Lats

[SloppyJ]

So I've been trying to concentrate more on my lats. I can never seem to get an awesome pump in my lats. Is this common? In my back day I do plenty of workouts to hit them. Close grip pulldowns, Wide grip pulldowns and after I get done with everything else I do 20+ assisted pullups to failure. I have GREAT development in my upper back, traps and even lower back. But I cannot seem to get my lats to catch up. Any advice?

Here was my routine today:

Deads
135x10
225x10
315x8
365x8

BB Shrugs
365 x 10 x 3 sets
225x8

Wide Grip Pulldowns
190x12
210x10
210x10

Close Grip Pulldowns
180x10x3

DB Rows
80x12
85x10
90x8

Assisted Pullups to failure

 

[MCx2]

My guess would be because you're probably frying you grip (and pounding your already well developed delts and upperback) with deads and shrugs first. I would start prioritizing the movements that directly hit them: The pullups and the rows.

 

[D-Lats]

I had problems to for a long time.
I found using a variation of grips on the basic bent over row to be the trick. Try under hand rows, start narrow with 135 and work your way out in the bar. You will find a swet spot for your frame where you will feel the outer lats start to ache. No need to go super heavy either as you experiment, Lee Haney never went passed 225 and he had a sick back. Another one i found that added width were straight arm pulldowns wiyh moderate weight. When done right you will get that same aching imediatly. Also remember to exagerate the stretch which will insure a full contraction of all the lat fibers.

 

[SloppyJ]

I had problems to for a long time.
I found using a variation of grips on the basic bent over row to be the trick. Try under hand rows, start narrow with 135 and work your way out in the bar. You will find a swet spot for your frame where you will feel the outer lats start to ache. No need to go super heavy either as you experiment, Lee Haney never went passed 225 and he had a sick back. Another one i found that added width were straight arm pulldowns wiyh moderate weight. When done right you will get that same aching imediatly. Also remember to exagerate the stretch which will insure a full contraction of all the lat fibers.

I do like the straight arm pulldowns. I throw those in sometimes too. Maybe I should start with pulldowns and rows and save the deads and shrugs for last. As for grip, I've been using versa grips and fucking love them. But my grip still does get worn down.

Thanks for the suggestions guys!

 

[ANIMALHAUS]

The answer to all of your prayers...

Pull this bitch down to your nipples, and let her back up until you can't stretch any further. This will work wonders for your lats.

 

[D-Lats]

Also time. Your back is pretty complex and has all kinds of mass so it just takes time to break them down and build them up. Keep pounding away it will eventualky have to compensate with growth.

 

[SloppyJ]

When I say close grip pulldowns, that's what I'm refering to. It's not a v-bar but it's the same thing. Palms facing in (Semi-supinated).

 

[M4A3]

Jay training back... for some ideas.

‪Jay Cutler - Training‬‏ - YouTube

 

[bigcruz]

I usually do bent over rows with the barbell after my wide grip pulldowns and this usually gives me a good burn.

 

[sassy69]

Here's a great list of stuff for lats:
Back Exercise Menu

 

[buddhaluv]

wide grip pull down x4
v-bar pull down x4
Yates Barbell Row x4
Dumbell Row x4 - each side
Cable Rows x3

Be sure to actually use your lats, it's all about the mind muscle connection. visualize & become the lat. Also with the sets I've found out yates style training seems to be best when working the lats. work your way down from 12 reps to 5 reps the first 2 being warm-up sets & the last set being the hardest. Also, be sure to add weight/extra reps in every workout. if your getting stronger your obviously getting bigger.

 

[GMO]

Pull downs don't work your lats nearly as much as weighted chins. Strap a plate around your waist and crank out 4 sets, followed by another 4 sets of close grip weighted chins. Machine pull downs are ok for the end of a routine when your back is fatigued, but when it is fresh you gotta hit it with heavy compound movements.

 

[rocco0218]

Yates barbell rows in the squat rack...Its been blowing my shit out like crazy. Full pump after 2nd set.

 

[BigMuffin]

Pull downs don't work your lats nearly as much as weighted chins. Strap a plate around your waist and crank out 4 sets, followed by another 4 sets of close grip weighted chins. Machine pull downs are ok for the end of a routine when your back is fatigued, but when it is fresh you gotta hit it with heavy compound movements.

