V-Bar Pulldown

How to do the V-Bar Pulldown

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.
6. Repeat for the prescribed number of repetitions.

Muscles worked

Role	Muscles
Primary	lats
Secondary	biceps, middle back, shoulders
Equipment	cable machine
Difficulty	intermediate
Type	compound

No cable machine? Train the same muscles with these

Ordered by how likely you are to own the 6 options.

V-Bar Pullup Bodyweight Wide-Grip Rear Pull-Up Bodyweight Chin-Up Bodyweight Pullups Bodyweight Bent-Arm Barbell Pullover Barbell Kipping Muscle Up Other Equipment

Easier than the V-Bar Pulldown

Same movement pattern, lower entry difficulty — work up from here.

Close-Grip Front Lat Pulldown beginner · Cable Machine Underhand Cable Pulldowns beginner · Cable Machine V-Bar Pullup beginner · Bodyweight

Superset the V-Bar Pulldown with

Opposing shoulders and chest work — alternate sets without extra rest.

Face Pull shoulders Flat Bench Cable Flyes chest Incline Cable Flye chest Alternating Cable Shoulder Press shoulders

Common questions

What muscles does the V-Bar Pulldown work?

The V-Bar Pulldown primarily works the lats, with the biceps, mid back, and shoulders as secondary movers. Close-Grip Front Lat Pulldown, Full Range-Of-Motion Lat Pulldown, and Kipping Muscle Up train the same muscle, across 7 equipment types.

What equipment do you need for the V-Bar Pulldown?

A Cable Machine. Without a cable machine, V-Bar Pullup, Wide-Grip Rear Pull-Up, and Chin-Up train the same muscle, and 8 of the catalogue's options for this muscle need no equipment.

Is the V-Bar Pulldown suitable for beginners?

It is rated intermediate. Start with Close-Grip Front Lat Pulldown, Underhand Cable Pulldowns, and V-Bar Pullup and work up.

Where should the V-Bar Pulldown go in a workout?

Early — the V-Bar Pulldown is compound, working 4 muscle groups, so run it first or second while you are fresh, then superset Face Pull and Flat Bench Cable Flyes later.

Similar exercises

Close-Grip Front Lat Pulldown Cable Machine Full Range-Of-Motion Lat Pulldown Cable Machine Kipping Muscle Up Other Equipment Muscle Up Other Equipment Rocky Pull-Ups/Pulldowns Other Equipment Rope Climb Other Equipment