# Pull ups vs. lat pulldown question



## Texan (Jan 19, 2017)

Was wondering the other day...and this may be a dumb question so forgive me if so. 
But how come I'm weaker on lat pulldown vs pull ups 

So say I'm 190 and I can rep out 23 solid pull ups good form no kiping but if I put 190 on the lat pulldown I can't get 23 reps. 
Is it because of the stability of being on a machine or the cable tension?


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## Milo (Jan 19, 2017)

190 on the stack doesn't equate to 190 deadweight pounds. That's why 190 on one machine can feel way heavier than 190 on another. Depends on the machines leverages.


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## snake (Jan 19, 2017)

^^^^^^^^^
What Milo said.

If you can do 23 solid Pull ups at 190 lbs, you're doing well my man.


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## ToolSteel (Jan 19, 2017)

snake said:


> ^^^^^^^^^
> What Milo said.
> 
> If you can do 23 solid Pull ups at 190 lbs, you're doing well my man.


Hoy bout 10 @250? Bronze medal?


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## BigJohnny (Jan 19, 2017)

How bout 1 @ 268!lol


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## grizzldsealpoacher (Jan 19, 2017)

the pull up thread? 15 at 225 alternating front to behind the neck


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## John Ziegler (Jan 19, 2017)

I think that you use a lot more random muscles doing a pull up rather than a pull down.

For balancing and stuff right ?

I can do maybe one pull up :32 (18):


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## Dakinilvr (Jan 20, 2017)

Besides the leverage of the machine being off you are also getting some momentum like a kiping from your lower body with your legs pressing into the pad.
If you relax your lower body it will be more like a strict pull up but then why not just do a pull up.


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## BRICKS (Jan 20, 2017)

Always found pull ups to be a lot tougher than pulldowns.


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## saltylifter (Jan 20, 2017)

I find them both to be hard. I'm a fat ass 245lbs and my Lat pull down at my gym goes to 260lbs each one is heavy and I get a great workout wit both


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## ECKSRATED (Jan 20, 2017)

Do both. Lat pulldown is easier to pull at different angles if u want, target different muscles.


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## Texan (Jan 21, 2017)

snake said:


> ^^^^^^^^^
> What Milo said.
> 
> If you can do 23 solid Pull ups at 190 lbs, you're doing well my man.




Spent some time in the marines so they come easy to me since them. Done so many pull ups in my life it's not even funny.


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## Big Worm (Jan 21, 2017)

Pull downs just because you have control of the movement by choosing a weight you can actually handle. If you don't do it already, try coming back up nice and slow and see how you like it. Most people don't really control the weight on the way back up.


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## Live2Train (Jan 26, 2017)

If you're doing 23 solid then you're doing great as was stated earlier.  I agree, you might be kipping doing pull-ups and that would be a big difference.  The pulley system makes a difference on the lat pull down too.  They might not have lubed it in a while, which would cause it to drag and be heavier.  There really could be many different reasons why this is.  Until you show video of you doing both, all this is just total speculation.


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## Texan (Feb 19, 2017)

I def don't kipp, in the corps we did strict pull ups but ya I can see that kipps will make it way easier. But I may kipp on the last rep if I just can't pull all the way from failure after a few seconds of pullin as hard as I can


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## Bicepticon (Feb 20, 2017)

Both are great for the lats.. 
Hell, I know a few 242's that have to add weight, just to make pull-ups challenging.


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## Mathews (Feb 25, 2017)

For the most people it's the other way around. It could be the machine - or the way you do it...anyway, if you can do that many pull ups you don't actually need pulldowns.


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## Trauma RN (Apr 8, 2017)

I can pull down way better then pull ups. I can do about 9 pull ups and Im done...  although Ive been working hard at em... still tho


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## nextstepgainz (Nov 17, 2017)

That really good 23 pull ups at 190!


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