Vickie
I extracted a partial quote from your message. I have been doing the lat pull down behind my head to the base of my neck for a while. What is the issue with doing that?
Steve
'Behind the neck' puts a lot of strain on your shoulders, specifically your rotator cuff. Refrain from doing lat pulldowns as well as military presses behind the neck - to the front is much better. I actually prefer doing chinups and pullups as opposed to lat pulldowns, so give that a try as well or use them to complement the pulldowns. Mix those in with some bent-over rows and/or one-arm dumbbell rows and you'll be pretty set for your lats.