As a personal trainer spending a lot of time in a gym, I often see people performing the lat pull-down behind the neck ("BN") rather than in front of the neck ("FN").
The lat pull-down strengthens both back and chest muscles, but BN risks injuring the shoulder joint.
While many people believe BN recruits more muscle fibers in the latissimus dorsi (the large back muscles extending from the low back to upper-mid back), a recent study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research refutes this assumption.
It turns out that FN and BN recruit the same amount of latissimus dorsi muscle fibers. Adding to the good news, FN uses more pectoralis (chest) muscle fibers than BN.
And finally, there is no functional advantage to BN since pulling a load behind the neck doesn't mimic any movement patterns existing in daily activity or sports. So why do it?
Bottom Line: Performing lat pull-downs in front of your neck will protect your shoulder joint while providing a great workout for your back and better workout for your chest.
Source: J Strength Cond Res 23(7): 2033-2038, 2009
No comments:
Post a Comment