What you'll gain

• Bias-loads the lower lats with a narrow, biceps-friendly grip.

• Trains the vertical pull through a longer range than the wide-grip version.

• Adds variation to pulldown programming for balanced lat development.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   Attach a close-grip V-handle to the cable and sit on the machine with your thighs locked under the pad.

2. 2

   Grip the handle with palms facing each other and let your arms extend fully overhead.

3. 3

   Lean your torso back about 10 to 15 degrees and pull your shoulder blades down to set the lats.

4. 4

   Pull the handle down to your upper chest by driving the elbows down close to the sides of your body.

5. 5

   Pause briefly at the bottom with the handle at your collarbones, squeezing the lower lats hard.

6. 6

   Let the handle travel slowly back overhead over 2 to 3 seconds until your arms are fully extended.

Common Mistakes

• Pulling with the biceps and forearms instead of leading with the elbows and back.

• Leaning too far back so the lift turns into a row instead of a vertical pull.

• Cutting the top range short and never letting the arms fully extend overhead.

• Letting the stack snap up at the top, removing the slow return portion of each rep.

About This Exercise

The narrow pulldown swaps the wide bar of a standard pulldown for a close-grip handle, shifting the load toward the lower lats and biceps. The closer hand position naturally tucks the elbows in and lengthens the pulling range, giving the lats more time under tension and the biceps a stronger contribution. For app and content use, this clip is a smart variation to ship alongside the standard pulldown for complete lat development. It fits pull-day flows, hypertrophy back blocks, and grip-variation content in any strength training app or coaching platform that wants to teach lifters how grip changes the loading.

Looking for an exercise animation collection for your app, coaching platform, or content workflow? MoveKit gives you consistent quality across every movement so your product feels cohesive from first launch through scale.

Build faster with related MoveKit resources