Lat Pulldown or Vertical Pulldown: which one does your floor need?
Two pulldowns come out of the same workshop, and the question we are asked most often is which of them to buy. They are not two versions of one machine. They pull in different planes, they load differently, and a floor running both is not duplicating anything.
The short answer is that they were never designed as alternatives to each other. Both come off the same frame spec in the workshop at Gympie, and both were drawn from the start to do a different job from the other.
A pulldown is not one movement. The lats do different work depending on the plane the handles travel through, and the two machines were built around that difference rather than around a styling change. Put them side by side on a floor and neither one makes the other redundant.
What the Lat Pulldown does
The arms converge slightly through the pull, following the shoulder's natural arc instead of fighting it. That adducting path is the point of the machine. It is the line of pull the lats actually want, rather than the straight vertical track a bar on a cable imposes on them.
It carries three weight pegs, and they are not there so you can add more. Moving plates between them changes where in the range the load peaks, so the same weight can be made hardest at the stretch, through the middle, or at the contraction. That is a different tool from simply loading the machine heavier.
The handles are dual and rotating, the chest pad and knee pads both adjust, and the resistance profile arm is itself weight loadable.
What the Vertical Pulldown does
The Vertical Pulldown travels in a true vertical path, and it exists to complement the Lat Pulldown rather than to duplicate it. Its line of pull is set for the lats in the frontal plane, which is a different stimulus from the converging arc of the machine beside it.
It has two hand positions, both rotating: a twenty degree offset and a neutral grip. Rotate the chest pad and the same frame runs an upper back dominant high row, which is a second movement rather than a variation on the first.
Two weight pegs do the job the three do on the Lat Pulldown, shifting where the resistance peaks through the range. The back rod is gas strutted, so adjusting it is one handed and quick rather than a wrestle between sets.
Side by side
| Lat Pulldown | Vertical Pulldown | |
|---|---|---|
| Pull path | Converging, follows the shoulder arc | True vertical, frontal plane |
| Weight pegs | Three | Two |
| Handles | Dual, rotating | Rotating, 20 degree offset and neutral |
| Adjustment | Chest pad and knee pads | Rotating chest pad, gas strutted back rod |
| Also runs | Weight loadable resistance profile arm | Upper back dominant high row |
If you only have room for one
Start with the Lat Pulldown. The converging path is the thing most floors are missing, the three pegs give you more ways to change the stimulus without buying another machine, and it is the movement most members already know how to do well.
Add the Vertical Pulldown when you want a second pulling angle rather than a second pulldown. A floor running both has two genuinely different movements in the same footprint class, which is a better use of the space than two machines doing one job in two colours.
What the two have in common
Both fit lifters from 142cm to 203cm, measured on the machine rather than estimated. Both are plate loaded, with no motor, no electronics and no power supply, so neither depends on local voltage anywhere they are shipped.
Both frames are Australian RHS box section, cut, welded and coated in Queensland, with pins and bearings rated between 1.2 and 2 tonnes. Both carry twenty years structural on the welded frame and seven years on moving parts, and both are finished in any powder coat and any upholstery you specify, because the coating and the stitching are done a few minutes from the workshop rather than picked off a supplier list.
Common questions
What is the difference between the Citadel Lat Pulldown and the Vertical Pulldown?
The pull path. The Lat Pulldown's arms converge through the pull, following the shoulder's natural arc, while the Vertical Pulldown travels in a true vertical path in the frontal plane. They were designed to sit beside each other rather than to replace one another, so a floor running both has two different movements rather than two versions of one. The Lat Pulldown also carries three weight pegs to the Vertical Pulldown's two, and the Vertical Pulldown runs an upper back dominant high row when its chest pad is rotated.
Do I need both pulldowns on one floor?
No, and most floors start with one. If you are buying a single machine, start with the Lat Pulldown: the converging path is what most floors are missing, and its three weight pegs give you more ways to change the stimulus without buying anything else. Add the Vertical Pulldown when you want a second pulling angle rather than a second pulldown.
What size lifter do the Citadel pulldowns fit?
Both fit lifters from 142cm to 203cm, which is 4'8" to 6'8". That range is measured on the machine rather than estimated, and it is the same on both pulldowns.
Are the Citadel pulldowns plate loaded?
Yes. Both are plate loaded, with no motor, no electronics and no power supply, so neither depends on local voltage or mains supply. The Lat Pulldown has three weight pegs and the Vertical Pulldown has two, and moving plates between the pegs changes where in the range the resistance peaks rather than simply adding load.
What warranty comes with a Citadel pulldown?
Twenty years structural on the welded frame and seven years on moving parts, which covers bearings, bushes, pins and pivots. The structural warranty assumes the machine is bolted to the floor as specified.
