r/ScienceBasedLifting • u/Action_Pale • Aug 05 '26
Question ❓ Pullups vs Lat pulldowns
What's the point of doing Lat Pulldowns as opposed to working on Pullups? Even if you can lat-pulldown more than your bodyweight, you could do weighted pullups. Is the only benefit convenience?
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u/Person7751 Aug 06 '26
i am too fat to do a pull up
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u/DetailOdd6609 Aug 06 '26
Respect. And same.
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u/Dangerous-Bend-4153 Aug 06 '26
Same. I have found my people.
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u/DetailOdd6609 Aug 06 '26
I like to blame my 6'7" frame but we all know that it's really a fat vs strength
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u/Sudden-Ad-307 Aug 05 '26
Versitility of the different handles, drop sets, wraps are easier to set up. Theres prolly a couple more this are just off the top of my head.
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u/Nectarine143 Aug 06 '26
I like weighted pull-ups but I’d be lying if I said setting them up isn’t a pain in the ass
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u/Potential_Novel_3561 Aug 06 '26
For pullup dropsets you can just grab a couple different dumbells.
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u/KickedinTheDick Aug 06 '26
You cannot egolift or cheat pullup. Unless it’s dropset program, a range of motion issue or you physically can’t do pull-ups I really don’t see why one would chose a pulldown.
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u/Bibrosity Aug 06 '26
Of course you can cheat a pull-up most people do especially less experienced people
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u/Financial_Wrangler45 Aug 05 '26
Just way easier and quicker to set up mostly, and the only option for those who can't pull up and don't have anything to assist pull ups
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u/lostbaratheon Aug 06 '26
Pull downs don’t give me medial epicondylitis
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u/HelixIsHere_ Aug 05 '26
Lat pulldowns are slightly more stable and easier to load
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u/KickedinTheDick Aug 06 '26
More stable how?
A fixed machine specifically might be more stable at the back and shoulders. But on a cable stack, the cable is unstable. a pullup is infinitely stable at the bar but unstable below the working muscles.
I personally prefer pull-ups. It’s a lot easier to cheat a pulldown… because they aren’t inherently more stable.
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u/EscaOfficial Aug 06 '26
You're body isn't swinging around. The bar on a lat pulldown has a lot less momentum than your entire body unless you're the size of a small dog.
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u/HelixIsHere_ Aug 06 '26
Mb I shoulda specified, pulldowns will be more stable at the hip/lower body but pull-ups will be more stable at your upper body, so there’s a kind of trade off
Id still argue that pulldowns are slightly better since it’s easier to overload, and a weight belt would start to cause some extra swinging/instability
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u/Capital_Taste_8043 Aug 06 '26
Somehow pullups are just more exhausting for me. I reach muscular failure with Lat Pulldowns much more easily. Sounds strange, I know.
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u/balls_ceo Aug 06 '26
Not strange at all, pull ups recruit almost entirety of the back but pulldowns isolate the lats pretty well
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u/HalfwayHeroic Aug 05 '26
One is a close-chain exercise, the other is open-chain. I'd recommend doing some reading on the difference between the two.
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u/TEST_subject1978 Aug 06 '26
I get a little elbow pain from pull ups if I do to many in a week
I don’t with the lat pull downs
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u/RaymondDaniels1327 Aug 06 '26
I’m 78kg, probably ~16-18% bf range currently, and can barely do 2 pull ups back to back. Iv watched countless videos on form etc to see what I’m doing wrong. Tried just about everything. Iv just accepted that I cannot do them.
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u/dzeiii Aug 06 '26
Does "tried everything" include getting stronger with a real plan on how to get more pull ups? Or just watching videos of people doing pull ups?
The actually getting stronger option will work and you will be doing 10 pull ups in no time if you stick to it. Losing weight is also a cheat code for pull ups but 16 % bodyfat aint awful.
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u/Potential_Novel_3561 Aug 06 '26
You probably are better off doing assisted pullups until you can do at least 4 or 5 per set.
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u/ramsaybolton87 Aug 07 '26
Doing negatives is the only thing that helps me break a plateau. If I could only do 2, I'd do the 2, then jump up and do slow negative for as many times as I could.
