How Lat Pulldowns Can Build Your Pull-Ups and Improve Your Sled Pull for HYROX
- Joe Gilbert
- Jul 8
- 3 min read
Whether you're chasing your first bodyweight pull-up or shaving seconds off your sled pull time at HYROX, lat pulldowns are an essential accessory exercise that belongs in your training toolkit. At REVIVAL Personal Training, we program with purpose—every movement must earn its place. And the lat pulldown earns it twice.
Why Lat Pulldowns Matter for Pull-Up Progress
Mastering strict pull-ups takes a potent mix of strength, technique, and consistency. For many, especially those in our Small Group Personal Training (SGPT) programs, it’s not just about "pulling harder"—it’s about building capacity in the right movement pattern.
Here’s how lat pulldowns build your pull-up strength:
Scalable vertical pulling: Unlike pull-ups, lat pulldowns can be finely adjusted for load, helping you develop your latissimus dorsi, biceps, and scapular stabilisers progressively.
Perfect form under control: You can dial in tempo, range of motion, and grip variations with precision, reinforcing clean movement patterns that transfer to strict pull-ups.
Volume without burnout: Lat pulldowns allow for higher volume training with less central nervous system fatigue, letting you accumulate quality reps without frying your recovery.
At REVIVAL Hammersmith, we often combine lat pulldowns with isometric holds and eccentric pull-up work in our pull-up progressions. This accelerates results for beginners and helps advanced athletes bust through plateaus.
From Pulling Down to Pulling Sleds: The HYROX Connection
If you’ve competed in HYROX, you know that sled pull is one of the most technically demanding and grip-intensive elements of the race. While it might seem entirely lower-body driven, success comes down to how efficiently you can apply upper-body pulling force—especially when fatigue hits.
Here's how lat pulldowns transfer to sled pull performance:
Grip strength carryover: Using neutral or towel grip lat pulldowns boosts the exact grip strength endurance required for the thick ropes of the sled pull.
Lat engagement and scapular control: Effective sled pulling isn’t just about brute strength. You need to initiate the pull through the lats, then engage the full posterior chain in sequence. Lat pulldowns drill that motor pattern.
Improved pulling endurance: Lat pulldowns allow you to train high-rep sets with controlled tempo, replicating the time-under-tension demands of a 50m sled pull under race stress.
For our REVIVAL athletes training for HYROX, we often program hybrid sessions like lat pulldown + farmer’s carry supersets to simulate real race fatigue and drive functional gains.#
Pro Tips to Get More from Your Lat Pulldowns
To get the most from your lat pulldown training for both pull-ups and sled pulls:
Use full range of motion: Let the shoulders elevate at the top and fully retract at the bottom. Don’t cheat your lats.
Prioritise tempo: Try a 3-1-1-1 tempo (3s eccentric, 1s pause at the top, 1s concentric, 1s pause at the bottom) to maximise control and time under tension.
Vary your grip: Rotate between wide grip, underhand grip, and neutral grip to target all the pulling muscles needed for full-body performance.
Superset for synergy: Combine lat pulldowns with sled drags, kettlebell rows, or TRX pulls to build total pulling resilience.
Train Smarter, Perform Better at REVIVAL
At REVIVAL Personal Training in Hammersmith, we take a hybrid performance approach—blending classic strength principles with functional conditioning to prepare you for HYROX, Hyrox-style training, and real-world athleticism.
Whether you’re aiming for your first strict pull-up or preparing for your next HYROX event, every tool in your training plan should drive meaningful progress. The lat pulldown isn’t just a machine movement—it’s a strategic lever for pull-up mastery and elite sled pull performance.
Looking to take your training to the next level? Join our 1-1 & Small Group Personal Training or HYROX-specific programming at REVIVAL. Book a free trial today and discover what training with purpose feels like.
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