Stepback Pulldown
Strengthen your back with the Stepback Pulldown! This exercise targets your lats for a powerful, sculpted physique.
The Stepback Pulldown is a compound exercise that mainly works the back and biceps, with help from the traps. You'll need: cable machine or straight bar attachment.
Required Equipment
Stepback Pulldown Muscles Worked
Primary
Lats (latissimus dorsi); Biceps (biceps brachii)
Secondary
Mid Traps (trapezius, middle fibers); Rhomboids (Shoulder Blade) (rhomboids, major & minor)
Stepback Pulldown Variations and Alternatives
How to do the Stepback Pulldown
Start by setting up a cable machine with a straight bar attachment fixed above head height.
Stand facing the machine with your feet shoulder-width apart. Grab the bar with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width.
Step back from the machine into a staggered stance, with one foot behind the other, to provide stability.
Keep your chest up, shoulders back, and engage your core. This is your starting position.
Pull the bar down towards your chest while keeping your elbows close to your body and squeezing your shoulder blades together at the end of the movement.
Slowly return the bar to the starting position, fully extending your arms and feeling a stretch in your lats.
Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.
After completing the set, switch the position of your feet for the next set to ensure balanced muscle activation.
Make sure to control the weight throughout the entire motion, avoid using momentum to pull the bar down, and keep the movement smooth to ensure that the targeted muscle groups are being worked effectively.
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Stepback Pulldown FAQs
What muscles does the Stepback Pulldown work?
The Stepback Pulldown mainly works the back and biceps, with help from the traps. The main muscles are the latissimus dorsi and biceps brachii.
What equipment do you need for the Stepback Pulldown?
Cable machine or straight bar attachment.
Is the Stepback Pulldown a compound exercise?
Yes. It's a compound movement, meaning it trains several muscle groups at once rather than isolating one.
What workout day should the Stepback Pulldown go on?
It belongs on pull day in a push/pull/legs routine.
What are some Stepback Pulldown variations and alternatives?
Similar exercises include the Cable Standing Pulldown, Chest & Back Pull, Rocky Pull-Up Pulldown and Stepback Row.
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