Pain guide · Back pain

Lower back pain when doing lat pulldowns: leaning back, the thigh pad, the bar and what helps

Lower back pain when you do lat pulldowns often comes from your lower back doing work the pulldown doesn't need: leaning far back, arching and swinging your trunk to move a weight that is too heavy, often late in a set, and often with the thigh pad set loose. That is the pattern coaches describe, and it is our reading too, because no study has measured the lower back in a pulldown or counted back pain from one. Where it hurts is the best clue: an ache across the lower back that builds as you lean and heave is usually ordinary low back pain, a sudden catch on one side a strain or spasm, an ache along the side of the back towards the armpit the lats themselves, and pain down a leg a nerve. In a lab study, leaning back 30 degrees didn't make the lats work any harder. A snug thigh pad, a small, fixed lean, the bar to your upper chest and a lighter weight usually help, and lat pulldowns aren't known to be bad for your back.

This guide starts with the signs that need help, from a 999 call for numbness around your genitals or bottom, new bladder or bowel trouble or weakness in both legs, or for chest pain, to a same-day check through the National Health Service's 111 line (NHS 111) or a general practitioner (GP) for back pain with a fever or muscles far sorer than the session explains. It then maps the causes by where it hurts, explains what the lab studies show about the lean, the thigh pad, behind-the-neck pulling and the lats' link to the lower back, and why a scan rarely helps at first, shows how to set up your pulldown today, and gives a three-stage plan with a 3D demo of every move, from chest-supported rows back to full pulldowns.

3-stage exercise plan When to get help 40 sourcesUpdated 28 October 2026

When to get help first

Exercise is for pain that has been checked or is clearly mild and settling.

Get urgent medical help if

Call 999 or go to A&E: loss of feeling or numbness around the genitals or bottom, new trouble peeing or controlling your bladder or bowels, changes in genital sensation during sex or problems with erections or orgasm, or pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs. These are signs of cauda equina syndrome, which needs treating in hospital urgently. Don't drive yourself.
Call 999 or go to A&E: back pain with chest pain, or back pain that started after a serious accident, such as a car crash.
Call 999: sudden pain or discomfort in your chest that does not go away (it can feel like squeezing or pressure, burning or indigestion); pain that spreads to your left or right arm, or your neck, jaw, shoulder, stomach or back; or chest pain and you feel sweaty, sick, light-headed or short of breath. It could be a heart attack. Don't drive yourself to A&E.
Get help from NHS 111: pain or tightness in your chest, neck, shoulders, jaw or arms that comes and goes, often brought on by exercise, stress, emotion or cold and easing after a few minutes' rest. It can be angina, a sign of a heart problem. If you've been diagnosed with angina, get help from NHS 111 too if it feels worse than before, is happening more often, lasts longer or happens when you're resting.
Call 999 or go to A&E if breathing suddenly becomes difficult, if pain in your chest or upper back comes on suddenly with breathlessness or a very fast heartbeat, or if someone passes out. Do not drive yourself. It can be a blood clot that has reached the lungs.
Call 999: sudden chest or back pain that can feel like something being torn inside, and causes shortness of breath, and problems with walking, vision and speaking (the NHS's wording, on its costochondritis page). It can be a tear in the wall of the body's main artery (an aortic dissection). Don't drive yourself to A&E.
Call 999: sudden, severe pain in the tummy or back, which can come with breathlessness, pale or grey skin, or collapse. It can be a burst abdominal aortic aneurysm, most common in men aged 65 or over and in people who smoke or used to smoke.
Same day (GP or NHS 111): back pain and you feel hot, cold, shivery or generally unwell, or severe pain that starts suddenly or is getting worse quickly.
Same day (NHS 111): back pain after a new, significant injury in the last 7 days, such as a fall from a height (off a box, a bar or rings) or a direct blow to the back.
Call 999 or go to A&E: leg pain with numbness around the genitals or bottom, new trouble starting or controlling peeing, not knowing when you need to poo or losing control of it, sciatica in both legs, or weakness or numbness in both legs that is severe or getting worse. These can be signs of cauda equina syndrome, which needs treating in hospital as soon as possible.
Same day: leg weakness that is getting worse; new leg pain with a history of cancer, HIV, TB or inflammatory arthritis; or leg pain with a fever, feeling unwell, loss of appetite, unexplained weight loss or night sweats.
Same day (urgent GP appointment or NHS 111): new difficulty lifting the front of your foot or toes (foot drop), or a foot that slaps down or catches as you walk, especially if it is getting worse. Weakness in both legs, or with numbness around the genitals or bottom or bladder or bowel changes, is the 999 emergency above.
Same day: you have or have had cancer, and new back pain that is severe and doesn't let up, is getting steadily worse, is worse at night and disturbs your sleep, is worse when you cough, sneeze or strain, or comes with tenderness over the spine. Contact your cancer team or GP urgently. With cancer, new weakness, difficulty walking, numbness or bladder or bowel problems are an emergency.
Same day (call NHS 111, or go to A&E if you feel very unwell): after a big or unusual session, such as hundreds of pull-ups, push-ups, dips or curls, a challenge or a new class, muscle pain, swelling or weakness far worse than the session explains, and dark pee (red, brown, tea or cola coloured), sometimes starting hours or days later. Dark pee isn't always there, so muscles far sorer, more swollen or weaker than the session explains still need the same-day check. It can be rhabdomyolysis, a breakdown of muscle that can harm the kidneys.
Same day (urgent GP appointment or NHS 111): sudden, severe pain in one joint, with swelling, a change in skin colour or difficulty moving it, especially if you feel unwell, hot, cold or shivery or have a high temperature (although not everyone has one). It could be an infection in the joint, gout or calcium crystals (pseudogout), and only a sample of fluid from the joint can tell them apart.

