For swimming
For swimming, lat pulldown rates well ahead on our research criteria: more carry-over to swimming, easier to learn and fit in.
Face pull does more to prevent injuries.
Both are good choices that build different things for swimming, so a plan can use both.
The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work
Lat Pulldown. Lat strength for the pull phase, easy to load in small steps.
For climbing, the two are close. Lat pulldown rates slightly higher: more carry-over to climbing. Face pull does more to prevent injuries.
For swimming, lat pulldown rates well ahead on our research criteria: more carry-over to swimming, easier to learn and fit in. Face pull does more to prevent injuries. Both are good choices that build different things for swimming, so a plan can use both.
About the same: both are easy to learn.
Face pull needs a cable station, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Lat pulldown needs a cable station, so for most people it’s a gym exercise.
Face pull: it rates Strong for injury protection in our research rubric, against Good for lat pulldown.