Body part: Back · Muscle group: Lats, upper back · Equipment: lat pulldown
Why this exercise
The rear-line pulldown biases scapular retraction: the bar path and torso angle recruit upper lat fibers and rhomboids together while the stack gives steady resistance through the roughly 9:1 lat lever arm.
Tension continuity 17/20 — the cable arc avoids the top dead zone common when the load stacks over the shoulder.
Muscle breadth 11/15 — not a single-joint curl; multiple retractors share the load.
Score 78 / A — among the strongest lat selectors in the catalog for pure vertical pulling.
Placed first to prime the lats and mid-back while the grip and spine are fresh, before horizontal pull-in and the hinge.