Exercise guide · Intermediate · Compound

Lever One Arm Lateral Wide Pulldown: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The lever one arm lateral wide pulldown is a machine-based exercise targeting the latissimus dorsi, performed one arm at a time for unilateral strength and muscle development.

Primary muscles
Lats
Secondary muscles
Shoulders , Biceps , Traps
Equipment
Leverage Machine
Level · type
Intermediate · Compound
Demonstration of the lever one arm lateral wide pulldown
Front view: muscles worked by the lever one arm lateral wide pulldown. Primary: lats. Secondary: shoulders, biceps and traps.
Back view: muscles worked by the lever one arm lateral wide pulldown. Primary: lats. Secondary: shoulders, biceps and traps.
Primary Secondary

How to do the lever one arm lateral wide pulldown

  1. Step 1: Adjust the seat height and position yourself on the machine with your chest against the pad and your feet flat on the floor.
  2. Step 2: Grasp the handle with an overhand grip and fully extend your arm, keeping a slight bend in your elbow.
  3. Step 3: Pull the handle down and across your body towards your opposite hip, squeezing your lat muscle at the bottom of the movement.
  4. Step 4: Slowly return the handle to the starting position, fully extending your arm.
  5. Step 5: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch sides.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the lever one arm lateral wide pulldown by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

Lever One Arm Lateral Wide Pulldown alternatives

More exercises that train the lats as their main target:

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Sources

  1. American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
  4. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.

Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset.

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.