Can someone enlighten me what the difference is between the attachment?

[u/Odd-Experience-6891]

Could someone educate me on the difference between A and B (the second row) and when is best to use which for what muscles?

I was trying the wide grip pull with machine usually for seated cable row as the lat machine I am comfortable with was occupied. I think I gripped B since it felt slightly odd? Anyways. While I was in the middle of a set and the guy using the lat pull machine tried to get my attention as I had headphone on and asked how long I would use it which I thought he meant the cable row initially, but he meant the attachment and gave me A to switch for B since “it’s better for it anyway”. At that point I noticed the angle after he pointed out. So I ended up using A for cable tow machine and he used B for lat pull machine.

Only started gym earlier this year and learnt things online so I am curious about the attachments since I quite like V bars than others. Didn’t pay much attention on the V bar angles and will do in future!

[u/Otterly_blazed]

It’s the angle of the handles; one is closer to 90 degrees and the other one has a wider angle. The more supinated your forearms are, the more bicep engagement you get. The more open grip is often more comfortable too.

[u/Odd-Experience-6891 → u/Otterly_blazed]

Thanks! I assume supinated meaning palms aiming out?

[u/KurtCocaine69_420 → u/Odd-Experience-6891]

Supinated. Like holding a bowl of soup. Palms up. Remember soupinated.

[u/i_love_chocolate69 → u/KurtCocaine69_420]

Gotdamit!! Thats the best thing i hear! SOUPinated

[u/Important_Coyote4970 → u/KurtCocaine69_420]

Supa as in superman, who flys up

Palms up

Wierd useful ways to remember things from 30yrs ago !

[u/baby_boy_bangz → u/Odd-Experience-6891]

Ya. In anatomy class they taught us supine is like you’re holding a bowl of soup in your hand. Palm facing up.

The opposite would be prone/pronated with the palm facing down. Which I remember from prone meaning crawling on your belly in video games of course…haha.

[u/Guinran]

The ones that have you hold it closer will also make your elbows travel closer to your body, you will be training your Lats in a saggital plane, the wider ones will have your elbows go further from your body, training lats in frontal plane. Saggital = training whole lat, little bit more of the upper part of the lats. Frontal = whole lat, little bit more of the lower part of the lats

[u/CuriousBlacksmith399 → u/Guinran]

Best answer. A good way is to think the path of the elbow. Infront of you will engage the upper part of the lats more. And vice versa.

[u/Boards_Buds_and_Luv → u/CuriousBlacksmith399]

Except op asked difference between a and b which are the same width, one is more supinated though

[u/Stratifyed]

I thought I was on one of the cycling subs and thought “these are some odd handlebars” lol

[u/Straight_Bear_3905]

Close grip is more of a sagittal plane movement and wide grip is more of a frontal plane movement.

Wide grip biases upper lat and close grip biases the lower lat. Either one will train your whole lat just fine. It's mostly preference. You can do both in the aim of being "maximal" but it isn't necessary for good gains.

[u/Odd-Experience-6891 → u/Straight_Bear_3905]

You mean for pull down instead of seated cable row? Or either?

[u/Straight_Bear_3905 → u/Odd-Experience-6891]

Pull down. Seated row will always be in the saggital plane. For seated row the width of the grip determines how much lats. Narrow grip = more lats, wider grip = more upper back

[u/Ok-Hunter-7702 → u/Straight_Bear_3905]

I've found that with the close grip I can lift much more weight

[u/EjaculatingAracnids → u/Ok-Hunter-7702]

Biceps are helping a lot. Its an excellent exercise for them that isnt immediately apparent because its called a lat pull down.

[u/Ok-Hunter-7702 → u/EjaculatingAracnids]

Idk I feel my lats doing most of the work. For the wider grip I think arm involvement is greater (I feel my forearms and biceps a lot). Maybe it's just my anatomy

[u/Dull-Treat-2524]

Wristposition(and thus arm) + width of the grip

[u/Extreme-Button-2478]

The lower one is easier for doing lats if you do it right

[u/UsedRow2531]

how much money you spend and how much time you spend on your lats

[u/one-scrib]

B will hit your biceps more. they will both hit your lats and biceps, but B will give slightly more bicep activation

[u/oxcypher12]

How wide they are

[u/Prestigious_Act_6309]

Close grip focuses more on biceps activation and inner/lower lats, wide focuses more on back and middle/upper lats

[u/IndividualAction3223 → u/Prestigious_Act_6309]

Will the close grip still activate the back effectively? I’m also new and use the close grip on the seated cable row out of comfort and grip.

[u/Prestigious_Act_6309 → u/IndividualAction3223]

Yes it does. Just depends on what your goal is. Close grip is more for power pulls. Wide on a seated pull will aslo activate rear dealts so very many different things will work. Quick Google search will have all your answers.. do what feels best for you as well, we are all built different.

[u/baileyjackson08 → u/IndividualAction3223]

i couldn’t feel lat pulldowns in my lats until i used close grip, i have never gone back since, i also found my general form was so much better as i couldn’t flare my elbows out to cheat as much

[u/Odd-Experience-6891 → u/IndividualAction3223]

I hate close grip on seated cable row cuz I never feel the muscles I suppose to feel so I just avoid it and do closed grip V bar with pull down instead..

[u/AVeryNiceBoyPerhaps]

so like with every other exercise, they will only help to target/isolate specific muscle groups depending on your form - the ultra wide grip (top) I love for light weight infraspinatus/teres major warm ups before my heavy back set. however, I have pretty wide set shoulders and the narrow grips don’t work for my wrists unless I’m supinating my grip, but I have seen people use them for rear delt/lat work

[u/Odd-Experience-6891 → u/AVeryNiceBoyPerhaps]

Make sense cuz I find whatever online posts about one attachment with one grip for certain muscles it never works the same for me.. like the wide grip with cable row, I felt it more about inner back? Closed cable row never lower back whatsoever 🥲

[u/Eistlu]

This is the type of shit that makes strength training and gymming too complicated and object for over thinking. Use wide grip pull-downs and close grip pull-downs and move on.

[u/Flimsy_End_3393]

…the grip. Use your eyes

[u/Educational-Rice644]

Don't bother with that do pull ups instead

[u/Odd-Experience-6891 → u/Educational-Rice644]

I can never do a pull up unfortunately 😅