Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown
A cable pulldown pulled on a V-bar with palms facing each other, keeping the shoulders and wrists neutral.
How to do it
- Attach a V-bar or parallel handle to the high pulley of a pulldown station.
- Sit down and lock your thighs under the pad.
- Take the handle with palms facing each other and straighten your arms.
- Pull your shoulder blades down and keep your chest tall.
- Draw the handle to your upper chest with your elbows tracking close to your ribs.
- Return slowly until your arms are fully extended and repeat.
Key technique cue
Shoulders down, pull to the upper chest, elbows to the ribs.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Rocking the torso back and forth, which turns the pulldown into a partial row.
- ✕ Shrugging at the start, so the upper traps absorb the load before the lats.
- ✕ Curling the handle down with the arms, which makes the biceps the limiting factor.
- ✕ Cutting the top of the range short, which removes the loaded lat stretch.
Benefits
- ✓ Neutral forearms keep the shoulder out of full internal rotation.
- ✓ Comfortable grip for lifters with wrist or elbow sensitivity.
- ✓ Delivers lat activation comparable to pronated pulldown grips.
Progression: from easier to harder
-
Step 1 You are here - Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown
- Band Kneeling Pulldown
- Band Seated Pulldown
- Lat Pulldown
- Lever Lateral Wide Pulldown
- Machine Pulldown
- Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown
-
Step 2
About the exercise
Swapping a straight bar for a V-bar or parallel handle puts the forearms in a neutral position, so the shoulder stays out of full internal rotation through the pull. Setup otherwise matches a standard pulldown: depress the shoulder blades, then flex the elbows and extend the shoulders until the handle reaches the upper chest. EMG comparisons across seven pulldown variants found no significant difference in latissimus dorsi activation between grips, while neutral and narrow grips raise biceps involvement.
Updated
Similar exercises
A week of training and meals built for you
Workoutify plans workouts around your days, time and equipment — and a menu for your goal and macros.