Im just a little unsure as to what the proper pulldown to front form is, i currently do them with my back completely straight but ive been seeing a lot of people bending back which i thought was wrong until i saw a guy with some decent lats doing em that way as well. so whats the verdict, straight or bent?
A slight lean backwards is fine so long as your not leaning forward and than thrusting your torso backwards to gain momentum. It’s only really acceptable to use momentum on that last rep or 2.
Your back should be straight or slightly arched but it should not point straight up to the ceiling, lean back 10-15 degrees. The main goal is to keep the forearms in line with the cable as you pull, if you stay completely upright it is virtually impossible to do this at the bottom of the range of motion, as your forearms will point forward at about a 45 degree angle and the cable will be going straight up and down. This is will put you in a weak position and shift emphasis away from the lats.
I couldn’t find a perfect pic but this one is pretty good, I know it is a close grip but the body position should be about the same regardless of the grip used.
Also, depressing the shoulders downward will help make the lats the primary working muscle. (Since the traps, rhomboid, and teres muscles in your upper back act as assistive muscles in the movement…)
It’s a lat-pulldown. Swing that motherfucker!