What is the benefit of using an incline bench for lat pulldowns?

The bench provides external stability which prevents you from using your lower back or momentum to move the weight. This force-feeds the tension onto the lats and mid-back muscles.

Which attachment is best for this exercise?

A wide bar is excellent for targeting the outer lats, while a V-bar or neutral-grip handle can help increase the range of motion and focus on the mid-back.

How high should the bench incline be?

An angle between 45 and 75 degrees is ideal. A steeper angle mimics a traditional vertical pulldown, while a lower angle shifts more focus toward the rhomboids and rear deltoids.

Jalon en Banco Inclinado: Build a Wider Back

Master the Jalon en Banco Inclinado with our expert guide. Improve lat isolation and back thickness using this chest-supported pulldown technique.

How to Perform

Set an adjustable bench to a 45-degree to 60-degree incline and place it a few feet in front of a high cable pulley.
Grip the bar or handle and lie chest-down on the bench with your head clear of the top edge and feet firmly planted.
Depress your shoulder blades down and away from your ears before beginning the movement.
Pull the bar toward your upper chest by driving your elbows down toward your hips in a controlled arc.
Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the bottom of the movement for a full contraction.
Slowly extend your arms back toward the pulley while maintaining tension in your back muscles.
Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions without letting the weight stack touch.

Common Mistakes

Lifting the chest off the bench during the concentric phase
Using a range of motion that is too short to engage the lats
Leading the movement with the hands rather than the elbows
Excessive swinging or using momentum to pull the weight

Muscles Worked

Primary movers

Lats

Stabilizers

Rhomboids
Lower Traps
Biceps
Bracialis

Related Guides

Lats · Back