For lat growth
For lat growth, the two are close. Single-arm cable pulldown rates slightly higher: more stretch.
Single-arm cable row is easier to progress.
Both are good choices, and they train the lats differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed. (Fonseca et al., 2014; Costa et al., 2021)
The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work
Single-Arm Cable Row. One arm at a time lets the shoulder blade reach further forward for a bigger stretch, under steady cable tension.
Single-Arm Cable Pulldown. One side at a time lets the lat reach further overhead, with a cable that keeps it loaded throughout.
For lat growth, the two are close. Single-arm cable pulldown rates slightly higher: more stretch. Single-arm cable row is easier to progress. Both are good choices, and they train the lats differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed.
About the same: both are easy to learn.
Single-arm cable row needs a cable station, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Single-arm cable pulldown needs a cable station, so for most people it’s a gym exercise.
About the same: both rate Excellent for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric.