Lat Pulldown Alternatives – Our Ultimate List

There’s no doubt about it, the lat pulldown would have to be one of the most popular machines in the gym.

I remember many times where I’ve been waiting up to 30 minutes to get a shot doing this popular exercise.

And to make matters worse, the lat pulldown is also extremely difficult to replicate if you don’t have access to a gym.

So what do you do when your brand new exercise plan tells you to do 3×10 lat pulldowns…

…but you don’t have access to a lat pulldown machine?

What are some lat pulldown alternatives you can use?

The 20 best lat pulldown alternatives are:

• Lat Pullover Machine
• High Row Machine
• Plate Loaded Pulldown Machine
• Assisted Pull Up Machine
• Seated Row Machine
• Lat Pulldown Replica
• Cable Row
• Cable Face Pull
• Straight Arm Pulldown
• Single Arm Pulldown
• Single Arm Bent Over Row
• Bent Over Dumbbell Row
• Dumbbell Pullover
• Band Lat Pulldown
• Band Straight Arm Pulldown
• Band Supported Pull Ups or Chin Ups
• Chin Up
• Pull Up
• TRX / Inverted Row
• Eccentric Pull Ups or Chins Ups

Today, we’ll be breaking down each of these lat pulldown alternatives one by one.

So you can ensure you never neglect these working muscles, no matter your situation or setting.

Here’s what we’ll be covering:

• What Muscles Does the Lat Pulldown Work?
• Lat Pulldown Alternatives at the Gym
• Lat Pulldown Alternatives Using Dumbbells
• Lat Pulldown Alternatives at Home

The first part of this article will focus on educating you about the muscles worked when you perform a lat pulldown.

By learning this, you shouldn’t have to refer to this over and over article again any time this issue comes up.

Instead, we want to teach you how you can come up with your own alternatives easily.

Let’s dive in!

How to Choose a Lat Pulldown Alternative

When trying to mimic the lat pulldown, you should go for for exercises that work similar muscles.

Including the:

• Latissimus Dorsi
• Romboids
• Posterior Deltoids
• Traps
• Biceps

There are two main ways to do this:

1. Perform vertical pulling movements that use a wide grip.

A vertical pulling movement with wide grip has you pulling ‘down’, driving your elbows towards the floor.

They’re the best way to target the lats.

Ideally, when choosing a lat pulldown alternative, you want to try and replace it with another vertical pulling movements, as these most closely resemble it.

2. Perform horizontal pulling movements that use a narrow grip

You can also target the lats by performing horizontal pulling movements with a narrow grip, such as a narrow grip seated row.

Because you’re trying to target the lats, the way you execute this horizontal pull is important.

Rather than trying to ‘row’ the bar as you usually would.

You should instead focus on driving the elbows down towards the floor.

Using these two strategies, it’s easier to come up with a wide range of exercises that can target the lats.

And ultimately, be an alternative to the lat pulldown.

Lat Pulldown Alternatives

Here’s a summary table of all 20 of our lat pulldown alternatives for quick reference.

We’ve broken them down into machine, cable, dumbbell, band and bodyweight.

Lat Pulldown Alternatives With Machines

The first few lat pulldown alternatives we’ll be discussing are ones that can only really be performed at the gym.

This is because they require access to a cable machine and or specific, large machines not found in your backyard gym or home.

If you don’t have access to a gym, you’ll likely need to skip these sections and move to dumbbells, bands or bodyweight.

1. Lat Pullover Machine

2. High Row Machine

3. Plate-Loaded Pulldown Machine

In the days where I was a member at the local bodybuilding machine, you could always count on their plate loaded alternatives to give you a helping hand if your first choice was taken.

The plate loaded pulldown machine is one such option, as it allows you to complete an almost identical exercise as the lat pulldown.

The only difference is it’s plate loaded rather than pin loaded and you usually have to control each arm individually rather than together like in the lat pulldown.

Although it’s a little more work to get the weights on and off to match your strength level, it’s a great alternative to the classic lat pulldown which I highly recommend.

In fact, some people actually prefer this option!

4. Assisted Pull Up Machine

Although they’re certainly a little rarer to find in most basic gym settings, the assisted pull up machine is also a great alternative to the pin loaded lat pulldown.

This machine can be identified by looking for the pull up bar with the pin loaded weight stack as well as the knee pad for kneeling upon right below it.

The assisted pull up machine is also a great option for beginners who want to work their way up to performing a bodyweight pull up or chin up but who need a little more assistance.

Instead of the weight stack working against you – in this instance – it’s actually working for you.

As a result, keep in mind that as you work your way up in weight on the weight stack, the movement will actually be getting easier.

Lat Pulldown Alternatives With Cables

Cable Row

If worst comes to the worst and you can’t action any of the exercises above, you may have to resort to some horizontal pulling exercises as your lat pulldown alternative.

One such option is the cable row. No doubt, you’ve probably already used this one before!

If the seated row is already on your program, you can always change up the handles to help you work slightly different muscles.

