Rip: The Lat Machine

[Mark Rippetoe]

The Lat Machine | Mark Rippetoe

[FatButWeak]

Great little article. Lat machines are extremely useful for proper warming up. I have pulled my teres very badly twice by doing chins at full body weight without warming up properly only the lat machine first. I have also used them in the past as a warm up for bench pressing by leaning back and pulling the bar to the chest in the same/similar plane as the bench press movement. I believe Chuck Vogelpuhl was well known for doing a lot of lat pulldowns as part of his bench warm up. Definitely gets the blood flowing into sore, tired, stiff, elderly, broken shoulders without irritating them.

[Bill G]

Definitely gets the blood flowing into sore, tired, stiff, elderly, broken shoulders without irritating them.

So does gripping the uprights of a rack and isometrically pulling, pushing, twisting and turning at various heights on the uprights (and cross members, sometimes).

My vote for the first machine added to the gym is a leg press machine. But then it’s my knees that are sore, tired, stiff, elderly and broken, not my shoulders.

[Mark Rippetoe]

A leg press machine is very useful for people so detrained that they cannot squat bodyweight or a light bar. But it's not essential for that, since other methods work. And it is an excellent way to fuck up your lower back with the very heavy weights that people like to use to show everybody how strong they are. On the other hand, a lat machine is useful for warming up everybody's shoulders, even if you can chin 20 reps.

[Barry Charles]

So I have to ask. The number of gimmick handles aside, I assume you recommend a bar with a long straight section.

If so, hands pronated or supinated for introducing pull ups?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Supine, like it says in the article.

[FatButWeak]

So I have to ask. The number of gimmick handles aside, I assume you recommend a bar with a long straight section.

If so, hands pronated or supinated for introducing pull ups?

The best bar is a straight bar that attaches directly to the cable eye without a roller or bearing mechanism. How anyone though that adding complexity and cost to this would enhance its utility is beyond me.

All that said, I have learned to love the attachment that allows for a neutral grip, which I think they call "pro-style" as I am prone to wonky/tennis/golf elbow issues and warming up with a neutral grip BEFORE going full supine seems to work well.