Exactly what this guy said. Save the cable movements for later and bust out the big boys first. Weighted Chin, BB Row (Various grip), DB Row, DB Pullovers are great.

 

[strongrunbox]

More and more pull ups

 

[SloppyJ]

You guys rock! Think I'll focus on hitting the chins first and foremost and go from there. Never heard of the yates rows before.

 

[rocco0218]

Swiss Bar Yates Rows

By Rachel CassanoPublished: May 6, 2010Posted in: Barbell Exercises, Delts, Lats, Swiss Bar, Traps, TricepsTags: back, lats, rows, swiss bar, upper back

The Yates Row, popularized by the great Dorian Yates, is great for building massive lats and upper back mass. Take a look at Yates??? back if you want some proof.
The movement is a variation on the standard bent barbell row. However, with the Yates row, the position and the pull are much different than a traditional row.
The angle of your back will be less than that of a traditional barbell row. In other words, you???ll be standing up straighter. You???ll want your back to be at a 20-35 degree angle; in between the positions you???d take for an upright row and a traditional row. When you move the weight, you???re going to pull it more towards your waist than your chest. Think of pulling the bar into your belly/waist, rather than up towards your ribs.
Give ???em a try, and build your back into something to be proud of.
Pick up a EFS Swiss Multi-Grip Bar here
Share and Enjoy:

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About the Author

 

[rocco0218]

Here you go sloppy...I like to use a reg barbell (under grip) about shoulder width.

 

[SloppyJ]

Maybe it's just cause I start with deads but do bent over rows tweak anyone elses lower back? Could be the dbol too. Like on the negative, it lights my lower back up. I guess it's just from stabilizing the weight but jesus H it gets rough sometimes.

 

[caaraa]

Your back is pretty complex and has all kinds of mass so it just takes time to break them down and build them up.

 

[Built]

The answer to all of your prayers...

Pull this bitch down to your nipples, and let her back up until you can't stretch any further. This will work wonders for your lats.

Yes.

The wider the grip, the less your lat is engaged - and the more horizontal force is taken up by the rotator cuff.

Try doing self-assisted weighted negative chins using a close neutral grip. Tip an incline board up a notch or two so you can use it to stand on and push yourself off to get to "up", then lower under as much of your own power as possible.

I'm a big fan of dumbbell rows and unsupported t-bar rows, as well. As a finisher, I sometimes do lat pulldowns one arm at a time; if you have a double-pulley, you can do these like you're climbing up a wall.

Another trick is to do a loaded passive stretch for your lats between sets. Grab a vertical bar at about waist level and pull. Now try it with your thumb down instead of up. You will notice how much deeper the stretch becomes - it will feel as if you are tearing the muscle off the bone. Hold this stretch for ten seconds on each side, and then do the v-grip pulldowns, then rest. Try doing a stretch before each of three sets of say 12 reps, and another at the end. Eat lots, and don't do these stretches for more than about 3-4 weeks worth of lat workouts. Do not use this technique while cutting.

 

[GMO]

Maybe it's just cause I start with deads but do bent over rows tweak anyone elses lower back? Could be the dbol too. Like on the negative, it lights my lower back up. I guess it's just from stabilizing the weight but jesus H it gets rough sometimes.

I always do deads last on back day, because if I don't all my heavy rows suffer. You might want to give that a try.

 

[carmineb]

The answer to all of your prayers...

Pull this bitch down to your nipples, and let her back up until you can't stretch any further. This will work wonders for your lats.

I like that one for the pulldowns....

I think if he isnt feeling his lats pump up, he might want to try going to ful stretch at the top then bring bar down and squeeze lat at top of movement for a peak contraction and tense lat at top to get a mind muscle connection.....

I also find that T bar rows work great using the Olympic bar in corner. Use the handle above and row so the plates hit yourmid to lower chest, that hits the lower lats where the V shape starts.

When doing chins palms facing in , bring elbows to the FRONT try keeping them in the front.....

The seated row, I use a handle that is wider than the aboveand pinch shoulders back at peak contraction and HOLD but I also stretch fully at the end and hump my back a little to get even a bigger stretch.

