From: Paul Chek <PChek@compuserve.

com>
Subject: Dangers / risks of the behind the head Pulldown
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 1997 06:19:32 -0400
Behind the head Lat Pull Downs are very damaging to the anterior capsule
of the glenohumeral joint. This is because of the following reasons:
1. Most Lat Pull machines are not designed with sufficient ergonomics to
allow optimal body positioning to do the exercise. Because you generally
can't get close enough to the machine to have the cable hang over T1, the
resulting compensation is a forward lean of the trunk, which places
excessive stress on the shoulder joint in external rotation and horizontal
abduction (the exact position which loads the weakest portion of the
shoulder joint capsule). Repeated exposure under load will lead to
glenohumeral joint laxity, which can be career threatening if you are an
athlete.
2. To prevent bashing your head with the bar, it is common to protrude the
head forward into a forward head posture. This causes excessive stress on
the cervical spine because of the force transmission through the elevators
and stabilizers of the shoulder girdle that are very active during this
exercise (see below).
3. The Levator Scapulae is a very important and complex muscle which
provides rotation and frontal plane stabilization to the cervical spine
and inferiorly rotates the glenohumeral joint. When performing the typical
behind head lat pull, the levator scapulii are heavily recruited to
inferiorly rotate the glenohumeral joint. Because the loads are often very
high (far too high for most people based on body language fit for someone
being electrocuted) the levator scapulii are recruited to the point of
strain, resulting in neck pain and lost range of motion in the cervical
spine.
4. Beside wearing the neck and shoulder out, the exercise promotes bad
motor patterning, as it promotes forward head posture.
As I say in my seminars, I have never seen a single primate climb anything
and pull it behind their head??? This is a non-physiological exercise and
should be used as little as possible and only with perfect positioning.
The reason your weight went down so much is most likely because you were
using so much trunk and hip flexor to accelerate the bar behind your head.
When you try to pull it in front of your head you can not activate your
flexors nearly as much or you will leave a dent in your head!
There are many exercises in the gym that are very hazardous to the body.
Sincerely,