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Exercise guide

V-Bar Pulldown

How to do the V-Bar Pulldown with correct form, the muscles it works, and where it fits a training plan you actually stick to.

CompoundCableIntermediatePull
Primary muscles

Lats

Secondary

Biceps, Mid Back, Shoulders

Equipment

Cable

Step by step

How to do the V-Bar Pulldown

  1. 1

    Sit down on a pull-down machine with a V-Bar attached to the top pulley.

  2. 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. 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. 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. 5

    After a second hold on the contracted position, slowly bring the bar back to the starting position as you breathe in.

  6. 6

    Repeat for the prescribed number of repetitions.

In Ascend

Log it, see it on your body.

Every V-Bar Pulldown set you log feeds Ascend's anatomy heatmap — so your lats volume is visible at a glance — and counts toward your bodyweight-strength tier.

Related

More lats exercises

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