Bilateral Lat Pull Down
Two machines.
Made to order in Vietnam. Factory direct, USD pricing, shipped worldwide at container scale. Any RAL colour, your upholstery, your logo.
Two machines. One footprint. A plate loaded lat pulldown that doubles as a seated row, with independent arms, in a single commercial steel frame. If floor space costs you money, this is the back station that pays for itself.
What is a bilateral lat pulldown?
A lat pulldown is the machine version of a pull up. You sit, lock your thighs under the pad, reach up, and pull the resistance down to your chest. Bilateral means two arms, one for each hand, instead of a single bar. On the Phoenix Bilateral Lat Pull Down those two arms are independent. Pull them together for a classic heavy pulldown, pull one at a time for unilateral work, or alternate them rep by rep.
It is plate loaded, not pin loaded. Olympic plates go onto the machine and the resistance you feel is the plates you put on. No weight stack, no stack cable to fray, no cam deciding how the rep should feel.
And the same frame rows. Sit at the low handles and it becomes a seated row. That is the whole pitch. Two of the most programmed pulling movements in any gym, on one footprint.
Why gyms buy it
Floor space. Every square metre on a commercial floor has a rent attached. A separate lat pulldown and a separate seated row is two footprints, two machines to buy and two machines to service. This is one. For a boutique studio or a small group training space, that is the difference between fitting a complete back line and leaving one out.
Plate loading is the second reason. A plate loaded pulldown gives a heavier, more direct feel than a selectorised machine, and it loads in the increments of whatever plates you own. Fractional plates give you progress in half kilos. A stack gives you whatever the stack gives you.
The third reason is the independent arms. One bar lets the strong side quietly carry the weak side for years. Two independent arms make each side move its own load, so imbalances show up and get fixed.
See it in action
Professor George trying the Bilateral Lat Pull Row at our Sunshine Coast showroom
Installed and in use at Breakthrough Fitness, Sydney
Plate loaded vs pin loaded lat pulldown
A pin loaded pulldown runs a cable from a handle, over pulleys, down to a weight stack. You move a pin to change the load. It is convenient and it is what most gyms start with. The trade off is feel and upkeep. The stack cable stretches and frays, the pulleys wear, and the resistance curve is whatever the machine maker decided.
A plate loaded pulldown takes Olympic plates directly. The feel is heavier and more honest, there is no stack to service, and loading is as fine as your smallest plate. For a strength gym, a bodybuilding floor or a facility that already owns plates, plate loaded is the better buy.
Bilateral arms vs a single bar vs a vertical pulldown
| Bilateral arms (this machine) | Single bar pulldown | Fixed handle vertical pulldown | |
| Arms | Two, independent | One bar, both hands | Two lever arms, usually fixed handles |
| Unilateral work | Yes, one arm at a time or alternating | No | Sometimes, depending on the machine |
| Grip | Standard attachments: D handles, lat bar, V bar, straight bar | One bar, one grip width at a time | Whatever handles are welded on |
| Loading | Olympic plates | Usually a weight stack | Olympic plates |
| Second function | Seated row on the same frame | None | None |
| Best for | Gyms that need a full back line in one footprint | Budget floors, basic programming | Fixed path pulldown for strict hypertrophy work |
A fixed handle vertical pulldown is a good machine. It is also one machine. The Phoenix Bilateral Lat Pull Down gives you independent arms, your choice of attachment, and a seated row, in the floor space a vertical pulldown takes on its own.
What attachments does it take?
Standard cable attachments. D handles for a neutral grip pulldown, a lat bar for a wide pronated pull, a V bar for a close grip, a straight bar for whatever you want. The attachment decides the exercise. Swap it in seconds and the same arms give you a different back workout.
How to use it
For the pulldown, set the thigh pad so your legs are locked in with your feet flat, reach up and take the handles, lean back slightly and pull your elbows down and back until the handles reach your upper chest. Squeeze the lats, then let the arms travel back up under control. For the seated row, move to the low handles, sit tall with your chest up, and row the handles to your torso with your elbows tight. Do not lean back to finish a rep. If you have to, the weight is too heavy.
What you get
- Plate loaded, no stack to service and no stack cable to stretch
- Two independent arms for bilateral, unilateral or alternating pulldowns
- Seated row function on the same frame
- Takes standard attachments: D handles, lat bar, V bar, straight bar
- Free standing and self stabilising under load, no anchoring to the floor or wall
- Heavy gauge commercial steel frame with a powder coat finish
- Space efficient footprint suited to commercial studios
- Your choice of Any RAL frame colour and 6 upholstery colours on this page
Built for
- Commercial gyms and boutique studios that need elite pulling capacity without giving up floor space
- Personal trainers running small group sessions
- Serious home gym owners who want machine quality lat training with plate loaded simplicity
It is made to order. Every unit leaves in the colour and stitch your floor needs, not the colour that happened to be on a shelf.
Built for the floor
Two machines, one footprint
Lat pulldown and seated row, two of the most programmed pulling movements in any gym, in a single unit that takes a fraction of the floor space of separate machines.
Plate loaded, real feel
No weight stack, no stack cable, just Olympic plates. The direct load path gives a heavier, more natural feel than a selectorised machine, and fractional plates let you load in small increments.