See a doctor or physiotherapist if

Back pain that hasn't improved after a few weeks of looking after it at home, stops you doing day-to-day activities, worries you, or you're struggling to cope.
Pain, tingling or numbness spreading below the knee that isn't settling after a few weeks, is getting worse or stops your normal activities: see a GP.
Pain that is not improving after a few weeks, is getting worse, or is stopping your normal activities.
Pain that doesn't improve with rest or is worse at night, or pain that is worse when you sneeze, cough or poo.
Unexplained weight loss, or a lump, swelling or change in the shape of your back.
Pain at the top of the back, between the shoulders, rather than in the lower back.
A sudden pain or pop at the back of the armpit or below the shoulder blade during a hard pull, then bruising there or new weakness pulling your arm down and in: get it checked within days by a GP or sports medicine doctor, because a torn lat or teres major is rare, often missed at first, and bigger tears in athletes are sometimes repaired (our suggestion).
A teenager or young adult whose low back pain is worse arching backwards and hasn't settled after a couple of weeks: stop the lifts that arch the back and get it checked by a GP or a sports medicine doctor or physiotherapist. It can be a stress fracture of the spine (spondylolysis), which usually does well without surgery when it's found.
Sudden new back pain after a minor fall, lift, cough or sneeze, from 50 or past the menopause, or if you take long-term steroid tablets; or height loss, a curved spine or a change in posture: see a GP. It can be a spinal fracture.
Back pain that started before 45 and has lasted more than 3 months, especially if it started before 35, wakes you in the second half of the night, comes with buttock pain, gets better with movement or within 48 hours of anti-inflammatory painkillers, or you have or have had arthritis, pain where a tendon attaches to bone (enthesitis) or psoriasis, or a parent, brother, sister or child with spondyloarthritis. These can point to inflammatory back pain (axial spondyloarthritis, such as ankylosing spondylitis). The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) asks GPs to refer people with 4 or more of these 9 features to a rheumatologist, and to do a blood test for the HLA-B27 gene marker if exactly 3 are present, referring if it is positive.
A strain that is getting worse, or isn't feeling better after looking after it yourself: see a GP or physiotherapist. In many areas you can refer yourself to physiotherapy.

Where does it hurt?

Location narrows the likely causes; it does not diagnose.

An ache across the lower back that builds through the set as you lean back, arch or swing the weight down, easing between sets

Usually ordinary low back pain, brought on by the lean and the load. It is the commonest kind of back pain and usually settles within weeks.

Read: Back pain →A sudden catch or sharp pain on one side mid-rep, or standing up with the bar, sometimes with the muscles locking up

Usually a pulled back muscle or a back spasm, which settles over days to weeks.

Read: Back spasm and pulled back muscle →An even ache across the back and along its sides towards the armpits, a day or two after a new or heavier session

Muscle soreness.

Read: Back pain after a workout →Along the side of the back below the armpit, during or after pulling

Usually the lats working hard. A sudden pop at the back of the armpit with bruising and weakness is rarely a torn lat or teres major: see the warning signs.

Read: Back of shoulder pain →Between the shoulder blades or across the upper back

Usually the upper back and shoulder blade muscles. With chest pain it is a 999 call (see the warning signs).

Read: Upper back pain →Under or around one shoulder blade, with neck stiffness or later tingling down an arm

Possibly a nerve in the neck.

Read: Pain under the shoulder blade →Down one leg past the knee, with tingling, numbness or weakness

Sciatica, often from a disc.