Lat Pulldown Replica

Although you might not have access to the lat pulldown machine itself, there are still many ways in which you can replicate the movement in the gym with the right equipment.

I call it the ‘lat pulldown replica’.

In the days where the gym has been busy, I’ve found myself a single bench, dragged it over to one of the multi purpose cable machines, and created my own makeshift lat pulldown.

Keep in mind that it’s not a perfect fix, as you won’t have a knee pad above your thighs to keep you in place if you’re on the stronger side.

Cable Face Pull

When it comes to lat pulldown alternatives, another popular option gym goers like is the cable face pull.

I personally really like the face pull, as I can achieve a really nice retraction of my shoulder blades and can really feel my postural muscles working.

If you’re worried that it won’t target your lats like it’s partner in crime, you can always shift the anchor to higher up and keep your elbows closer to your sides – almost like your performing more of a straight arm pulldown.

Lat Pulldown Alternatives With Dumbbells

Next up we have lat pulldown alternatives you can replicate (to some extent) using only dumbbells.

Although it’s near impossible to re-create a vertical pulling movement using dumbbells (unless you’re keen on hanging from the ceiling by your legs)…

..these movements still target very similar muscles and will ensure you can still reap similar muscle-gain rewards.

These alternatives can be performed anywhere that you have access to dumbbells which can be either at the gym or even from the comfort of your own home.

Single Arm Bent Over Row

The single arm bent over row (as its name suggests), is performed one arm at a time either using a bench or with one arm outstretched against a steady surface.

I personally love this exercise, as it helps me to pack my shoulder blade back into a steady posture, and work on my core strength left to right and visa versa.

One downside with single arm bent over rows is that they can take longer to perform as a lat pulldown as you have two seperate sides to work.

So if you’re short on time, it might be worth trying out the next one:

Bent Over Dumbbell Row

The bent over dumbbell row is extremely similar to its single arm counterpart, minus the fact that you perform both arms simultaneously.

The bent over dumbbell row can be a great alternative to your classic lat pulldown if you’re struggling to find a spot on this popular machine.

This one can be a little harsher on the lower back and requires a fair degree of torso and core strength, so make sure you know how to perform a hip-hinge correctly and can maintain a steady posture before you try it out.

The bent over dumbbell row can also be performed using a barbell, if you want to change it up after some time.

Dumbbell Pullover

To finish off our dumbbell options, we have the dumbbell pullover.

If you’re not familiar with it – it’s an exercise performed lying on a bench, and initiated by extending your elbows overhead holding a dumbbell with both hands.

I personally don’t perform this one, as it’s a little cumbersome on my loose shoulders which I’ve come close to dislocating many times. So if you’re like me, probably best to avoid.

Now, keep in mind that this option only works your shoulder joint, rather than your elbow joint additionally.

However, it literally only requires one single dumbbell and is a great way for you to isolate your lats, pecs and Serratus anterior.

Lat Pulldown Alternatives With Bands

Lat Pulldown Using a Band

Another versatile type of equipment you can use when you can’t get into the gym are resistance bands. You can perform these exercises almost anywhere!

To perform a lat pulldown using a band and replicate this popular movement, you’ll need to find somewhere up high to securely fasten it.

We recommend using the chin up bar or beam from earlier.

From here, you can perform a lat pulldown movement using banded resistance rather than your typical weight stack at the gym.

Lat Pulldown Alternatives With Bodyweight / At Home

The final four lat pulldown alternatives in this article are exercises you can perform from your own home without any heavy weights or cumbersome equipment.

Chin Up / Pull Up

During the lockdowns of 2020, chins ups were an absolute life saver for me!

They’re great because they simply use your own bodyweight as resistance and work very similar muscles to your classic lat pulldown.

Keep in mind that you’re going to need some sort of bar or beam that can support your bodyweight as you perform the movement (which not every yard has).

If you start to get sick of chin ups and want to change it up a bit, you can revert to a pull up that uses an overhand grip instead of the chin up’s underhanded approach.

Pull ups are a great way to bring more focus to your back muscles rather than your biceps like in the chin up.

TRX Row

The TRX would have to be one of the most versatile pieces of equipment out there, being both lightweight and portable, but also giving you the ability to leverage your own bodyweight as resistance.

As a result, the TRX Row was another lat pulldown alternative I regularly used during the 2020 lockdowns.

If you don’t have a TRX, you can always lodge a towel in your door frame and perform the movement that way instead. (Just make sure it’s securely lodged to avoid falling on your ass!)

How Do You Do Lat Pulldowns Without a Machine?

How Can I Mimic Lat Pulldown at Home?

How Do I Do Lat Pulldown With Free Weights?

How Do I Do Lat Pulldown Without a Bench?

Conclusion

Fortunately, there are dozens of ways that you can replace the lat pulldown if you don’t have access to it, or simply want to change things up.

Whenever you’re stuck for lat pulldown alternatives, remember to have a think about the movement you’re performing and how you can replicate that using a different machine or equipment.

That way, you’ll never need to get stuck researching pulldown alternatives in between sets and can instead go in feeling confident, competent and prepared for anything.