If you do the lat pulldowns slowly, NO momentum. Too man guys at gym use momentum, particularly on the wide grip and they cant feel anything. pull down slowly then around half way point start to lean back and squeeze at top.....

Try that and lower the weight you are using cuz you wil find you are using probably 20-30 pounds more than you should, thus needing the momentum to carry the exercise....

I have switched over to the pullups machine with the assist HARD to cheat using momentum with that particularly when your knees are kneeling on the assist platform. Switch to those, use alot of assist to get you feeling it. THOSE pump me up if I stretch and lean back at the end (Vince Gironda style).

 

[Anabolic5150]

V bar pulldowns, reverse grip pulldowns, dumbbell rows, t-bar rows and the deads or rack deads. If your back doesn't grow doing those, sorry I can't help.

Lower your weights in the beginning and feel the lats work. A little tip, take your pointer finger off the bar when you do your back movements. Point it like a child makes a gun with their finger. Looks retarded at first, but I have found that for me, it takes the biceps out of the movement. Don't know why, but it does.

Also, the static stretch that Built said is awesome. If you have no shoulder/rotator issues, you can also do shoulder width weighted hangs. But be careful, I've done them very heavy and they will wreck your shoulders if you are not careful. One last exercise, set a low pulley about waist high, sit on a short bench like you use for dumbbell shoulders presses, lean as far forward as you can and using a rope attachment, pull as far back as you can go. There is a video of Justin Harris doing this, I will post it if I can find it. Your bent 45 degrees from the waist, pulling along the body line if that gives you a visual.

 

[TampaSRT]

Pull downs don't work your lats nearly as much as weighted chins. Strap a plate around your waist and crank out 4 sets, followed by another 4 sets of close grip weighted chins. Machine pull downs are ok for the end of a routine when your back is fatigued, but when it is fresh you gotta hit it with heavy compound movements.

^This^

 

[carmineb]

lol.. weighted chins, i am still trying to do them assisted! but yes, dying for a 45 plate around my waist doing chins for sets.

I also do a lat stretch between sets it helps iwth the pump

 

[HitTheSidechest]

People can tell you what you have to do all day long, and you could still fail to work out lats properly. This might seem like an obvious statement, but after going through PT on my shoulder this past fall, I realized just how important form is to target specific muscle groups. It honestly could be very helpful to get a trainer, even if just for a short while, to show you how to target those specific areas.

 

[endurance724]

sloppy u want back width right? when u say lats are u referring to the width (as in lat spread pose) or thickness? or juss overall lat development.

 

[Kenny Croxdale]

So I've been trying to concentrate more on my lats. I can never seem to get an awesome pump in my lats. Is this common? In my back day I do plenty of workouts to hit them. Close grip pulldowns, Wide grip pulldowns and after I get done with everything else I do 20+ assisted pullups to failure. I have GREAT development in my upper back, traps and even lower back. But I cannot seem to get my lats to catch up. Any advice?

SloppyJ,

You've received some good replies on this. Let me provide you with some additional information.

Muscle Fiber Type

The lats and biceps are predominately composed of slow twitch muscle fiber. That means these muscles respond better to:

1) High Repetition Sets

2) Super Sets. Pre-Exhaust Training works well.

3) Short Rest Periods between sets.

Thus, your training protocol is just as important as your choice of exercises.

"Tweaking" The Lower Back

Welcome to the club.

The lower back back is quickly and easily overtrained.

Lower Back Recovery

That means fewer heavy deadlift training sessions are going to produce better results. Less frequent heavy deadlift sessions allow your back to recovery and grow stronger.

Also, unsupported lower back bent over rows wear your back down. That because your lower back is having to maintain an isometric.

Deadlift First

Someone once said, "If you want big arms, Squat."

The same applies with deadlifts and other multi-joint/compound movements that involve large muscles and large muscle groups.

Hormonal Stiumlation

Large muscles and large muscle groups placed under high intensity training, stiumlate anabolic (muscle building) hormones.

Something For Everyone

These anabolic hormones effect the whole body. Thus, performing deadlift first primes your lat for growth in whatever exercise that follows.

Kenny Croxdale

 

[SloppyJ]

Thank you kenny! I'm sure I have enough anabolics crusing through my system though!

And yes I am refering to just overall development.