Read: Sciatica →A scan report says bulging or herniated disc

Disc changes are common in people without back pain.

Read: Herniated or bulging disc →A teenager or young adult whose low back hurts more arching backwards, building over weeks

Possibly a stress fracture of the spine: get it checked, as the warning signs say.

Read: Spondylolisthesis →Low on one side, by the dimple at the back of the pelvis, into the buttock

Often the sacroiliac joint.

Read: SI joint pain →The shoulder, especially behind the neck or at the top of the pull

Our shoulder pulldown guide covers the front, top and back of the shoulder.

Read: Shoulder pain on the lat pulldown →Mainly on pull-ups, chin-ups or hanging

Our pull-up back guide covers the bar.

Read: Back pain in pull-ups →Mainly on rows

Our rows guide covers torso angle, load and swaps.

Read: Back pain in bent-over rows →Muscles far sorer, more swollen or weaker than the session explains, with or without dark pee

Rarely muscle breakdown, which needs a same-day check (see the warning signs).

Read: Back pain after a workout →

Understand it

What a pulldown asks of the back, and what no study has countedEmerging evidence

You sit with your thighs under the pads and pull a bar from overhead to your upper chest with the lats (the broad muscles down the sides of your back), the muscles around the shoulder blades and the arms. The trunk only has to hold a small lean still; the thigh pads keep the pelvis on the seat, which is how lab studies set it up.

No study has measured the lower back in a pulldown. Eight lab studies of pulldown variations recorded only the lats, shoulders, arms and upper back, and the ninth found that chin-ups worked the back extensor muscles harder than pulldowns, though its summary gives no numbers and doesn't say which part of the back was measured.

No survey names the pulldown either. In 1,387 German gym users asked about 49 exercises, the lower back was the second commonest painful area (632 cases) after the shoulder (1,114), but the list had no pulldown. In US emergency departments, 19.7% of weight training injuries were in the lower trunk, 90.4% of them with free weights. Reviews of lifting sports name the lower back among the commonest sites but find low injury rates overall, and in 104 powerlifters about half of current lower back injuries started during deadlift training. So the map on this page is built from the pulldown's mechanics, coaching bodies, anatomy and the back pain evidence.

Sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17

A common cause: the lean, the swing and the loadEmerging evidence

The pattern coaches describe most is an ache across the lower back that builds as you lean further back and heave the bar down with your trunk, worse with heavy sets and late reps and easing between sets. This is our reading: no study counts the causes. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) says lean back slightly, no more than a 30 degree angle, and avoid any extra lean during the pull, and the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) lists excessive leaning or swinging among the common faults.

Leaning further gains nothing: in 40 trained men, a 30 degree lean changed only the rear shoulder muscle, and lat activity was the same in every version tested. If you have to swing to move the weight, it is too heavy. The ache that follows is ordinary low back pain, which the NHS says usually improves within a few weeks.

Sources 18, 19, 3, 20

The seat and the thigh pad

If the pad is too high or the seat too low, your thighs lift as the weight gets heavy and you arch or rock to stay down (our reading). ACE sets the pad to fit firmly against the tops of the thighs, and lab studies use the pad to keep the pelvis on the seat. Reaching up from standing for a heavy bar, then sitting down with it, is another moment a sore back can complain (our reading); our move page says to stand up with the bar at the end of a set rather than letting it snatch out of your hands.

Sources 18, 1

Behind the neck: nothing to gain for the backEmerging evidence

Pulling behind the neck makes you bring your trunk and head forward so the bar can pass. Three small lab studies found it works the lats no better than pulling to the front, and a 2026 review found a front bar path most consistently linked with lat activity. No study has measured the lower back in either version. The case against it is about the shoulder and neck, which our shoulder pulldown guide covers; for the back there is nothing to gain (our reading).

Sources 1, 5, 6, 2

The lats and the lower backEmerging evidence

The lats fan out from the upper arm to the lower six thoracic vertebrae, the lumbar spine, a sheet of connective tissue over the lower back (the thoracolumbar fascia), the lower ribs and the top of the pelvis. Their flat tendon forms the surface layer of that sheet, and in embalmed specimens pulling on the lats tensed it.

But in a dissection and modelling study of 5 cadavers, the lats could barely arch the lumbar spine: their largest backward-bending force on it was 6.3 newton metres, which the authors call trivial. So an ache along the side of the back towards the armpit is usually the lats themselves, sore after a new or heavy session, and the idea that tight or strong lats pull the lower back into an arch isn't supported.

Sources 21, 22, 23, 24, 25

Who gets it

In our reading: lifters who chase heavy pulldowns with a big lean and a swing, people back in the gym after a break, people with back pain that keeps coming back, people doing kneeling or standing cable pulldowns without a pad, and people who rush the set-up.

