Neutral Close Grip Pulldown

How to Perform the Neutral Close Grip Pulldown

Attach a V-handle or close-grip neutral attachment to the high pulley of a lat pulldown machine.
Sit down and secure your thighs under the knee pads, feet flat on the floor.
Reach up and grip the attachment with both hands, palms facing each other.
Sit upright with a slight lean back, chest up and shoulders depressed.
Pull the handle down toward your upper chest by driving your elbows down and back.
Squeeze your lats at the bottom of the movement, bringing the handle to mid-chest level.
Slowly extend your arms back to the starting position, allowing a full stretch in the lats at the top.
Repeat for the prescribed number of repetitions.

Leaning back excessively and turning it into a row

Maintain only a slight backward lean; the movement should be primarily vertical.

Pulling with the arms rather than initiating from the lats

Focus on driving your elbows down and into your sides; think of your hands as hooks.

Shrugging the shoulders at the top of the movement

Keep your shoulders depressed throughout; actively pull your shoulder blades down before each rep.

✓Emphasizes the lower lat fibers for building lat thickness and a V-taper physique.
✓The neutral grip is more shoulder-friendly than wide pronated grips.
✓Allows heavier loading due to favorable biomechanics and bicep assistance.

●The neutral close grip allows you to use more weight than wider grips due to better bicep involvement.
●Focus on the mind-muscle connection with your lats by imagining pulling your elbows into your back pockets.
●Pause for 1-2 seconds at the contracted position for maximum lat engagement.

Strength

4-5 sets of 3-5 reps at 80-90% 1RM

Hypertrophy

3-4 sets of 8-12 reps at 65-75% 1RM

Endurance

2-3 sets of 15-20 reps at 50-60% 1RM

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