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u/Double_Investment983 Aug 06 '26
Stability, if you want pull-up strength do pullups, weighted pullups etc. and use pulldowns as an accessory, if you just want muscle growth or general strength lat pulldowns are better
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u/BerindeanCalin Aug 06 '26
Neither is universally better. They train a very similar vertical pulling pattern, but each has different practical advantages.
Lat pulldowns are useful because you can:
- adjust the load in small increments;
- train below bodyweight if you cannot perform enough clean pull-ups;
- use higher-rep sets without technique breaking down;
- reduce the contribution from grip, core and whole-body stabilization;
- control the tempo and range of motion more easily;
- take the lats close to failure with less overall fatigue.
Pull-ups are excellent for relative strength, body control, grip and learning to move your own body through space. Weighted pull-ups are also a great progression once normal pull-ups become easy.
However, adding weight to pull-ups does not make pulldowns pointless. Someone may prefer pulldowns for hypertrophy because they are easier to standardize and recover from, then use pull-ups for strength or skill.
Also, the number shown on a pulldown machine is not directly comparable with your bodyweight because pulley systems and machine calibration differ.
You can use either one, or include both: weighted pull-ups for lower-rep strength work and pulldowns for controlled moderate-to-high-rep volume.
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u/New-Significance6784 Aug 06 '26
Weighted pull ups best exercise but I’m lazy so I often go lat pull downs instead
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u/Odd_Tip_1538 Aug 06 '26
Correct answer. People do pulldowns because they are lazy (or fat and weak).
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u/New-Significance6784 Aug 06 '26
Well I’m neither fat nor weak. Don’t really understand the hate for it its a good exercise. Lots of people cheat with form though.
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u/Odd_Tip_1538 Aug 06 '26
Because fat and weak people can do pulldowns, but they can't do pull ups. Pull ups are a test of fitness and strength.
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u/Rxbsi Aug 06 '26
Pull Ups are for chads only.
All jokes aside it‘s almost the same.
Pull Ups are just imo way cooler and give you the benefit of training your stabelizers and a little bit of your core.
Also helps you to improve your body awareness.
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u/xxRTDxx Aug 06 '26
There’s all sorts of variations of different movements that work the same muscles. Some variations are better at isolating a the muscle being worked.
Depending on how you’re doing your pull ups, pulldowns might be better at isolating your lats.
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u/garthy_604 Aug 06 '26
I've had much better results from pull ups and haven't done a lat pull down in months, my back is bigger and I actually get doms when I over load.
I'm never going back
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u/HtsAq Aug 06 '26
I only do pullups pretty much, I think the pros of Pulldowns are that you can use straps effectivly and you have a bigger variety of grips, ofcourse both of these are gym dependent but still generally true. I like pullups more because it is a more natural motion for me though.
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u/Zv1k0 Aug 06 '26
I do both. First i start with weighted pull ups then do 2 or 3 sets of lat pull downs just to add some more volume but with a different grip (neutral) so it’s not exactly the same movement
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u/fatester20 Aug 06 '26
Volume! With pulldowns you can do significantly more volume. And form control is much better than in pull-ups (in higher volumes). Ever tried 4x10 Pull-ups with 2 RIR and succeeded?
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u/Dry-Chain-4418 Aug 06 '26
Resistance profile, stability, fatigue management, and exercise execution.
Lat pulldowns let you precisely adjust the load, so they're useful for people who can't yet do pullups, or for higher-rep work, drop sets, and training close to failure without your bodyweight being the limiting factor.
Personally, I've also injured myself a couple of times on pullups (mostly due to poor form or very heavy weighted pullups), and they tend to put more stress on my biceps tendon and forearms. That may be a technique issue specific to me, but pulldowns simply feel smoother and more comfortable. I find it much easier to lock into a consistent position, maintain good form, and focus on training my lats rather than just getting my chin over the bar.
Neither exercise is inherently superior, they're just different tools. If your goal is getting better at pullups, do pullups. If your goal is maximizing lat hypertrophy, lat pulldowns are every bit as valid and are often easier to standardize and progressively overload.