A first or unusually long session can leave the back muscles far sorer than expected. Rarely this is muscle breakdown (rhabdomyolysis): one woman's back pain after her first 3-hour workout was twice treated as muscle spasm before blood tests found it. That is why muscles far sorer than the session explains need a same-day check.

Sources 26, 27

When a scan or test mattersStrong evidence

Not at first. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) says not to routinely offer imaging for low back pain outside specialist settings, and in 3,110 people without back pain, disc wear on scans rose from 37% at 20 to 96% at 80, and disc bulges from 30% to 84%. The NHS refers people with a slipped disc for tests such as a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan only if their symptoms don't get better.

Tests matter for the warning signs, for a suspected lat or teres major tear (an MRI grades it), for a teenager whose back hurts arching backwards, and for leg symptoms that aren't settling.

Sources 28, 29, 30, 21

How it usually goesStrong evidence

No study follows back pain from pulldowns. In the 2024 update of pooled studies of new low back pain (47 groups, 9,224 people), average pain fell from 56 out of 100 to 26 at 6 weeks, 22 at 26 weeks and 21 at a year (moderate certainty); the 2012 version found a lower figure at a year. The NHS says back pain usually improves within a few weeks but can sometimes last longer or keep coming back, and sciatica usually gets better in a few weeks to a few months.

Lat strains in 16 professional pitchers took a mean of about 62 days to return to pitching, and 15 of 16 got back to their level. No one can promise a date.

Sources 31, 32, 20, 33, 34

What helps, and how strong the evidence is

Leaning back further doesn't work the lats harderEmerging evidence

In 40 men with at least 5 years of training, seven pulldown versions, including two with a 30 degree lean, worked the lats about the same (45% to 50% of their maximum); the lean raised only the rear shoulder muscle. ACE keeps the lean under 30 degrees with no extra lean during the pull, and NASM says a slower tempo limits momentum reps. None of these measured the lower back or pain, so the advice to keep the lean small and fixed is coaching advice, not a tested treatment.

Sources 3, 18, 19

The bar to the front, and grip as a comfort choiceEmerging evidence

Pulling to the front worked the lats as well as or better than pulling behind the neck in three small studies (10, 24 and 14 men). Grips from 1 to 2 times shoulder width gave similar lat activity in 15 men, and a 2026 review calls grip width effects inconsistent. So pull to the upper chest, and choose the grip that feels best.

Sources 5, 6, 1, 2, 8

Exercise helps back pain, and loaded strength training is safeStrong evidence

Across 249 trials, exercise cut long-lasting low back pain by about 15 points out of 100 against no treatment, usual care or a placebo (moderate certainty). In 13 trials (778 people), strength training with weights was safe and did about as well as exercise without weights, with a small extra fall in pain after 7 weeks (about half a point out of 10). Strength training for the back of the body did as well as or a little better than general exercise, with no more side effects (8 trials, 408 people). NICE suggests a group exercise programme and encourages people to carry on with normal activities.

These trials are of long-lasting back pain in general, not lifters, and none tested the pulldown. So the plan keeps you pulling, takes the job of holding the trunk away first, and brings the pulldown back in steps.

Sources 35, 36, 37, 28

Staying active beats bed restStrong evidence

For new low back pain, advice to stay active did slightly better for pain and function than advice to rest in bed (2 trials, 401 people, moderate quality). The NHS says stay active, try to continue your daily activities, and don't stay in bed for long periods.

Sources 38, 20

Swaps that take the trunk's job awayEmerging evidence

In 7 men, the inverted row loaded the lumbar spine least of three rows and the standing bent-over row most, and the authors suggest the inverted row for people wishing to spare the low back. The seated row worked the lats about as well as a wide-grip pulldown in 12 men. A tiny study of bench-supported rows (3 people, described in a review) found less lower back muscle activity than standing rows, though the difference could be chance. Chin-ups worked the back extensors harder than pulldowns, so pull-ups come back last. No study has measured the lumbar spine in seated cable or chest-supported rows, and none tested a swap against back pain.

Sources 39, 10, 2, 4

Torn lats and muscle breakdown: rareEmerging evidence

Lat and teres major tears are uncommon and show at the back of the armpit, often with a large bruise; they have been reported in weightlifters and CrossFit athletes, and most heal without surgery (15 of 16 pitchers returned to their level). No tear at the lat's lower attachment and no case of muscle breakdown naming the pulldown was found. Muscle breakdown in the back muscles after a hard or first session has been reported in single cases, so muscles far sorer than the session explains need a same-day check.

