Lifts that target the Lats

[Drew83]

Looking for something different to hit the Lats. Any suggestions?

 

[jason_mazzy]

I do a few exercises for lats that I haven't seen many people do. My lats are one of my favorite muscles and have taken off since I incorporated this work. Now this is machine work because I have not figured out a safe and effective way to complete these with free weight. Place the cable in its highest position. Grab the stopper and use that as your grip. bend your body and push back away from the machine until you feel a full extension in the lat (it should feel like the lat is connected down past your ribs and has a pulling tight sensation). pull the selected weight down straight to your side slightly behind your hip. This is a 12 o'clock to six o'clock front facing exercise. same motion as shoulder front raise but pulling down. The second version I then do after hitting both sides is Get down on your knees and sit straight up. you will again feel the lat stretching but it should feel deeper in the back and top. I then bring my arm to my side like I am trying to fly away. 1 set bringing the hand and weight to the front and the next set bringing the hand behind my butt. You will feel a different pull on both sets. This has helped me a lot and my strength has gone up a lot also.

 

[Bigjay73]

I like close grip pull downs and db pullovers.

 

[jason_mazzy]

DB pullover are especially good for the young men. It widens the chest box and can help keep thoracic nerve syndromes down. When I get my lats too big I seem to get two numb arms all the time and that is from thoracic sysndrome and it can kill you.

 

[ctr10]

Rows

 

[jason_mazzy]

Don't ignore the machine because of the stigma. While a machine is no bueno for squats and bench the cable is not static and you can load up the weight for these songle arm pull down exercises. They target the lats and I bet you cannot pull the weight you think you can. It aint a joke but you can ignore the advice if you want and I'll keep growing my bat wings.

 

[Drew83]

Jason if you can, can you grab a vid of you doing the exercise? Thanks BigJay! ctr10 I'm working on getting the feel for BB rows. When doing BB rows, pull the bar to your stomach or closer to the diaphragm?

 

[jason_mazzy]

Yeah I'll see if someone can grab a vid of me next week.

 

[oliolz]

I like high rep DB rows ( Kroc rows ), Dead stop rows with a barbell or DB's, stiff arms pulldowns are great too - hold the contraction for a second or two & really feel the lats contract.

 

[Dr.G]

all the above ideas are good, also if you have a hammer strength pull down machine available in your gym, it is really really nice. + i use supersets for example i do pull ups and when i can't do them anymore i just continue with the pull down cable. or i superset barbell rows with cable rows or pull downs. a slight pause in the contraction position is good, negatives slower than positives

 

[Drew83]

Nice! Thanks for all the feed back. I'm a big fan of pull ups (wide and v bar/narrow) and deads but I figure something different to change in and out would be good.

 

[snatchs454]

pullovers, pulldowns, pullups (all variations), DB rows, and our gym has some nice machines that help isolate. Also give this a try next time you do DB rows, at the start of the exercise have the DB positioned like you would in a pressing exercise, not in the typical parallel to your body position, then as you pull the DB up towards your navel region twist it parallel.
Kind of like this:
Dumbbells Rows With a Twist - YouTube

 

[snatchs454]

Now I have a question..I usually do pullovers with the pre-weighted w-bars. Is there a difference or benefit to using a DB over the w-bar?
Thanks,
Snatch

 

[Dr.G]

for me the db puts more emphasis on the lats and chest and less on triceps, i do them leaning back across the bench not along on top of the bench

 

[snatchs454]

for me the db puts more emphasis on the lats and chest and less on triceps, i do them leaning back across the bench not along on top of the bench

gotcha!! I do it he same way just with barbell, and you are right..it does use alot of triceps. Ill try with a dumbbell and see how it feels.
Thanks

 

[Drew83]

out of curiosity Jason do you mean Lat pull throughs like in this vid of Jose? The first cable exercise he is doing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9CQ4E5NSRwE#t=90

 

[jason_mazzy]

No I do a single arm where I stand up grab the stopper (usually a black rubber ball) make a fist around it and then pulldown. Before I pull down I take a step backand bend over a lil bit while extending my arm. This should put the stopper out about an inch or so to right where the weight begins to load onto the cable. If done correctly you will feel the lat stretching from the insert (should be a similar to the feeling you get when stretching your hamstrings) when you feel that stretch you know you are in proper position to target the lat from top to bottom. As you begin to pulldown you should feel it all the way through to the contraction. then back up and you will feel the full stretch.

 

[jason_mazzy]

I will also sometimes take a long bar and do it with both hands kind of like a dumbbell pullover but obviously standing.

 

[MuscleGauge1]

I like two things for lats. Db rows and barbell rows both are decent ways to work the lats. I use them in super sets. It works the best for my body. I always feel a burn when I do these and it feels great. I love them overall they are excellent, I finish my workouts with some light cardio usually incline walking on the treadmill.

 

[jason_mazzy]

I also promote single arm rows but not posting from a stiff arm on a bench. I found when you use heavy dumbbells that way it really cranked on my wrists and I didn't feel the stretch. I began standing up and placing my non rowing arm across my knee. when in this semis standing/squatting position you can move your torso so that you can get the full stretch of the lat.

 

[rutman]

I watched this guy years ago doing DB rows from a decline bench. I tried it and have done that way ever since. It's a better angle of pull....imo


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[rage racing]

weighted wide grip pull ups and heavy barbell rows for me...