Training back presents a few challenges. We usually can’t see it in the mirror during training, and it’s comprised of several muscles, all of which require work. In a YouTube video on Oct. 30, 2025, fitness coach Jeff Cavaliere broke down the only two lat-focused dumbbell exercises you need to build a classic V-taper back.
“If I told you that you can build that classic V-taper back with two dumbbell exercises with no cables or machines, you might think I’m oversimplifying, but I’m not.”
It’s not the number of tools on your belt, but rather how you use them. This concept resonates deeply with coach Cavaliere, who boasts over 14.2 million YouTube subscribers on his ATHLEAN-X channel.
Using his own experience as a base, along with knowledge he’s absorbed from legends like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Cavaliere knows how to help gym enthusiasts improve or achieve their dream physiques. This has led him to demonstrate how just a pair of movements could be the difference-maker on your next back day.
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Jeff Cavaliere’s Only 2 Dumbbell Exercises to Build a Classic V-Taper Back
Find his selections and insights from the video below:
- Dumbbell One-Arm Row
- Dumbbell Pullover
First, you’ll need a pair of dumbbells, one lighter and one heavier.
“It starts by choosing the right dumbbells, and you’re going to need two of them: one lighter and one heavier. The lighter one is going to be 20 percent less than the heavier one.”
Dumbbell One-Arm Row: Use Heavy Weight
No machines or cables are needed; first up is the dumbbell one-arm row, but instead of resting one knee on the bench, Cavaliere said to adjust it to an incline and go behind it. This allows both feet to remain on the ground, which can help lifters avoid hernias.
“Not with your knee up on the bench like this,” he shared. “Instead, you can still use this bench but use it to your advantage by simply propping it up to an incline and then resting yourself behind it with your feet squarely on the floor in this tripod position.”
Just like the typical setup on the one-arm dumbbell row, he explained that the elbow is still the driver of the load.
“I can also position the dumbbell between my feet so that when I pull, I still keep the load pretty symmetrical. Pulling from here, I still use the elbow as my driver of the weight.
I’m not thinking about pulling with my hands but rather driving the elbow back behind my body and as close to my side as I can to make sure that I’m targeting the lats.”
Dumbbell Pullover: Use Light Weight
With lighter weight, Cavaliere employs the dumbbell pullover, a Golden Era classic. He recommended flaring the elbows out because it puts the shoulders in an external rotation, key for offloading stress on the rotator cuffs.
“If you’re going to do the exercise the right way, you want to allow your elbows to flare out. What that does is open up the shoulders, puts them in the shoulder external rotation, and makes the exercise a hell of a lot more comfortable.”
“I mentioned using the light weight somewhere. This is the place you want to use it. It’s not about using super heavy weight, it’s more so about taking advantage of the stretch this exercise gives you in the bottom position.”
For maximum benefit, he said lifters can drop their hips to accentuate a deeper stretch:
“With that lighter dumbbell and with those elbows flared, you want to make sure that you’re syncing your hips down before you think about anything else because the attachment of the lats is the pelvis.
If you can drop the hips, then you’re going to create a larger stretch on the lats even without having to drop the dumbbell too far behind your head,” Jeff Cavaliere said.
Two dumbbells are all you need. Cavaliere has recently shown how anyone can buff up their quad sweeps or grow a bigger chest with just two exercises. These guides are especially helpful for those with limited equipment who tend to train at home.
Cavaliere encourages safe and effective lifting for muscle growth. With these two options, he believes anyone can build their lats and achieve that coveted V-taper.
RELATED: Jeff Cavaliere Explains How to Fix Flat Glutes With 2 Activation Drills & 3 Exercises
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