Independent arms
Pull both arms together, one at a time or alternating. Each side moves its own load, so the strong side cannot carry the weak side and imbalances get fixed.
Any grip you want
Standard attachments drop straight on. D handles, lat bar, V bar or straight bar. Swap the attachment and the same machine gives you a different back workout.
Bilateral Lat Pull Down specs
| Type | Plate loaded bilateral lat pulldown |
|---|---|
| Functions | Lat pulldown and seated row |
| Arms | Two, independent |
| Attachments | Standard cable attachments: D handles, lat bar, V bar, straight bar |
| Loading | Olympic plates |
| Installation | Free standing, self stabilising, no anchoring required |
| Frame | Heavy gauge commercial steel, powder coat finish |
| Footprint | Space efficient, suited to commercial studios |
| Finish options | Any RAL frame colour, 6 upholstery colours, standard, contrast or diamond stitch. Standard: satin black frame, black upholstery |
| Build | Made to order in Vietnam, shipped worldwide FOB or delivered |
| Origin | Designed and built in Vietnam by Phoenix Strength Co. Vietnam origin documents supplied with every shipment |
| Pricing | USD, factory direct. Quoted per unit, per package or per container |
| Shipping | FOB Vietnam or delivered, consolidated with the rest of your fit out |
Bilateral Lat Pull Down on the floor
Professor George trying the Bilateral Lat Pull Row at our Sunshine Coast showroom
Installed and in use at Breakthrough Fitness, Sydney
Bilateral Lat Pull Down questions
What is a bilateral lat pulldown machine?
A lat pulldown with two arms, one for each hand, instead of a single bar. On the Phoenix Bilateral Lat Pull Down the two arms are independent, so you can pull them together, one at a time or alternating. It is plate loaded with Olympic plates and the same frame doubles as a seated row.
Is a plate loaded lat pulldown better than a pin loaded one?
For a strength gym, yes. A plate loaded pulldown takes Olympic plates directly, so the feel is heavier and more direct, there is no weight stack or stack cable to service, and you can load in fractional plate increments. A pin loaded machine is convenient but the stack cable and pulleys wear and the resistance curve is fixed by the maker.
What is the difference between a lat pulldown and a vertical pulldown?
A fixed handle vertical pulldown has handles welded to lever arms, so the grip and path are set by the machine. A lat pulldown with attachment arms, like the Phoenix Bilateral Lat Pull Down, takes standard attachments, so you choose the grip. This machine also has independent arms and a seated row function, which a fixed handle vertical pulldown does not.
Can the Bilateral Lat Pull Down be used as a seated row?
Yes. That is the point of the machine. The same frame has a seated row position, so you get a lat pulldown and a seated row in one footprint. Two of the most programmed pulling movements in any gym on one machine.
What muscles does the lat pulldown work?
The lats first, with the rhomboids, lower traps, rear delts and biceps assisting. A wide pronated grip on a lat bar emphasises the outer lats and upper back. A close neutral grip on D handles or a V bar pulls the elbows in and works the lower lats through a longer range. The seated row position shifts the emphasis to the mid back.
What attachments does it take?
Standard cable attachments. D handles, a lat bar, a V bar and a straight bar all fit. The attachment decides the exercise, so one machine covers wide, close, neutral and pronated grip pulling.
Does it need to be bolted to the floor?
No. The unit is free standing and self stabilising under load. No anchoring to the floor or wall and no installation required.
What plates does it take?
Standard Olympic plates. Bumper plates, calibrated steel plates and rubber coated plates all work. Fractional plates let you progress in small increments.
How much floor space does it need?
The footprint is space efficient and built for commercial studios, because it replaces a separate lat pulldown and a separate seated row with one machine. WhatsApp Andy on +61 422 046 895 for the exact footprint for your floor plan.
Is the Phoenix Bilateral Lat Pull Down made in Vietnam?
Yes. The Phoenix Bilateral Lat Pull Down is designed and built in Vietnam by Phoenix Strength Co, the original Vietnamese strength equipment supplier, in production since 2016. Vietnam origin documents are supplied with every shipment, so it is not caught in the China specific tariffs applied by the United States and some other markets.
How do I buy the Bilateral Lat Pull Down outside Australia?
Factory direct from Phoenix Strength Co in US dollars. Request the USD price list and catalog on this page, then WhatsApp Andy on +61 422 046 895 with your quantity and destination port. Single machines, packages and full container fit outs are all quoted, FOB Vietnam or delivered.
I have seen a machine in Vietnam that looks like the Phoenix Bilateral Lat Pull Down. Is it yours?
If it is not sold by Phoenix Strength Co it is a copy. Phoenix designed this machine; lookalikes do not carry Phoenix engineering, materials or warranty. Send us a photo or a link and we will tell you straight whether it is ours.
Vietnam’s original strength equipment supplier. Since 2016.
Phoenix has been in operation in Australia since 2009 and manufacturing in Vietnam since 2016, with more than 1,000 gyms fitted. Everyone else in Vietnam came after us. Since we proved the model, copycats have set up and gone to market with equipment that looks like ours. Same shapes, same ideas, none of the engineering, materials or warranty behind them.
If you see equipment in Vietnam that looks like Phoenix, it is a copy, and a bad one. Ask us first and tell us immediately. We will tell you straight whether it is ours.
Ask us about a lookalikeKeep building the floor
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