Hold a cable bar attachment overhead with a grip outside shoulder width—the same you’d use for a pull-up. Keeping the trunk braced and back in its neutral position, pull the bar to the chest as you lean back to finish the motion as a horizontal row, pulling the shoulder blades down and back. Return to the upright extended position under control.
 
Purpose
The lat pulldown to chest is a hybrid vertical and horizontal exercise that builds most of the back and pulling musculature such as the lats, traps, posterior delts, biceps and forearms. It allows training a full shoulder range of motion by starting upright, but better scapular retraction typically heavier weights by finishing with a horizontal rowing motion.
 
Programming
Generally sets of 5-15 are appropriate.
 
Variations
The pulldown to chest can be done with any grip width, a neutral grip, with rope handles or fat grips, with a supinated grip, with one arm, and with varying degrees of backward lean. Pulldowns to chest can also be done with a band, although the resistance curve is backward, ie resistance is greatest as the movement is at its weakest point.