the body, training the lats and teres major while the biceps and upper-back muscles assist.

Anatomical illustration of a seated close overhand-grip cable pulldown shown overhead and at the upper chest, with the back and upper arms highlighted.

How do you perform a close-grip pulldown?

Set up

  1. Set the thigh pad snugly, take a close overhand grip on the bar and sit with your feet flat.
  2. Begin with the arms straight overhead, the chest tall and a small backward lean.

Execution

  1. Pull the bar down in front of your face toward the upper chest, driving both elbows toward your sides.
  2. Stop before the shoulders roll forward or the torso leans farther back.
  3. Return under control until the arms are straight overhead and the shoulder blades rise naturally.

Common mistakes

  • Rocking backward to start the rep

    Torso momentum changes the exercise into a row and makes the load harder to compare between sets.

  • Pulling the bar behind the neck

    The selected front-pulldown path brings the bar to the upper chest without moving behind the head.

  • Using grip width to promise a lower-lat emphasis

    Close and wide pulldown grips have not established separate regional growth effects; choose the grip for control and comfort.

Where it fits in a session

Usually used as the main vertical pull or after pull-ups in a back session.

Choose a grip spacing and load that let both arms reach overhead without the torso rocking.

Muscles worked

Front
Front — Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.
Back
Back — Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.

Primary

Secondary

Select a muscle name to locate it.

Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.

The lats and teres major pull the upper arms down while the elbow flexors and shoulder-blade muscles assist; a close grip does not establish a separate lower-lat target.

Variations

  • Two frames of an anatomical illustration of a seated cable lat pulldown, seen from behind. On the left the lifter sits on a flat bench facing a weight-stack machine with both arms straight overhead, gripping a wide cambered lat bar overhand at more than shoulder width; the bar hangs from a single cable over the head. On the right the bar has been pulled down in front of the head to shoulder height, elbows driven down and out to the sides, the middle of the bar hidden by the head and shoulders because it passes in front of the body. Shaded in red across both frames: the latissimus dorsi sweeping from the lower back up to the armpit, the teres major and the muscles between the shoulder blades, the whole trapezius from the neck down to mid-back, the rear shoulders and the upper arms. The spinal column strip and the legs are left unshaded.
    Lat pulldownUses a wider overhand grip for the standard bilateral version.
  • Anatomical illustration of a seated one-arm cable pulldown shown with the arm overhead and pulled down beside the torso, with the working-side back highlighted.
    Single-arm lat pulldownUses one handle so each side works independently.
  • Two rear-view anatomical illustrations of a man performing an underhand chin-up on a fixed bar against a white background. In the left frame he hangs with straight arms and hands about shoulder width apart, the backs of his hands facing the viewer because his palms face him. In the right frame his elbows are bent beside his torso and his chin reaches the bar. His knees stay slightly bent and his feet overlap behind him in both positions. Red shading covers the latissimus dorsi along both sides of the back, the upper and middle back around the shoulder blades, the rear shoulders, and the upper-arm and forearm areas around the elbow flexors; the legs are unshaded.
    Chin-upUses bodyweight and an underhand grip instead of a cable stack.

Frequently asked questions

What muscles do close-grip pulldowns work?

They mainly train the latissimus dorsi and teres major. The biceps, rear shoulders, trapezius and rhomboids assist.

Do close-grip pulldowns target the lower lats?

There is no established regional-growth advantage that makes a close grip a lower-lat exercise. Use it as a comfortable pulldown variation.

Should the bar touch your chest?

Pull toward the upper chest and stop where the shoulders remain controlled. Touching the chest is not required if it makes you lean or roll forward.

Is a neutral handle the same exercise?

It is a close-grip pulldown variation, but the palms face each other. This guide and illustration use a close overhand grip on a bar.

Sources

  1. Jeno SH, Varacallo MA. Anatomy, Back, Latissimus Dorsi. StatPearls. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK448120/
  2. Syros A, Rizzo MG. Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Teres Major Muscle. StatPearls. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK580487/

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