6X Mr. Olympia Bashes Wide Grip Lat Pulldown, Suggests Better Alternative for Building Christmas Tree Back

A small change can make big differences. This notion is valid even in the gym. A minor tweak in your grip can often lead to major improvements. Just like the seven-time Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger, who invented the Arnold Press with a small change in grip, six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates has found a new grip that is more beneficial than classic lat pulldowns.

Recently, Yates posted a video on his Instagram account explaining the benefits of the new grips. According to him, this slight change in the grip will change your exercise forever. Let’s find out how this hyped-up grip and how it can beat the classic lat pull-downs.

A slight change in grip can grow your back exponentially

In the video, the six-time Mr. Olympia shared that instead of using a sideways grip in the lat pull-down, he insisted on gripping the bar from the middle. Yates called this grip the underhand pulldown. These pull-downs provide a long range of motion, unlike the classic lat pull-downs, Yates explained.

According to the champion bodybuilder, lat pulldowns put your biceps in a weaker spot. But the underhand pulldowns provide “better position.” The Shadow further broke down the grip and wrote, “the hand placement is just closer than shoulder width and pull with your elbows, drive them into your lats and hold for a second with a slow negative.”

“This was usually second in my back routine where the biceps came into play for a pulling exercise,” he added. Yates even used this grip on the hammer-strength underhand pulldown machine. The six-time champion loved training his back more than any other muscle group. Earlier, he had shed light on the workout regime that he followed to build his back.

The Shadow’s intense back workout 

In an Instagram post, the Shadow shared, “I had good genetics, especially my back as my mum’s lats were wide since she rode horses and worked on a farm, so her back was always strong.” Along with these good genetics, the bodybuilder did basic exercises because “they work“.

He often began his back workout with the Nautilus Pullover Machine. Then he moved on to the underhand pulldowns. The next exercise Yates did was either barbell or dumbbell rows, followed by seated cable rows or hammer strength rows. Weighted hyperextensions or partial deadlifts were the finishers of his back regime to ensure a next-level pump and hit.

The six-time Mr. Olympia has solely focused on the basic exercises, maintaining perfect form. He also experimented with his grip to figure out the best way of performing each exercise. Will you try out the new grip recommended by Yates? Let us know in the comments.