Back · Cable · Compound · Intermediate

V-Bar Pulldown

V-Bar Pulldown, start position
Start
V-Bar Pulldown, end position
End
FrontBack
PrimarySecondary
Main muscles
Lats
Also working
Biceps, Upper Back, Shoulders

How to do it

  1. Sit down on a pull-down machine with a V-Bar attached to the top pulley.
  2. Adjust the knee pad of the machine to fit your height. These pads will prevent your body from being raised by the resistance attached to the bar.
  3. Grab the V-bar with the palms facing each other (a neutral grip). Stick your chest out and lean yourself back slightly (around 30-degrees) in order to better engage the lats. This will be your starting position.
  4. Using your lats, pull the bar down as you squeeze your shoulder blades. Continue until your chest nearly touches the V-bar. Exhale as you execute this motion. Tip: Keep the torso stationary throughout the movement.
  5. After a second hold on the contracted position, slowly bring the bar back to the starting position as you breathe in.

Swaps on other equipment

Each has the lats as its main muscle and is also a pull, on a different piece of equipment.

Other lat exercises

Steps and photos from the public-domain Free Exercise DB, not individually reviewed. How this site is put together · Report a mistake