10 Best V-bar Pulldown Alternatives for Building Lats

The V-bar Pulldown is done seated with a cable machine. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Close-grip Front Lat Pulldown, Underhand Cable Pulldowns and the Wide-grip Lat Pulldown. Two harder versions, the Cable Wide Grip Rear Pulldown Behind Neck and the Wide-grip Pulldown Behind The Neck, are listed below as progressions rather than swaps.

V-bar Pulldown

Each substitute is scored on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. Read how we rank alternatives

How to Do the V-bar Pulldown

The steps for the V-bar Pulldown itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Lats, with biceps, middle back, shoulders · Cable · Intermediate · Compound

  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.

The 10 Best V-bar Pulldown Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the V-bar Pulldown on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Cards with a "How to perform it" link open to show the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page. Harder versions are tagged as progressions and kept out of the top spot even when they score higher.

Each link re-ranks the list below for the kit it names. Pick one to hide the substitutes you cannot set up.

  1. Close-grip Front Lat Pulldown

    1. Close-grip Front Lat Pulldown

    99% match

    Lats · Intermediate · Compound

    It uses the same equipment and still works the lats.

    • Cable
    How to perform it
    1. Sit down on a pull-down machine with a wide bar attached to the top pulley. Make sure that you 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.
    2. Grab the bar with the palms facing forward using the prescribed grip. Note on grips: For a wide grip, your hands need to be spaced out at a distance wider than your shoulder width. For a medium grip, your hands need to be spaced out at a distance equal to your shoulder width and for a close grip at a distance smaller than your shoulder width.
    3. As you have both arms extended in front of you - while holding the bar at the chosen grip width - bring your torso back around 30 degrees or so while creating a curvature on your lower back and sticking your chest out. This is your starting position.
    4. As you breathe out, bring the bar down until it touches your upper chest by drawing the shoulders and the upper arms down and back. Tip: Concentrate on squeezing the back muscles once you reach the full contracted position. The upper torso should remain stationary (only the arms should move). The forearms should do no other work except for holding the bar; therefore do not try to pull the bar down using the forearms.
    5. After a second in the contracted position, while squeezing your shoulder blades together, slowly raise the bar back to the starting position when your arms are fully extended and the lats are fully stretched. Inhale during this portion of the movement.
    6. 6. Repeat this motion for the prescribed amount of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: lat pulldown, the same as the V-bar Pulldown
    • Primary muscle: lats, the same as the V-bar Pulldown
    • Equipment: a cable, the same as the V-bar Pulldown
    • Body position: seated, the same as the V-bar Pulldown
  2. Underhand Cable Pulldowns

    2. Underhand Cable Pulldowns

    97% match

    Lats · Intermediate · Compound

    The same equipment, taken with an underhand grip.

    • Cable
    How to perform it
    1. Sit down on a pull-down machine with a wide bar attached to the top pulley. 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.
    2. Grab the pull-down bar with the palms facing your torso (a supinated grip). Make sure that the hands are placed closer than the shoulder width.
    3. As you have both arms extended in front of you holding the bar at the chosen grip width, bring your torso back around 30 degrees or so while creating a curvature on your lower back and sticking your chest out. This is your starting position.
    4. As you breathe out, pull the bar down until it touches your upper chest by drawing the shoulders and the upper arms down and back. Tip: Concentrate on squeezing the back muscles once you reach the fully contracted position and keep the elbows close to your body. The upper torso should remain stationary as your bring the bar to you and only the arms should move. The forearms should do no other work other than hold the bar.
    5. After a second on the contracted position, while breathing in, slowly bring the bar back to the starting position when your arms are fully extended and the lats are fully stretched.
    6. Repeat this motion for the prescribed amount of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: lat pulldown, the same as the V-bar Pulldown
    • Primary muscle: lats, the same as the V-bar Pulldown
    • Equipment: a cable, the same as the V-bar Pulldown
    • Body position: seated, the same as the V-bar Pulldown
  3. Wide-grip Lat Pulldown

    3. Wide-grip Lat Pulldown

    96% match

    Lats · Intermediate · Compound

    The same equipment, taken with a wide grip.

    • Cable
    How to perform it
    1. Sit down on a pull-down machine with a wide bar attached to the top pulley. Make sure that you 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.
    2. Grab the bar with the palms facing forward using the prescribed grip. Note on grips: For a wide grip, your hands need to be spaced out at a distance wider than shoulder width. For a medium grip, your hands need to be spaced out at a distance equal to your shoulder width and for a close grip at a distance smaller than your shoulder width.
    3. As you have both arms extended in front of you holding the bar at the chosen grip width, bring your torso back around 30 degrees or so while creating a curvature on your lower back and sticking your chest out. This is your starting position.
    4. As you breathe out, bring the bar down until it touches your upper chest by drawing the shoulders and the upper arms down and back. Tip: Concentrate on squeezing the back muscles once you reach the full contracted position. The upper torso should remain stationary and only the arms should move. The forearms should do no other work except for holding the bar; therefore do not try to pull down the bar using the forearms.
    5. After a second at the contracted position squeezing your shoulder blades together, slowly raise the bar back to the starting position when your arms are fully extended and the lats are fully stretched. Inhale during this portion of the movement.
    6. Repeat this motion for the prescribed amount of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: lat pulldown, the same as the V-bar Pulldown
    • Primary muscle: lats, the same as the V-bar Pulldown
    • Equipment: a cable, the same as the V-bar Pulldown
    • Body position: seated, the same as the V-bar Pulldown
  5. Cable Lateral Pulldown With V-barPlay demonstration

    5. Cable Lateral Pulldown With V-bar

    95% match

    Lats · Intermediate · Compound

    The same equipment, taken with a neutral grip.

    • Cable
    How to perform it
    1. Sit down on the cable pulldown machine and grab the v-bar attachment with an overhand grip.
    2. Adjust the knee pad so that your thighs are secured under it.
    3. Keep your back straight and lean back slightly.
    4. Pull the v-bar down towards your upper chest while keeping your elbows close to your body.
    5. Squeeze your back muscles at the bottom of the movement.
    6. Slowly return the v-bar to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: lat pulldown, the same as the V-bar Pulldown
    • Primary muscle: lats, the same as the V-bar Pulldown
    • Equipment: a cable, the same as the V-bar Pulldown
    • Body position: seated, the same as the V-bar Pulldown

V-bar Pulldown FAQ

What muscles does V-bar Pulldown work?

The V-bar pulldown primarily targets the latissimus dorsi, with assistance from the teres major, posterior deltoid, and biceps brachii. It emphasizes shoulder extension and humeral adduction while requiring scapular depression and retraction for full lat recruitment; cue pull-elbows-down for better activation.

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