Sources 21, 34, 26, 27

How much pain is OK while you exercise?

Up to about 5 out of 10, settled within an hour, no worse the next morning, never into a legEmerging evidence

This guide uses the back hub's rule, as our other back movement guides do. Some discomfort during exercise is fine, and it does not mean you are doing damage. Aim for pain you would call mild to moderate, no more than about 5 out of 10. It should settle within an hour or so, and your back should be no worse the next morning. If it is worse, do less next time (fewer reps, a smaller range, a lighter load), not nothing. Leg symptoms are the exception: stop or shrink any movement that sends pain, pins and needles or numbness further down your leg. If leg symptoms move back towards your spine, that is a good sign, even if your back aches a little more for a while.

If pain climbs day after day, or you notice any warning sign, stop and get it checked. The 5 out of 10 figure matches this site's other pain guides and has not been tested in a back pain trial; in trials of long-lasting muscle and joint pain, exercise that allowed some pain did no harm.

The NHS back pain page is stricter about specific exercises: stop if your pain gets worse and see a GP for advice. In 7 trials of long-lasting muscle and joint pain (385 people), exercise that allowed some pain did no worse than pain-free exercise.

For pulldowns (our suggestion, built on the same rule): judge each set by its last reps. Use the step of the plan (supported rows, a machine high row, upright pulldowns at a lighter weight, then your usual pulldowns), the load and the lean where those reps stay at 5 out of 10 or less, settle within an hour and your back is no worse the next morning. If you start to lean further or swing, end the set. If it isn't fine the next morning, go back one step, not to nothing. Pain, tingling or numbness spreading down a leg, chest pain, a pop at the back of the armpit with bruising, and muscles far sorer than the session explains aren't pain-rule questions: see the warning signs.

Sources 20, 40

The exercise plan: 3 stages

Start at the first stage. Each move opens a full guide with a 3D demo.

Stage 1

Keep pulling, with the trunk supported

About the first 2 weeks: keep the lats and upper back working with a pad or bench holding your trunk, walk daily, and let the lower back calm down. With a diagnosed condition (sciatica or a disc, a spasm, a lat tear, a stress fracture of the spine), that guide's plan comes first.

Treadmill walking demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoTreadmill walkingBeginner · Cardio machine

5 to 10 min, several times a day · As in our back pain guide (editorial); outdoors counts the same. The NHS says stay active

Harder: Treadmill jogging

Chest-supported dumbbell row demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoChest-supported dumbbell rowBeginner · A dumbbell + A bench or box

3 sets of 6 to 8, holding 2 s at the top, palms facing in · An NHS trust leaflet's dumbbell row dose (North Cheshire and Mersey), as our shoulder pulldown and pull-up guides use it

Harder: Supported single-arm dumbbell row

Seated band pull-down (from shoulder height) demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoSeated band pull-down (from shoulder height)Beginner · A band + An anchor point + A bench or box

3 sets of 8, sitting tall with your back against a chair or bench, the band set so the reps don't hurt · Adapted from the move page's dose (a shoulder programme for wheelchair users): the pulldown's movement from shoulder height with the back supported

Harder: Straight-arm pulldown

Dead bug heel taps demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoDead bug heel tapsBeginner · No equipment

2 sets of 6 to 8 each side · As in our back pain guide (editorial)

Easier: Bent-knee fall-out · Harder: Forearm plank

Glute bridge demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoGlute bridgeBeginner · No equipment

2 to 3 sets of 10 · As in our back pain guide (editorial)

Easier: Pelvic tilt into bridge · Harder: Single-leg glute bridge

3D demoCat-cowBeginner · No equipment

8 waves, slower than feels natural · The move page's dose. A small range if your lower back is irritable

Harder: Half lord of the fishes (Ardha Matsyendrasana)

Move on when: You can walk for 15 to 20 minutes, supported rows pass the pain rule at a moderate weight for a week, and your back is no worse the next morning (editorial, as in our back movement guides).

Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

Stage 2

Bring the pulldown back, upright and lighter

About weeks 2 to 6, 2 or 3 pulling sessions a week: seated pulldowns with the thigh pad snug and a small, fixed lean, pulling machines with a pad, and trunk endurance.

