Unilateral Rotation Pull Down

Start with a neutral grip and finish the movement with the palm facing you at the bottom of the movement. The hand position changes during the rep and has a very natural feel. Unilateral Rotation Pull downs allow trainees to work each arm Independently to balance strength levels. It is very common for one arm to be significantly stronger than the other which can indicate imbalances. Correctly imbalances are very important for injury prevention and optimal performance.

Unilateral Rotation Pull Down

A unilateral chin grip pull down allows trainees a greater range of motion on the bottom of the exercise since there is no straight bar present to hit the chest. Ideally the elbow should touch the bottom of the rib cage without excessive backward lean. Maintain a vertical pulling position. On top of the movement keep at least 10 degrees of flexion in the elbow to prevent joint and connective tissue stress.

For more videos featuring unilateral vertical pulling movements check out the push pull muscle expanders training routine.

Core Contraction

Pay close attention to Dr. Serrano’s explanation of the rotation portion on bottom of the movement to engage the core. This takes some practice and may require the weight load to be reduced during the initial sets.

Keep the traps in the downward position throughout the Unilateral Rotation Pull Down for proper muscle engagement. Take ten seconds rest following the first part of the set with the left arm for example before moving on to the right arm. The number of reps listed in a personalized program need to be performed with both arms to complete the set. Pay close attention to the tempos which is the speed designation for each phase of the rep.

A long pause at the bottom of the movement when tension is highest on the lower portion of the lat is a common practice Scott Mendelson and Dr. Eric Serrano MD put into place for clients to gain the most possible benefits out of every rep.