V Bar Lat Pulldown Guide: How-to, Benefits, Muscles Worked & More

Simply put, it’s a type of pulldown where we use a particular handle called a v bar. During a pulldown, we’re usually seated (but we can stand or kneel) whilst we pull a weight down, from above us, using a cable machine.

Biomechanically, if we want to get the same benefits of this exercise, it doesn’t have to be a v bar that we’re using. Any neutral, close grip handles will work.

See our neutral grip pulldown and pronated grip pulldown guides here.

In most cases we would recommend a hypertrophy workout for this exercise, leaving any strength training to exercises like the pull-up and weighted pull-up. This is because these exercises will build more overall strength due to a wider range of muscles being recruited.

Aim for 10 – 12 reps, for 3 – 4 sets, using a 1 – 2 minute rest time.

Our lats work best when pulling our elbows from in front of us, rather than out to the sides like a wide-grip pull-up. This is why this variation of the pulldown is so adept at targeting our lats as it’s very difficult for our elbows to flair out whilst moving a considerable weight. If our elbows could flair out, we would recruit more rear delt.

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When performing this exercise we’re achieving an incredible stretch on our lats which is helping us to work the muscles more. This is because our arms are up in front of us. Compare the movement of the humerus in this exercise vs the arm movement in a seated row where our humerus can’t go higher than parallel to the floor due to the angle of the cable.

The close grip v handle is a double-edged sword. It’s great for keeping our elbows narrow, but it also restricts how far our elbows can move behind us.

If we were using either 2 handles with fabric straps (preferably long straps) or a medium width handle, our elbows would be able to move further behind our back, working our lats to a greater degree and getting more out of the movement.

Vs standing movement, seated movements aren’t as functional and they’re harder to transfer into everyday life or sport. Whilst there are standing and kneeling variations of the movement, it’s the seated version that you’ll see most in the gym. Because we’re seated our core has to do a lot less work to stabilise our body during the movement.

Work on bigger compound movements like the pull-up (see guide) to improve real-world functionality rather than performing mostly supported movements.

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It’s not that one variation is better than the other, it’s a question of what muscles you’re looking to work. As we’ve discussed, our lats work best when pulling the elbows back from directly in front of us. When we’re pulling our elbows to our midline from our sides (laterally), our traps, rear delts and rhomboids will be taking much more of the load.

Considering this, if you want to build your lats, go for a narrower grip. Conversely, if you want to build your upper back muscles, go for a wider grip. However…

The effects of grip width on activation and strength were tested in a 2014 study. They found that out of a wide, narrow and medium grip width, a medium width was the best for muscle activation and strength. Considering this, you may want to try using a slightly wider handle than the v bar for maximum results.

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As discussed, this muscle will be the focal point of this movement. The lats attach to the top of the humerus, as we can see from the accompanying image.

Looking at the image you can begin to see why this movement stimulates the lats so well. When our arms are up and out directly in front of us, that attachment to the humerus is going to be as far away as possible, finding the maximum stretch.

Because we’re closing the elbow joint during this movement, the biceps will be working. However, it’s important that we focus on pulling our elbows down rather than cranking our arms. This cue helps to improve lat activation (see a recent study on this cue). Our biceps should only be working as a secondary/stabilising muscle.

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Seated v bar lat pulldown

The most common variation. Good for increasing overload but criticised for lacking stability components to make the exercise more functional.

Using this variation is fine if you’re incorporating standing exercises into your back day as well.

Kneeling v bar lat pulldown

Whilst we are working on some level of stability in this movement, the knees aren’t particularly effective at maintaining stability at a high weight.

Furthermore, how many kneeling movements do you actually perform in the real world? Don’t answer that.

Standing v bar lat pulldown

To perform this move we would have to step a few feet away from the cable machine due to the height of our arms and the starting point of the handle.

Technically, there is nothing wrong with this movement as long as your torso position is correct. However, finding the first body position can be a little awkward and may take a bit of work.

Scientifically and biomechanically, this is the best pulldown variation for strength and muscle activation. I would use a neutral grip handle (see guide) for this variation.

Use the same form discussed at the beginning of this article.

This movement has to be a part of your back/pull routine. It builds muscle across the majority of the back as well as stimulates the core.

It’s incredibly functional and easy to overload with weighted variations. Read our pull-up guide here.

This exercise might be one of my favourites. You’ll get great lat activation, as well as some trap/rhoms/rear delt, depending on how you perform it.

To begin with, you may find performing this tricky, but pay attention to the form in the video and take it slow. Once you nail this exercise down you’ll see the benefits.