Lat pulldown demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoLat pulldownBeginner · A cable machine

3 sets of 8 to 12 to the top of the chest, thighs under the pad, sitting tall, stopping 2 or 3 reps short of failure, at a weight you can pull without leaning further or swinging · Editorial, as in our pull-up back guide. About 2 seconds down and 2 up, the tempo one lab study used

Harder: Pull-up

V-bar pulldown demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoV-bar pulldownBeginner · A cable machine

3 sets of 8 to 12 to the top of the chest, stopping 2 or 3 reps short of failure · As in our pull-up guides (editorial); palms facing

Harder: Pull-up

Machine high row demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoMachine high rowBeginner · Strength machine

2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12, stopping with 2 or 3 reps in reserve (our editorial starting point). · The move page's dose. The knee pad holds you as the thigh pad does

Harder: Bent-over dumbbell row, palms in

3D demoBird dogBeginner · No equipment

2 to 3 sets of 6 to 8 each side, 3 to 5 s holds · As in our back pain guide (editorial)

Easier: Bird dog, one limb at a time · Harder: Bear crawl

Knee side plank demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoKnee side plankBeginner · No equipment

3 holds of 15 to 20 s each side · As in our back pain guide (editorial)

Harder: Side plank

Half-kneeling Pallof press demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoHalf-kneeling Pallof pressBeginner · A band + An anchor point

2 to 3 sets of 8 to 10 each side · As in our back pain guide (editorial)

Harder: Pallof press

Move on when: 3 sets of 10 to 12 pulldowns at a moderate weight, with no extra lean or swing, pass the pain rule for a week (editorial).

Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

Stage 3

Your usual pulldowns, then the rest of your back day

From about week 6, often later: your usual pulldown loads with the same set-up, one change at a time by the written steps below, then kneeling and one-arm cable pulls and pull-ups if your training uses them. No study has tested a return to pulldowns after back pain, so the order is editorial.

3D demoLat pulldownBeginner · A cable machine

3 sets of 8 to 12, stopping 2 or 3 reps short of failure, a little wider than your shoulders, to the upper chest; add about 5% to 10% at a time · The dose our lat pulldown guide takes from full-body gym workout A (editorial); the 5% to 10% steps are a hospital handout's, as in our shoulder pulldown guide

Harder: Pull-up

One-arm lat pulldown demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoOne-arm lat pulldownBeginner · A cable machine

2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 each side · Our lat pulldown guide's starting point (editorial)

Harder: Pull-up

Straight-arm pulldown demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoStraight-arm pulldownBeginner · A cable machine

2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 · Our lat pulldown guide's starting point (editorial). A small forward hinge, the trunk still

Easier: Seated band pull-down (from shoulder height) · Harder: Pull-up

Seated cable row demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoSeated cable rowBeginner · A cable machine

3 sets of 8 to 12, a small, fixed lean · Editorial. The move page warns that rocking backwards shifts the work into your lower back

Harder: Supported single-arm dumbbell row

Kneeling one-arm high cable row demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoKneeling one-arm high cable rowBeginner · A cable machine

2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 each side, stopping with 2 or 3 reps in reserve (our editorial starting point). · The move page's dose. Last, as there is no pad to hold the trunk

Easier: Seated rope high row · Harder: Alternating bent-over kettlebell row

Side plank demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoSide plankIntermediate · No equipment

3 holds of 20 to 30 s each side · As in our back pain guide (editorial)

Easier: Knee side plank · Harder: Side plank with leg lift

Move on when: Your usual pulldown sessions pass the pain rule for 2 weeks. If a session flares it, go back a stage for a few days, not to nothing (editorial).

Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

What to change for now

Your pulldown for now (written steps)

Our 3D figure can't show the pad, the lean or the load. These steps come from ACE, NASM, our lat pulldown guide and move page, and small lab studies; where a step is our suggestion, it says so. No trial has tested a change to the pulldown for back pain.

1. Thigh pad and seat: set the pad firmly on the tops of your thighs so they can't lift, and the seat so you reach the bar with straight arms (ACE; our lat pulldown guide).
2. A small, fixed lean: no more than about 30 degrees, and no extra lean during the pull (ACE). Leaning further adds no lat work.
3. The bar to the front: to the top or middle of your chest, stopping when your elbows stop moving down and start moving back (ACE). Not behind the neck while it's sore.
4. Load and pace: a weight you can pull without swinging, stopping 2 or 3 reps short of failure, about 2 seconds down and 2 up (the tempo one lab study used; NASM says a slower tempo limits momentum reps).
5. Getting in and out: sit with the bar close, and stand up with the bar at the end of the set rather than letting the stack yank it up (our move page); have a heavy stack lowered before you reach for it (our suggestion).
6. No belt as a treatment: NICE says not to offer belts or corsets for low back pain. That is about treatment, not lifting belts in training.

Sources 18, 19, 3, 7, 1, 28

Back to your usual training (written steps)

No study has tested how pulldowns come back after back pain, so these steps are our suggestion unless a source is named.

