4 lat pulldown alternatives for a better back

Author

Ricky Goodrich
October 25, 2024

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Here’s what we’ve got for you today:

  • Lat pulldown flaws (and how to fix them) 

  • A bodybuilder’s top tip for arm training

  • The latest on Jeff Nippard and Mike Van Wyck

Exercise Tips

Rethink the Pulldown

Credit: Mongkolchon Akesin / Shutterstock

Sure, they look simple, but lat pulldowns are a tough movement to get right. The biggest culprit is when people miss out on the superior stretch potential at the top half of the lift, which is something Arnold Schwarzenegger warned us about decades ago in his original Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding. If anything, most people wind up fatiguing their biceps long before they tax their lats. 

To make better use of the lengthened position of the lats, Dr. Mike Israetel suggests these four replacement exercises to explore new avenues for back growth (and doing them will actually make your lat pulldown training better when you return to it).

For example, the classic lat pullover is an amazing high-stretch lat exercise, as is its cable-based cousin, the straight-arm lat pulldown. Pull-ups can also help work the lat stretch position deeper, coaxing your muscles into growing just a little bit more. The lat pulldown isn’t a bad exercise by any metric, but these alternatives will give your wings even more room to fly.

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Arm Training

One Big Thing for Two Big Heads

Credit: Seth Feroce / YouTube

With the use of slightly more profanity than the BarBend style guide allows, retired IFBB pro bodybuilder Seth Feroce has a, nonetheless, profound message to share about arm training: Simpler is better.

In the article below, Feroce lays out his arm training day, dripping with the essence of his overall training philosophy that hard work beats fancy-schmancy high-mindedness every day of the week. There is also some detailed, non-motivational context given, like how Feroce likes to vary his grips and feels that the hammer curl is the rock on which the church of his arms is built. 

He also shows off some impressive one-armed dips, proving that, with blistering intensity, your arms are capable of extreme development.

News

The Latest on Jeff Nippard

@jeffnippard / Instagram

In what may be a bizarre case of internet rage spilling over into real life, or a spirited dispute between training methods turning sour, video shows fitness influencer Jeff Nippard allegedly being assaulted by fellow social media star Mike Van Wyck.

Following a back-and-forth argument on Instagram, Nippard and Van Wyck encountered each other at Pure Muscle + Fitness, a popular gym in Ontario, Canada. Nippard claims — and a video by a third influencer, Jeff Twinem, seems to corroborate — that Van Wyck “jabbed” him in the throat at least twice. Local authorities are involved in an official investigation into the matter, but as of publication, no charges have been filed. Get all the details below.

Everything Else

Legs and Wrists

Credit: Giphy