Front lat pulldowns - form question

It's obviously necessary to lean one's upper body back somewhat when doing front lat pulldowns. I often see people at the gym taking this to extremes, however, leaning _way_ back, sometimes at greater than a 45-degree angle, to the point where they're lying down more than sitting upright. None of the things I've read on the front lat pulldown indicate that it's a strict exercise requiring precise attention to form. Even so, it would seem that leaning back beyond a certain point would begin to defeat its purpose. Is that a correct assumption, and about where would that point be?

It seems to me that this just hits the back at different angles, like bent over rows as opposed to pullups. Dave76er

It's probably not a good idea for folks who have unstable lower backs.

That depends on when you start leaning back.

I've seen a lot of people start the movement by leaning back and then, once the weights have some momentum, move the weights more by pulling their arms down.

The problem is that a lot of these people don't keep their back in the same position throughout the exercise. That is, they rock back and forth, using the lower back to 'throw' the weight. Leaning back further makes it easier to do this. It's much harder to cheat in this manner when you stay almost upright. By the way, you should also keep your back arched on this movement.

Oh yes, I see these 'human metronome' types all the time at the gym. The EZ curl is another favorite of theirs. I mean, I can understand rocking a little on the last rep or two, but some people do it all the time. They must _really_ want to stack on the weights, form be

you should lean back just far enough so that you can grab the chinup bar

Do a pull up. Note your form and the location the bar first touch's your body, probably your collar bone just below your chin. That is the correct way to perform a Lat Pull Down.

Correct assumption! As with all exercises form is important, try to not surpass the 45 degree point when pulling the bar down. Here's an example:
http://exrx.net/WeightExercises/LatissimusDorsi/ CBFrontPulldown.html