Hey Guy's.

I’m doing lat pull downs & It feels like I’m hitting my triceps pretty good, more than what I think is normal for this exercise.. Just wondering... too Heavy or is this normal as I have not used the lat pull down regularly until now. My form is good.

Thanks in advance guy's and Gal's

#HTH

~Mike

Believe it or not Triceps are used to a slight degree in Lat Pull Downs but very little. How long have you done these, are you relativley new to them? Sometimes with new exercises this can happen but eventually it will go away. You say your form is good? Can we see a video? Could be a little off doing something that activates your triceps more.

I have never heard of this to be honest...feeling like you're hitting your biceps, I understand that...but triceps?

Are these just seated wide-grip lat pulldowns you are doing? Behing your head or to your chest? Are you using your arms to pull the weight down or engaging your back??

Jordan

I agree with Jordan. Back exercises engage the biceps to some degree not the triceps. I don't see how triceps are involved at all since they are involved in pushing movements not pulling movements. Lat pull downs when done correctly are a pulling movement. Are you sure it is the triceps you are feeling and not your rear deltoids? Since the triceps tie-in here it is very easy to get confused and think you are activating your triceps when in actuality it is your rear delts and in some cases your suprapinatus and teres major/teres minor grouping of muscles being activated.

If this is the case, the wider your grip the more you hit your rear delts as well as your lats. The more narrow the grip, the more you hit the Rhomboids, traps, and inner lats. Wide grips build width and close grips build thickness when training your back.

John

I do believe and I can't be too far off but the Long Head of your Tricep acts as a stablizing muscle used during back exercises such as pull ups or lat pull down. Being it is a stabalizing muscle and not a target muscle or secondary muscle used its involvement is very minor but could cause some discomfort if the movement is not done properly. Try dumbbell pull overs or straight arm pull downs for example. The very first couple of times doing these exercises I could feel my triceps sore the next day but I couldn't get them sore with these exercises now if I tried. Yes triceps are a pushing muscle but biceps are a pulling muscle which get used as stabalizers in bench presses and I have felt them in bench presses before. Totally agree he may be feeling it in his rear delts or other related back muscles and it seems like the Triceps but its not. I have also seen a few people online who claim to have torn the long head of the tri doing pull ups because they were not warming up properly.

Aaron,

I believe what you are feeling is more the stretch of the triceps. I too feel it a bit doing DB pullovers. Stabilization of the shoulders during back work is done by the rotator cuff muscles - infraspinatus, teres major, teres minor, subscapularis - not the triceps. Triceps do get a bit of a stretch where they tie-in to the scapula when doing some types of back work. Biceps keep the forearms in place during the benching movement but stabilization comes from the shoulders, lats, and core which is why many power bench pressers makes sure to do plenty of back work as well :-)

John

Well when you explain it like that.

yeah I would only see your triceps being activated if doing a pressing movement.

HOWEVER, if you were talking about a standing CABLE LAT PUSHDOWN, where you are flaring your lats and only keeping a slight bend in your elbow as you push a straight bar down from chin level to your thighs... then yes you will feel that exercise in your triceps

Hey Guy's...

To answer a few questions... 

YES. This is the first time ive made them a part of my regular routine.....This could be why!!!  

YES, My form Is good (Ive confirmed it with a few vet's at my gym and the head trainer)

YES, Im doing a wide grip and seated

Im very aware that my Tri's should not be influenced during the motion, I think because I preform the SEATED LAT PULL DOWN the day after I murder my Tricepts  they are getting a slight pump and getting exausted simply from the movment while they are a touch sore....   Ill give it a month or so....  see what happens..

Thankx Guy's..

Appriciated more than you know..

@Scott_Herman @jmboiardi @adawg38 @joehurricane

#HTH

~Mike