Unless you stand over 6-2, there is NO REASON to go so wide on your lat pull down grip.

Some of your peers or other Trainers may have led you to believe otherwise, but using too-wide-of-a-grip doesn’t build big lats as well as a narrower grip.

Sure, a wide grip creates lots of movement in the scapulae (shoulder blades) – but a majority of that work comes from the lateral spread of each scapula (via the mid-back rhomboids  > NOT FROM THE LAT(issimus dorsi) which is what you’re trying to target.

See my earlier post on the scapulae to appreciate how these important bones function.

And while we’re on the topic – when you do your lat-pulls, have you noticed that your shoulder blades rise with each rep? DON’T let them!

Since the lat muscles are what you want to be working here – you need to ensure a strong scapular RETRACTION (inward pinch of the shoulder blades) & DEPRESSION (downward) motion.

A PERFECT LAT PULL-DOWN = A manageable weight + an overhand grip a little wider than shoulder width (before the bend in a standard pull-down bar) + focused work of the scapular retractors (down) and stabilizers.

(Of course, I’m assuming that you already know that Behind-the-Neck pull-downs are notorious for shoulder joint and cervical spine INJURY – so just don’t.)

Doug