SST Burlington

Many athletes and trainers know a good exercise to strengthen the muscles of the back are lat pull-downs. Lat pulldown variations help to further concentrate this specific shoulder area for strength or growth. Half kneeling single-arm lat pulldowns are one of these pulldown alternatives which are a great exercise to train your lats and other vertical pulling back muscles! Oftentimes, athletes can’t perform exercises such as pull-ups or chin-ups which are both excellent movements to train the latissimus dorsi making the lat pulldown an excellent alternative. Additionally, because lat pull-downs are performed in a seated position, you can recruit your abdominals and hip flexors to stabilize you adding further benefits to this back workout.

Although the lat pulldown can be used as a great hypertrophy stimulus, the ½ kneeling single-arm lat pulldown can be set up in line with the fibers of the lat, thus specifically targeting those tissues. Another benefit is that we are also exposing our hips to the ½ kneeling position which may help certain clients who are working around hip discomfort enabling them to potentially lift heavier weights.

The single-arm, or one-arm lat pull, is a versatile exercise because it can provide more individualization since the cable can be set up to fit the client, rather than trying to make the client fit the exercise. For example, if an athlete has a history of shoulder issues, but wants to train the upper back, a traditional lat pulldown may not be the best choice. However, in the 1/2 kneeling pulldown, the cable can be adjusted for a more comfortable setup and exercise ex*****on to maximize a full range of motion.

With this exercise, there are 3 things to remember:

At starting position, the cable should line up with the lat muscles. begin at about 45 degrees between the arm and shoulder joint, and adjust as needed
Initiate the movement with the elbow moving down and slightly back
When the weight, sets, and reps become easy, progress your pulldown by either adding more weight, sets, or reps.

Off season is over... let keep up the good work girls!

The Real Culprits: Modifiable Factors
If proportions are normal, and a slight forward lean is just the physics of being tall, why do so many people struggle to hit depth or maintain a neutral spine?

It's Mobility and Control, Not Bones: A pivotal study by Berglund et al. (2024) investigated whether anthropometric measures (like femur-to-tibia ratios) actually dictated lumbopelvic flexion ("butt wink") in experienced lifters. The findings were clear: bone length ratios were not significantly associated with lower back rounding. Instead, poor squat mechanics were heavily associated with limited ankle dorsiflexion and poor movement control.

The Stance Width Solution: If you feel that your femur length is jamming up your hips or requiring too much ankle mobility to hit depth, the solution is not to blame your skeleton—it is to change your stance. Demers et al. (2018) demonstrated that while individuals with larger thigh-to-shank ratios require greater ankle and knee mobility to squat deep in a narrow stance, widening the stance effectively mitigates these demands. Widening the stance artificially "shortens" the sagittal length of the femur relative to the barbell, drastically reducing the range of motion required at the ankle and knee to achieve parallel depth. Side note: Stance width should not be a replacement for addressing assessed movement impairments, such as reductions in ankle or hip mobility and under-activity of the inverters and glute complex.

Practical Application
Before assuming you are a skeletal outlier permanently barred from optimal squat mechanics, address the variables you can actually control:

Assess and correct: Limited dorsiflexion is the leading cause of excessive forward lean and compensation. However, hip mobility, core stability, and motor recruitment can also contribute.
Widen your stance a smidge: The implication here is that hip width (2nd toe under the ASIS) may be too narrow for taller lifters, but shoulder width may work well. Wider than hip width is likely to result in its own set of issues.

We have a program for any type of training you prefer!

Option 1: Membership (ages 14 and up)
$93.20 biweekly
Complimentary Athletic assessments every 10 to 12 weeks.
Access to the gym 1-6 times a week
Personalized and periodized app-based programming to ensure trackable progress.
Access to a coach – there will always be 1-2 coaches on the gym floor assisting athletes with form, weight selection etc.

Option 2: Personal Training (one on one)
20 sessions - $1600+hst ($80 per session)
15 sessions - $1272+hst ($85 per session)
10 Sessions – $900+hst ($90 per session)

Option 3: Hybrid program (in gym)
Buy any personal training package and get a custom membership for $80 monthly

Options 4: Senior speed and agility sessions (ages 14-17)
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 5pm-6pm and Saturdays 11am-12pm
10 sessions for $349.99+hst
Sessions function as drop in and only expire after 6 months

Option 4.5: Junior speed and agility sessions (ages 11-13)
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 6pm-7pm and Saturdays 10am-11am
10 sessions for $349.99+hst
Sessions function as drop in and only expire after 6 months

Option 5: Semi private options: (min 6 sessions)
Up to 4 Athletes - $115 (+hst)per session
Up to 6 athletes - $125 (+hst)per session
Up to 9 athletes - $135(+hst) per session

DM us or email [email protected] to sign up for your free Demo session today!

Senior speed and agility sessions (ages 14-17)
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 5pm-6pm and Saturdays 11am-12pm
Junior speed and agility sessions (ages 11-13)
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 6pm-7pm and Saturdays 10am-11am
10 sessions for $349.99+hst
Sessions function as drop in and only expire after 4 months

We are now booking for September 2026 - March 2027! Email [email protected] for package details!

We have a program for any type of training you prefer!

Option 1: Membership (ages 14 and up)
$93.20 biweekly
Complimentary Athletic assessments every 10 to 12 weeks.
Access to the gym 1-6 times a week
Complimentary Nutrition counseling
Personalized and periodized app-based programming to ensure trackable progress.
Access to a coach – there will always be 1-2 coaches on the gym floor assisting athletes with form, weight selection etc.

Option 2: Personal Training (one on one)
20 sessions - $1600+hst ($80 per session)
15 sessions - $1272+hst ($85 per session)
10 Sessions – $900+hst ($90 per session)

Option 3: Hybrid program (in gym)
Buy any personal training package and get a custom membership for $80 monthly

Options 4: Senior speed and agility sessions (ages 14-17)
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 5pm-6pm and Saturdays 11am-12pm
10 sessions for $349.99+hst
Sessions function as drop in and only expire after 6 months

Option 4.5: Junior speed and agility sessions (ages 11-13)
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 6pm-7pm and Saturdays 10am-11am
10 sessions for $349.99+hst
Sessions function as drop in and only expire after 6 months


Option 5: Semi private options: (min 6 sessions)
Up to 4 Athletes - $115 (+hst)per session
Up to 6 athletes - $125 (+hst)per session
Up to 9 athletes - $135(+hst) per session

Option 6: Team Training:
Up to 12 athletes - $165(+hst)per session
Up to 20 athletes - $200(+hst) per session

DM us or email [email protected] to sign up for your dree Demo session today!

We are so proud of our athletes! Although we are sad to only have a month left of training, we are more excited to see what amazing adventures lay ahead!
A big thank you for your hard work, consistency and coachability!