Exercise Comparison
Cable Incline Pushdown vs Full Range-Of-Motion Lat Pulldown
Side-by-Side
Muscle Analysis
Shared
Only in Full Range-Of-Motion Lat Pulldown
Instructions
Cable Incline Pushdown
Lie on incline an bench facing away from a high pulley machine that has a straight bar attachment on it.
Grasp the straight bar attachment overhead with a pronated (overhand; palms down) shoulder width grip and extend your arms in front of you. The bar should be around 2 inches away from your upper thighs. This will be your starting position.
Keeping the upper arms stationary, lift your arms back in a semi circle until the bar is straight over your head. Breathe in during this portion of the movement.
Slowly go back to the starting position using your lats and hold the contraction once you reach the starting position. Breathe out during the execution of this movement.
Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Full Range-Of-Motion Lat Pulldown
Either standing or seated on a high bench, grasp two stirrup cables that are attached to the high pulleys. Grab with the opposing hand so your arms are crisscrossed about you and your palms are facing forward.
Keeping your chest up and maintaining a slight arch in your lower back, pull the handles down as if you were doing a regular pulldown. The range of motion will be more of an arc. During the movement, rotate your hands so that in the bottom position your palms face each other rather than forward. Return slowly to the starting position and repeat.
Verdict
Both exercises target the lats. Cable Incline Pushdown is a beginner exercise using cable, while Full Range-Of-Motion Lat Pulldown is intermediate and uses cable. Choose Cable Incline Pushdown if you're looking for a more accessible option, or Full Range-Of-Motion Lat Pulldown for a greater challenge. Full Range-Of-Motion Lat Pulldown is a compound movement working multiple joints, making it better for overall strength. Cable Incline Pushdown isolates the target muscle for focused development.