Exercises / Vertical pull
Half-kneeling single-arm lat pulldown
Vertical pull Cable Complexity 4/5
Working position
Setup
Half-kneeling under a high cable, inside knee up, holding the handle overhead in one hand.
Execution
Pull the handle to the shoulder keeping the torso upright, then return under control.
Coaching cues
- Torso stays vertical - do not lean away to finish
- Drive the elbow down, not back
- Square the hips throughout
Common fault
Side-bending away from the cable to complete the pull
Fix: Lower the load until the torso can stay upright.
Muscles trained
Primary: Latissimus dorsi (lats)
Secondary: Rhomboid major (rhomboids)Biceps brachii (biceps)Transversus abdominis (TVA)
Regression and progression
Easier: Lat pulldown
Harder: No harder variation recorded.
Rule
Never advance complexity and load in the same week. When the variation gets harder, the load comes down.