One Arm Lat Pulldown
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the upper back, using a cable machine.
Starting position
End position
How to Do One Arm Lat Pulldown
- Select an appropriate weight and adjust the knee pad to help keep you down. Grasp the handle with a pronated grip. This will be your starting position.
- Pull the handle down, squeezing your elbow to your side as you flex the elbow.
- Pause at the bottom of the motion, and then slowly return the handle to the starting position.
- For multiple repetitions, avoid completely returning the weight to keep tension on the muscles being worked.
Muscles Worked
Alternatives to One Arm Lat Pulldown
10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.
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1
Bent Over One-Arm Long Bar Row
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the upper back, using a barbell.
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2
One-Arm Dumbbell Row
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the upper back, using dumbbells.
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3
One-Arm Long Bar Row
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the upper back, using a barbell.
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4
Close-Grip Front Lat Pulldown
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the upper back, using a cable machine.
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5
Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the upper back, using a cable machine.
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6
One Arm Chin-Up
An advanced compound strength exercise that works the upper back.
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7
One-Arm Kettlebell Row
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the upper back, using a kettlebell.
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8
Rope Straight-Arm Pulldown
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the upper back, using a cable machine.
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9
Straight-Arm Pulldown
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the upper back, using a cable machine.
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10
Full Range-Of-Motion Lat Pulldown
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the upper back, using a cable machine.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles do one arm lat pulldown work?
One Arm Lat Pulldown primarily works the upper back. The biceps assist as secondary muscles.
What equipment do I need for one arm lat pulldown?
One Arm Lat Pulldown uses cable machine.
One Arm Lat Pulldown: is it suitable for beginners?
Yes. One Arm Lat Pulldown is rated beginner. Movements you can learn in a session, with a low skill floor and a forgiving failure mode.
What can I do instead of one arm lat pulldown?
Bent Over One-Arm Long Bar Row, One-Arm Dumbbell Row, One-Arm Long Bar Row train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.
Can Fitnit count my one arm lat pulldown reps automatically?
Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; one arm lat pulldown can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.
Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.
Track Your One Arm Lat Pulldown with AI
Fitnit automatically tracks push-ups, crunches, squats, pull-ups, and curls with advanced body tracking technology — and you can manually input any other workout too. Start free — Pro is $8.99/month.