Name: Kneeling Cable Pull Down (Lat Pulldown Progression)
Uploaded: 2023-04-26T01:00:03.000Z
Duration: 4 min 42 s

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https://stream.mux.com/RrZHJTLGH727L01rOUdABFfWM5qw6JVeJ5tXoCgpZWO00.m3u8

Learn how to properly perform the kneeling cable pull-down in this comprehensive step-by-step instructional video from the Brookbush Institute. This evidence-based video provides expert coaching on setup, form, and exercise modifications (including progressions and regressions) to safely build latissimus dorsi strength, improve scapular stability, and enhance upper body pulling mechanics. Develop proper trunk alignment and coordinated shoulder movement to optimize performance and reduce compensatory patterns. Perfect for athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and rehabilitation clients seeking to improve lat hypertrophy, increase upper body strength, and refine pulling technique while minimizing injury risk.

Introduction to Advanced Back Exercises

Proper Body Positioning and Mechanics

Progression from Bilateral to Alternating Pulldowns

Unilateral Pulldown Technique and Challenges

Incorporating Lower Body Stability and Cable Press

Repetition Guidelines and Final Thoughts

Kneeling Cable Pull Down (Lat Pulldown Progression)

This is Brent doing another exercise for your back. This is a great stability progression for those of you guys who've been doing lat pull downs for years this is a way to take it up a notch. I'm going to have my friend Mike Tierney from metropolitan fitness come out and help me demonstrate this exercise. He's going to show you how it's done while I take you guys through some of the cues and the progressions you can use. Now first things first body position. Mike here is going to be kneeling, alright he's going to start on both knees and he actually has his feet dorsi flexed so that he doesn't smash his foot into plantar flexion. Alright and he's kind of sitting back on his heels. This is a very comfortable, fairly stable position providing you don't have knee pain. Now I'm going to hand Mike these two cables and you guys can probably already start to visualize where this is very similar to a lat pulldown, but because of the independent cables a little less stable. His kinetic chain check points are going to stay the same notice his knees are underneath his hips, he's drawn in, his shoulder blades are down and back and his head is back. I actually have these cables set up slightly in front of his face. Just like we wouldn't want to do a lat pulldown behind the head because of the compromised position it puts the shoulder, we also don't want to put this behind the shoulder either. Besides this is a better angle in general for scapular mechanics as well as creating a nice line or a line of resistance for the lats themselves. So Mike is going to demonstrate this exercise in a relatively stable position sitting back on its heels first, drawing his shoulder blades down and back, and just bringing those elbows right towards his back pockets. And there you go we have a nice bilateral cable pulldown. Now the first progression we could do is just go from our bilateral to our alternating. So now he's going to keep both of these in his hand but he's going to go one at a time. Now the trick is he has to maintain his centerline. So if you guys draw a little line between Mike's nose right between his pecs, right between his knees, this shouldn't shift back and forth as he pulls this weight down unevenly. You guys also see that it takes a lot more endurance from his shoulders as an alternating pulldown takes about twice as long as a bilateral cable pulldown. So the next thing he's going to do to increase the stability and actually he's already done this because it's a more comfortable position for him, because some of the knee pain he has. He's actually kind of come up to a, on both knees, but almost vertical position with his body. You guys see that, so that's a little less stable position for some people it will be more comfortable though. So go ahead and demonstrate a couple with that. Now once we get into this position I might even take this upper body progression up another notch and go from bilateral to unilateral. This gets real tricky though. The trick isn't being able to pull down the weight. The trick is, can Mike pull down the weight without leaning either away to try to counterbalance this weight, or leaning towards as he pulls like he can't stabilize himself. You guys see that Mike's actually very good at this exercise, he has been doing this exercise a while, he's drawn in, let's see a couple more of those. Now I can take this up another step, get a little bit more complicated with my lower body position by going into a kneeling cable press. You're more comfortable, okay good. So if it's this arm that he's working on, it's going to be the opposite leg that's forward. This creates tension in his posterior oblique sub system, makes this a little bit more comfortable. If you guys are doing bilateral then the leg forward doesn't matter. So let's go ahead and see a couple more reps just like that. How's that feel? Alright let's see you switch sides I know you've done about 20 reps on that side. Since this is a stability exercise guys I probably wouldn't use this in a strength training phase and obviously wouldn't use it in a max strength training phase. We're probably looking at 12 to 20 reps here, and your focus is going to be on increasing stability and maintaining perfect form. Alright so that's 12 to 20 repetitions. You guys had the bilateral to alternating to unilateral in the upper body. We had the sitting back on the heels, to sitting up on the knees, to kneeling progression in the lower body. And of course you guys can use different pieces of stability equipment to make it even more unstable. These Airex pads themselves were only used to keep comfort in his knees. Hope you guys enjoyed the video enjoyed the progression, I'll talk with you soon.

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Back strength training exercises - best progressions for barbell rows, dumbbell rows, pulldowns, pull-ups, cable rows, TRX rows, and band rows. Back movements for endurance, stability, hypertrophy, and strength, and a sample back routine.

Back Exercise and Pulling Progressions

Have the client or patient grasp the handles of 2 cables. Ideally, the cables would be fixed to cams that are wider than shoulder width and higher than the hands when the arms are elevated overhead.

This exercise can be done in several positions (standing, kneeling, seated on a stability ball, etc.); however, in all positions, it is ideal that the torso is slightly behind the position of the cams (posterior to the frontal plane alignment of the direction of resistance).

Feet perpendicular to the floor and 2nd toe aligned with ASIS

Pelvis neutral (absence of anterior or posterior pelvic tilt)

Torso, scapula, and head in neutral alignment

To enhance core muscle recruitment, ask your client or patient to contract (“squeeze”) their glutes, and perform the abdominal drawing-in maneuver.

Ask the client or patient to pull the cables down, as if trying to put “their elbow in their back pockets”, while “squeezing and depressing their shoulder blades” (retracting and posteriorly tipping their scapula).

The end of range (top of pull-up) should result in alignment of the cable, hands, wrists, forearms, and elbows (hands slightly anterior to the elbows).

Cue your client or patient to control the eccentric phase at the desired tempo, allowing the resistance to return them to the starting position with arms near full extension and scapula protracted

Have the client or patient address any form or recruitment issues (posture check).

 Half-kneeling, kneeling, bilateral standing (if the column is high enough), unilateral standing, unstable environments (Foam pads), alternating arms, single arm, and/or combinations of upper body and lower body progressions.

 Lat pull-down, pull-ups, chaos pull-ups. Further, advanced exercisers may experiment with the angle of resistance, progressing from a vertical load to a horizontal load (seated row).

It is common for professionals and exercisers to ignore core and lower extremity alignment during pull-downs. Although this may not significantly improve upper body strength, it is missing an opportunity to reinforce optimal form and recruitment of core and lower extremity musculature.

The scapula should not be cued into a fixed position. The concentric phase should include downward rotation, and the eccentric phase should include upward rotation.

Attempting to pull-up “too far” will result in a loss of optimal scapular position, likely resulting in anterior tipping. The range of motion should be the largest range that can be performed without pain or compensation

Kneeling Cable Pull Down (Lat Pulldown Progression)

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