Seated under a high pulley with an overhand grip about shoulder-width, the bar pulls down to the upper chest: ACE rates the pulldown beginner and the pull-up intermediate, and Buonsenso found the lats worked the same across grip widths.
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Pull-up family
Shoulder-width lat pulldown
Easier option
These tiers compare demands within this family, not universal safety or a mandatory sequence. Load, range, balance and your circumstances can change difficulty. Choose deliberately; pain does not select a progression.
Seated under a high pulley with an overhand grip about shoulder-width, the bar pulls down to the upper chest: ACE rates the pulldown beginner and the pull-up intermediate, and Buonsenso found the lats worked the same across grip widths.
DemandEasy
Equipment requiredA cable machine
Muscle focusBack · Biceps · Shoulders · Forearms
The figure gets into position, then repeats the movement. Technical checks passed; qualified exercise review is pending.
Watch this variation on the 3D figure above: it gets into position, then repeats the movement.
Source-researched guide. Clinical review is pending.
How to move
Sit under a high pulley, the bar held overhead in an overhand grip about shoulder-width.
Pull the bar down to the upper chest, the elbows travelling down and back.
Let it back up to straight arms.
Form cues
Lead with the elbows.
Don't lean far back.
Practice and cautions
No universal dose is assigned. Choose a manageable amount for your current capacity, leave room for controlled repetitions, and allow recovery. A clinician’s individual plan takes priority.
This is movement education, not an assessment or treatment prescription. Stop for sharp or increasing pain, dizziness, numbness or tingling; seek individual guidance for symptoms, injury or restrictions.
Unlicense · Free Exercise DB contributors; derived from wrkout/exercises.json. Text import; no photographs or media. · Revision f00c92c7dcf1216a928a52c3706c7ce8e2f71ed5