1. One change at a time: more reps, then more load in steps of 5% to 10%, then a wider grip, then kneeling or standing cable pulls.
2. Pull-ups and chin-ups last, by our pull-up back guide: chin-ups worked the back extensors harder than pulldowns in a lab study.
3. If you want a row on a sore back day, an inverted row or a chest-supported row; the standing bent-over row loaded the lumbar spine most of three rows in a lab study.
4. If a session flares it, go back a stage for a few days, not to nothing.

Sources 39, 4

Everyday life

Walk, swim and cycle as you like; the NHS says don't stay in bed for long periods. Lift at work and carry shopping close to your body, as our back pain guide says, and sleep in whatever position is comfortable. Rowing and climbing come back once stage 3 passes (editorial).

Source 20

Positions to swap, and why

Habit or position	Why it matters	Instead
Leaning far back and heaving the bar down with your trunk	A 30 degree lean added no lat work in a lab study; ACE says no extra lean during the pull, and NASM lists excessive leaning or swinging as a common fault.	A small, fixed lean and a lighter weight.
A loose thigh pad or a seat set too low	Your thighs lift and you arch or rock to stay down (our reading); ACE sets the pad firmly on the thighs.	Set the pad and seat before the first rep.
Behind-the-neck pulldowns	No more lat work than pulling to the front, and your trunk and head come forward to clear the bar.	Pull to the upper chest.Try: Shoulder-width lat pulldown
Pulling the bar low to your belly, rounding and rocking	ACE stops the pull when the elbows stop moving down and start moving back.	Stop at the upper chest, with a V-bar if it helps.Try: V-bar pulldown
Letting the stack yank you up, or sitting down with a heavy bar	A sudden load on a sore back (our reading; our move page says stand up with the bar).	Stand up with the bar at the end of the set.
Kneeling or standing cable pulldowns early on	There's no pad, so your trunk holds everything (our reading).	A machine high row with a knee pad.Try: Machine high row
Swapping straight to pull-ups or kipping	Chin-ups worked the back extensor muscles harder than pulldowns in a lab study.	Pulldowns first; pull-ups by our pull-up back guide.Try: Lat pulldown
Bent-over rows as the swap that spares the back	The standing bent-over row gave the largest lumbar spine load of three rows in a lab study.	A chest-supported row or an inverted row.Try: Chest-supported dumbbell row
Long dead hangs or pulldowns "to decompress the spine"	No study shows it, and the lats can barely move the lumbar spine.	Walking and the stage 1 moves.Try: Treadmill walking
Pulling through pain or tingling down a leg	It points to a nerve: the back hub's rule says stop or shrink any movement that sends symptoms down a leg.	Moves that don't send it down the leg, such as dead bug heel taps.Try: Dead bug heel taps
Bed rest until it stops hurting	Staying active did slightly better than bed rest, and the NHS says don't stay in bed for long periods.	Walking and the stage 1 moves.Try: Treadmill walking

Routines to follow

Machine back workout: lat pulldowns, machine rows and rear-shoulder work

A 40-minute back session on gym machines: the lat pulldown or assisted pull-up, the seated row machine, a high or T-bar row, reverse flys and back extensions.

40 minBeginner8 movesCardio machine, A band

Lat workout: pulldowns, straight-arm pulldowns and rows (gym)

A gym lat workout: lat pulldowns, straight-arm pulldowns, one-arm cable pulls and a row with your elbows close, with sets, reps, rest and easier options.

40 minIntermediate8 movesPull-up bar, A cable machine

Back workout (gym)

A gym back workout: lat pulldowns, cable rows, dumbbell rows, face pulls, back extensions and shrugs.

45 minBeginner8 movesPull-up bar, A band

Pull day workout B

Pull day B: cable rows, lat pulldowns, one-arm dumbbell rows, reverse flyes, incline curls and back extensions, with sets, reps and rest.

50 minIntermediate10 movesPull-up bar, A cable machine

Lower back strengthening workout: bird dogs to supermans, no equipment

A 20-minute floor workout for your back muscles: bird dogs and bridges, then a face-down ladder from the locust to the superman, with side planks and dead bugs.

20 minBeginner13 movesNo equipment

McGill big 3 core routine

The McGill big three for the core: curl-ups, side planks and bird dogs, each held for 10 seconds at a time in falling sets of 5, 3 and 1 reps.

12 minBeginner3 movesNo equipment

Pilates for back pain (gentle routine)

A gentle 15-minute Pilates-based routine for ongoing low back pain, built from neutral-spine moves with options for backs that dislike bending or arching.

15 minBeginner10 movesNo equipment

More moves for this area

Questions people ask

Why does my lower back hurt when I do lat pulldowns?

