Exercise Comparison
Cable Incline Pushdown vs Side To Side Chins
Side-by-Side
Muscle Analysis
Shared
Only in Side To Side Chins
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.
Side To Side Chins
Grab the pull-up bar with the palms facing forward using a wide grip.
As you have both arms extended in front of you holding the bar at a wide grip, bring your torso back around 30 degrees or so while creating a curvature on your lower back and sticking your chest out. This is your starting position.
Pull your torso up while leaning to the left hand side until the bar almost touches your upper chest by drawing the shoulders and the upper arms down and back. Exhale as you perform this portion of the movement. Tip: Concentrate on squeezing the back muscles once you reach the full contracted position. The upper torso should remain stationary as it moves through space (no swinging) and only the arms should move. The forearms should do no other work other than hold the bar.
After a second of contraction, inhale as you go back to the starting position.
Now, pull your torso up while leaning to the right hand side until the bar almost touches your upper chest by drawing the shoulders and the upper arms down and back. Exhale as you perform this portion of the movement. Tip: Concentrate on squeezing the back muscles once you reach the full contracted position. The upper torso should remain stationary as it moves through space and only the arms should move. The forearms should do no other work other than hold the bar.
After a second of contraction, inhale as you go back to the starting position.
Repeat steps 3-6 until you have performed the prescribed amount of repetitions for each side.
Verdict
Both exercises target the lats. Cable Incline Pushdown is a beginner exercise using cable, while Side To Side Chins is intermediate and uses other. Choose Cable Incline Pushdown if you're looking for a more accessible option, or Side To Side Chins for a greater challenge. Side To Side Chins is a compound movement working multiple joints, making it better for overall strength. Cable Incline Pushdown isolates the target muscle for focused development.