Liftworthy
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Liftworthy

Every exercise ranked by research, by lifters and by results. Find what’s S-tier for your goal, then train it.

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Explore/Back

Plate-Loaded Pulldown

Also called Iso-lateral pulldown, Hammer Strength pulldown

MachineCompoundEasy to learn
Front
Back
Primary Secondary

Works

Upper back & lats

Also biceps

You need

Lat pulldown

How to do itPictures · 3 steps
Thigh pad
1Start
Thigh pad
2Bottom
Main musclesAlso working
  1. 1Thighs locked under the pads
  2. 2Pull the handles down to your chest, elbows to your sides
  3. 3Let your arms rise until the lats stretch

Most common mistake

Leaning back so far that it becomes a row.

Watch a demo

Good for

  • Top 10 for back
  • Loads the muscle while it’s stretched
  • Easy to keep adding weight
  • Easy on the joints and recovery

Compare with

vs Assisted Pull-Upvs Neutral-Grip Pulldownvs Lat Pulldown
S
For back
#5 of 40
See the full list →
Research
91
Scored by hand
Results
Soon
From the app
How lifters rate itBe the first
S
A
B
C
D
F
Why research scores it 91
Target tensionStrong
Loaded stretchExcellent
ProgressionExcellent
Low costExcellent

A plate-loaded pulldown on a fixed path: full overhead stretch and easy to load in small steps.

Research behind these criteria

  • Target tension: Zabaleta-Korta et al., 2021 · Kinoshita et al., 2023
  • Loaded stretch: Maeo et al., 2021 · Maeo et al., 2023 · Pedrosa et al., 2022 · Kassiano et al., 2023
  • Progression: Plotkin et al., 2022 · Pelland et al., 2026
  • Low cost: Schoenfeld et al., 2021 · Refalo et al., 2023
How scores work

Machine taken? Swap to

  • SLat PulldownCable
  • SNeutral-Grip PulldownCable
  • SChest-Supported RowDumbbell
  • SMachine RowMachine

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