Often because your lower back is doing work the pulldown doesn't need: leaning far back, arching and swinging to move a weight that is too heavy, often late in a set. A loose thigh pad makes it worse. Set the pad snug, keep a small, fixed lean and use a weight you can pull without swinging.

Can lat pulldowns cause lower back pain?

They can bring it on, though no study has counted it, and the pulldown isn't named in gym injury surveys. The usual triggers are the lean and the load rather than the exercise. With your thighs under the pad and your trunk still, it asks little of the back (our reading).

Is the lat pulldown bad for your lower back?

No study shows that. Strength training with weights is safe for people with long-lasting back pain and works about as well as other exercise. Keep the lean small and the weight honest.

How far should I lean back on a lat pulldown?

No more than about 30 degrees, and no extra lean during the pull, as ACE teaches. Leaning further didn't make the lats work harder in a lab study.

Does the thigh pad matter?

Yes. Set it firmly on the tops of your thighs so they can't lift off the seat. Without it you tend to arch or rock to stay down.

Are behind-the-neck pulldowns worse for my back?

No study has measured the back in them, but they work the lats no better than pulling to the front and make you bring your head and trunk forward. Pull to your upper chest instead.

Why does the side of my back hurt after pulldowns?

Usually tired or sore lats, the broad muscles that run from the armpit to the lower back. A sudden pop at the back of the armpit with bruising or weakness is rarely a torn lat and needs checking within days.

What can I do instead of lat pulldowns while my back is sore?

A chest-supported row or a machine high row with a knee pad takes the job of holding your trunk away, and the inverted row loaded the lower back least of three rows in a lab study. Pulldowns can come back, upright and lighter, once those pass the pain rule.

Can I do lat pulldowns with a herniated disc or sciatica?

Often, once it is settling, if pulling doesn't send pain further down your leg; the back hub's rule says stop or shrink any movement that does. Sit upright with the pad snug and go lighter. Follow your clinician's advice if you have weakness or numbness.

Do I need a scan?

Not usually. NICE doesn't recommend routine imaging for back pain, and disc bulges are common in people without pain. The warning signs need urgent assessment instead.

How long will it take?

No one can promise a date. Most new back pain eases a lot within 6 weeks, though some ache often lingers for months. Many people keep doing changed pulldowns throughout.

When should I see a doctor?

Call 999 for numbness around your genitals or bottom, new bladder or bowel trouble, weakness in both legs, or chest pain. Get a same-day check for back pain with a fever or feeling unwell, or muscles far sorer than the session explains with dark pee, and see a GP if it isn't better after a few weeks. In the US, call 911 where this page says 999.

Related exercise guides

Lat pulldown guide

Sources

Exercise education, not a diagnosis or treatment plan. It is written from the guidelines and studies listed above; review by a clinician is pending. If your pain follows an injury, is severe, is getting worse, or comes with any warning sign listed on this page, get it assessed. Health disclaimer.

When to get help first

Get urgent medical help if

See a doctor or physiotherapist if

Where does it hurt?

Understand it

What a pulldown asks of the back, and what no study has countedEmerging evidence

A common cause: the lean, the swing and the loadEmerging evidence

The seat and the thigh pad

Behind the neck: nothing to gain for the backEmerging evidence

The lats and the lower backEmerging evidence

Who gets it

When a scan or test mattersStrong evidence

How it usually goesStrong evidence

What helps, and how strong the evidence is

Leaning back further doesn't work the lats harderEmerging evidence

The bar to the front, and grip as a comfort choiceEmerging evidence

Exercise helps back pain, and loaded strength training is safeStrong evidence

Staying active beats bed restStrong evidence

Swaps that take the trunk's job awayEmerging evidence

Torn lats and muscle breakdown: rareEmerging evidence

How much pain is OK while you exercise?

Up to about 5 out of 10, settled within an hour, no worse the next morning, never into a legEmerging evidence

The exercise plan: 3 stages

Keep pulling, with the trunk supported

Bring the pulldown back, upright and lighter

Your usual pulldowns, then the rest of your back day

What to change for now

Your pulldown for now (written steps)

Back to your usual training (written steps)

Everyday life

Positions to swap, and why

Routines to follow

Machine back workout: lat pulldowns, machine rows and rear-shoulder work

Lat workout: pulldowns, straight-arm pulldowns and rows (gym)

Back workout (gym)

Pull day workout B

Lower back strengthening workout: bird dogs to supermans, no equipment

McGill big 3 core routine

Pilates for back pain (gentle routine)

More moves for this area

Questions people ask

Related exercise guides

Other pain guides

Sources