Lots of GymPaws® fans love the original leather lifting grips as an option for pull up gloves. One of the best upper body workouts you can do the pull up means business!  However if your upper body isn’t conditioned well you may not be able to complete a full set up pull ups, and if that’s the case you may have weak lats.  The Latissimus Dorsi or “Lats” muscle is primarily responsible for pulling the arms down and towards the body, which is the same motion replicated with a standard pull up.  The Standing Front Lat Pushdown is one of the best back exercises you can do to develop this powerhouse muscle!

Standing Front Lat Pushdown

1. Wearing your lifting grips, stand in front of the lat pull down machine and grasp the bar with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder width apart.

2. Keeping arms straight, abs tight, and elbows locked, slowly pull the bar towards you until it reaches just below your waist. 3. Pause for a moment and slowly lower the weight to the starting position without allows the weight to touch the weight stack.  This completes one full rep.

Tips for Standing Front Lat Pushdown

• Using a biceps ez-curl bar versus a straight bar is also an option. It really doesn’t offer any advantage, so it’s mostly just a personal preference.
• Like with most back exercises, focus both on the pulling motion as well as the the return motion.  Positive and negative movements.
• A slight bend at the waist can alleviate pressure on the lower back.
• Standing with feet separate at shoulder width will stabilize your more, whereas standing with feet together will increase the difficulty.

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