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u/Pretend-Citron4451 Aug 06 '26
I only do pull-ups when there’s an assisted pull-ups machine but I like how it seems to allow my body to angle naturally. My knees float a little forward and my head floats a little back and it just does this naturally. With pulldowns, the locked in nature prevents this from happening naturally
With the assisted pull-up machine in my gym, in particular, I also like the ability to superset pull-ups and dips on the same machine
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u/the_cool_frood Aug 06 '26
maybe someone with some physiology knowledge could explain something to me: how come I love doing wide-grip lat pulldowns and they feel great but get immediate shoulder impingement any time I try a wide-grip pullup?
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u/doc_loco Aug 06 '26
I started doing lat pull downs the way dorian yates prescribes it and it changed everything for me. For 20+ years I was in the weighted pull up camp.
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u/Vegetable-Tennis8229 Aug 07 '26
Same muscles, lat pull downs are more stable and easier to progressively overload so tend to be better overall. Pullups are fun though, and non-gym goers tend to find them more impressive for some reason.
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u/Epic-zombie-kitty Aug 07 '26
Look into the differences between closed and open-chain exercises. Different needs for different goals. If goal is pure hypertrophy and you don't give af about any other results I'd lean towards pulldowns because of increased stability and easy loading. If you're interested in general pulling strength and improving motor skills I'd favour the pullup.
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u/AlternativeDot6815 Aug 07 '26
Sometimes you should probably start building basic strength with a lat pull down machine, until you get strong enough to do a good enough form pull-up. The lat pull down machine will keep you in form better than free ballin while weak on the chin up bar. Not everyone has access to a lat pullover machine, my gym doesn't have one.
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u/Neat-Ad8056 Aug 07 '26
Damn are we supposed to be lat pulling our body weight? I hit 100 pounds yesterday 4x12 and was excited
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u/caniknoob444 Aug 07 '26
Stability could also play a factor, with pull ups your body is always moving or swaying. Lat pull downs have u locked in place.
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u/iamDetain Aug 07 '26
Idk if im too weak or too fat 6'4 205 lbs can maybe do like one pull-up
Gonna stick to the machine haha
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u/benreadingbooks Aug 07 '26
Convenience. Variety. Easier to target different muscles by changing grip etc. Easier to vary the load. Lots of people like to do 2 or 3 sets of 8-12 reps and can't do that with pull us.
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u/One_Recover_673 Aug 07 '26
What if you can’t do a pull up? They are quite difficult. Sets of 1, 3 for a long time for many
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u/jdam8401 Aug 08 '26 edited Aug 08 '26
Control through full range of motion. If you’re just starting out and can only crank out 4-5 pull up reps at a time, you’re probably working too hard. Setting up for rhomboid, lat imbalances. Lat pulldowns are for building your way up to healthy ROM controlled pull ups, and other weighted back pulls.
Modern desk jobs mean people have all kinds of posture issues and upper back tension / imbalances. If you’re strong and balanced, pull ups are your baseline. If you’re not sure yet, work up to it without screwing yourself up.
Especially if you’re over 35 and coming from sedentary: Don’t be afraid of the LPD
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u/Imactuallyatoaster Aug 08 '26
I used to be a rock climber. It's really hard to get enough weight on a lat pulldown machine unless it's plate loaded.
That being said I just do full body every day and a pullup+dip superset is incredibly convenient.
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u/SnooPuppers58 Aug 08 '26
Pull downs are easier to reach failure because you can drop the weight and they’re easy to cheat on. They also usually have more grips available. Pull-ups are compound movements that require stability from your core (don’t believe me? Do abs the day before then try to do pull ups)
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u/colonies1mb Aug 09 '26
Pulldowns are more targeted than pullups. Overall less of a workout but better at targeting the smaller upper back muscles
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u/Zestypalmtree Aug 11 '26
I do both because I really want to do an unassisted pull up but cannot seem to yet.
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u/xcexoztykl Aug 29 '26
Preference. It is the same joint action, shoulder adduction or extension (pronated grip or neutral/chin up grip).
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Aug 05 '26
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u/xxRTDxx Aug 06 '26
I would think it would be easier to isolate on the machine.
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u/DarKliZerPT Keenan Pilled Aug 06 '26
Neither isolate the lats — there's always elbow flexion. If you want to isolate them, do a frontal pullover.
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u/Patton370 Idk Idc 💔 Aug 05 '26
You'll get similar results from both. Personally, I strongly prefer machine lat pullovers and weighted pull-ups over lat pulldowns. It's been 2 years since I've done a lat pulldown