Lat pulldown machines are an awesome addition to home gyms. They are great for building upper body strength and size in a different way than normal barbells and dumbbells do. This equipment also tends to be quite large, so which ones are the best for a small home gym? Here’s what you need to know.
The best three compact lat pulldown machines for a small home gym are;
- Body-Solid PLM180X
- Valor CB-12
- Titan lat pulldown
These machines have the smallest footprint while still being sturdy and providing more exercise options than just lat pulldowns like cable curls and low rows.
For more information about these machines, scroll down.
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Compact lat pulldown machines for a home gym
Lat pulldown machines are great. They can also be a bit bulky. Since home gyms tend to be quite small, getting one that is compact helps massively. It can be the difference between being able to fit a lat pulldown and not fitting one at all. While there might be some small sacrifices you have to make by getting a smaller machine, these machines will give you an awesome back workout and actually more.
Want to do lat pulldowns without a machine? Check out your options here.
The machines recommended below don’t only have a high pulley but also a low pulley. That means you can’t only do lat pulldowns but also low rows, cable curls, tricep pushdowns and much more. That makes these machines a really valuable addition to any home gym.
FYI: These are lat pulldown machines which means they have a seat.
A wall mounted pulley system is cheaper and very compact. Learn more in this article.
1. Body-Solid Powerline PLM180X
The best option is the Body-Solid PLM180X. It’s a compact, sturdy machine from a well-known company that does everything you need it to.
Its size is small but the options and functionality are great. It’s not quite the smallest but it’s the best option overall.
- 80” tall
- 25” by 48” footprint
- 250 lbs. weight limit
- Plate loaded
- 8” foam leg rollers
- Comfortable seat
- Very compact for seated lat pulldown
- High and low pulley
- Weighs 69 lbs.
Check it out on Amazon by clicking here
2. Merax Lat pulldown
Next up is the Merax lat pulldown. It’s roughly the same size as the Body-solid one. It has a bit higher load limit of 286 lbs. as well. It is very similar to the Body-solid model. This one is number two because Body-solid is a more established brand with good customer service.
There is also a deluxe version that adds a mid height pulley that can be used for ab crunches as well as a backrest.
- 77” high
- 24.5” by 47” foot print
- 286 lbs. load limit
- Plate loaded
- Adjustable seat pad
- 2” size plates
- High and low pulley
3. Titan Lat pulldown
The cheap option. While it’s the smallest, I put it last because the long term reliability and customer service for this brand is a bit of a question mark. If you want to take those trade-offs for a lower price, that’s up to you of course.
- 85” tall
- 47” by 57” footprint
- 400 lbs. load limit
- Plate loaded
- Adjustable seat height
- Adjustable leg lockdown height
- Foam leg lockdowns
- Includes: Lat Bar
- Includes: Low Row Bar
- High and low pulley
Best Lat-Pulldown machines for low ceilings
Small dimensions aren’t only limited to floor space. You can also have low ceilings in a home gym. You can have all the floor space in the world, if you’ve got low ceilings, you still have to be careful with which equipment you can fit.
Home gyms tend to have lower ceilings than the rest of the house because they’re often built in spaces that aren’t used. The spaces that aren’t used tend to be a little ‘different’.
So which lat pulldown machine fits the best under lower ceilings?
Actually, the shortest machines are the same as the ones with the smallest foot prints that are listed above. The Vanswe is the shortest at 76” tall while the other two are 80” tall. That’s under 7’ tall. If your home gym has lower ceilings than 7’, you might want to look for another location.
If you got 7’ tall ceilings, there is another option;
XMark Lat Pulldown
The XMark XM7618 doesn’t have a small footprint but the height is limited. It’s only 3” higher than the machines listed above. This will still comfortably fit under a 7’ ceiling.
The benefit of this machine is the quality and load limit. It’s a very sturdy machine that has a maximum load limit of 400 lbs. That’s much higher than any of the other options.
- 83” tall
- 48” by 56.7” footprint
- 400 lbs. load capacity
- Plate loaded
- Adjustable seat and leg lockdowns
- High pulley and low pulley
So it still fits under low ceilings but also has some great benefits compared to the other options but on the other hand it’s a bit bigger.
Check the current price on Amazon by clicking here.
Lat pulldown machine with seat dimensions list
| Brand | Model | Type | Height (Inch) | Width (Inch) | Length (Inch) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanswe | Lat Pulldown | Plate | 76 | 24.2 | 46.8 |
| Xmark | Lat Pulldown | Plate | 82.7 | 48 | 56.7 |
| Body-Solid | PLM180X | Plate | 80 | 25 | 48 |
| Titan | Lat tower | Selectorized | 87 | 41 | 57 |
| Titan | Lat tower V2 | Plate | 84 | 48 | 56.5 |
| Rogue | LP-2 | Selectorized | 108 | 43 | 70 |
| Valor | CB-12 | Plate | 80 | 24 | 53.5 |
Difference between Lat pulldown machine and cable station
To clear up any confusion, let’s take a look at the difference between a lat pulldown machine and a cable station or pulley tower.
A Lat pulldown machine is focused on the lat pulldown as the name suggests. That means there is a seat and the high pulley is the main focus of the machine.
A cable station or pulley tower is very similar except there is no place to sit. That means it’s better for standing exercises. You can do standing exercises on a lat pulldown machine as well but the seat can get in the way sometimes. The low pulley is often easier to use or the height of the pulley is even adjustable.
However, this type of machine is worse for seated exercises of course. You can add a seat since there is nothing you can lock your legs under, you might get moved around if you try to lift a heavy weight.
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