5 Essential Back Exercises for Bigger & Stronger Lats
Many of us gym rats have all different sorts of goals for the time spent in the gym. Physique, strength, and endurance goals are a few of the many fitness goals that we set for ourselves. If you are going for physique goals, you many have heard of achieving a "V-taper physique" or wanting to "grow those lats." Lucky for you, today's blog post shares five of our favorite back exercise to grow those lats bigger and stronger!
Keep reading to get inspiration on the best back exercises to add to your next upper body day!
Anatomy of the Lat Muscles
So, before we share our top five essential back exercises, let's first become acquainted with where the lat muscles are and what functions they serve.
The latissimus dorsi is essentially the two large, triangle-shaped muscles located on the left and right side of your back.
The main purpose that these lat muscles serve is to aid in "pulling" motions and/or exercises. When the muscles are contracting to pull an object towards the body, the lat muscles are working! The other main function where the lats are working is the motion of adduction and abduction. This is when you raise your arms out to the side and back toward the body.
Why should you train your lat muscles?
It is very important to not neglect your lat muscles on upper body "pull" days. Since the latissimus dorsi is two of the largest muscles in the body, it is often activated in many daily functions and movements. The stronger your lat muscles are, the better your abilities come to back day exercise essentials AND additional strength to lifting heavy objects.
Some benefits of incorporating consistent back exercises are:
Stabilizes the spine and core
Improvement of shoulder ROM
Efficiency with activities such as climbing, rowing, swimming, throwing, etc.
Lifting and pulling heavy objects
Reduces risk of injury
To get a closer look at a few exercises that strengthen the lat muscle, we have provided 5 essential back day exercises to incorporate into your workout. Additionally, a "how to" is added to each of them so you can learn the correct form and put in consistent work on them for great results!
5 ESSENTIAL BACK EXERCISES FOR BIGGER & STRONGER LATS
Lat Pull Downs
Lat pull downs are one of the best machine-based exercises that isolate the lat muscles. These can be done either on the cable machine or a "pin select" machine (depending on if your gym has them or not."
The best thing about lat pull downs is that there are many variations to these. You can go light and rep out a 15-20 (for hypertrophy style), or use them to progressive overload for advancement each time.
HOW TO:
Sit in the seat of the lat pulldown station (either machine or cable machine).
Adjust weight to where feels comfortable, yet challenging.
Grab shoulder width bar above head (many gyms will have different attachments to choose from as well).
Face forward, embrace the core, and make sure spine is straight.
Pull the bar down, squeeze shoulder blades together, and make sure elbows are near each sides of your body.
2. Pull-Ups
While pull-ups may be one of the hardest back exercises to perform, they can be easily modified to make easier!
You can simply use an assisted pull-up machine and adjust weight to where it is needed. Another option would be to incorporate long resistance bands, where you will place feet in the band and it will add assistance on your way up.
HOW TO:
Hang from either assisted pull-up machine or regular bar above the head, shoulder-width apart.
Embrace the core and put mind-muscle connection in the upper body.
Bend your elbows and pull your body upwards, bringing your chin to the bar.
Pause at the top, squeeze lat muscles, and slowly lower body to hanging position.
3. Chest-Supported Row
Chest-supported rows are very similar to barbell rows and dumbbell rows, they are simply just chest-supported. This exercise is performed with either dumbbells or with a chest-supported row machine. Chest-supported rows are great for targeting your lats and provide support to maintain proper form!
HOW TO:
Find a bench or machine that matches your height.
Plant feet firmly into the ground and put your chest up against the incline of the bench.
Grab the dumbbells you are working with and let your arms hang straight down with palms facing one another.
Focusing on form, slowly pull the dumbbells upward, bringing your elbows "to the ceiling."
Squeeze your shoulder blades together and slowly lower your arms back to starting position.
4. Straight Arm Lat Pull-Downs
Straight arm lat pull-downs are another great way to isolate your lat muscles. The lat pull downs are an amazing exercise to do if you struggle with feeling your lats work on traditional seated lat pull downs. These guys are performed on the cable machine and can be switched up based on which attachment you use! The best attachments I've seen and used is the ropes and the straight bar attachment. Make sure you concentrate on your lats to activate them and make them work!
Attach either rope handles or bar of choice and adjust height to be well over your head.
Grasp each end of the attachment, keep your spine in a straight line, and embrace your core.
Bend your hips forward until your torso is at a 30-45 degree angle.
Slowly pull the attachment, driving your arms down to your sides, keeping your elbows locked.
Think as if you are pulling the bar down to your front pockets, lining up with your hips.
Reverse the motion by slowly raising your arms back to starting position.
5. Barbell Row
Very similar to the chest supported row is the seated barbell row. This exercise can be done either seated or standing. Seated rows are performed on a cable machine with their attachment, and standing rows are usually done with a preloaded barbell or barbell with added plates!
HOW TO:
For seated rows:
Attach grip attachment of choice (I like the narrow grip attachment).
Adjust weight to where you feel is comfortable and challenging.
Sit with back straight and core tightened.
Grab attachment and pull toward your chest, bringing your elbows to your lat muscles.
Hold and squeeze at the top, then slowly release.
For standing rows:
Place the barbell on the floor in front of you.
Hinge at the hips and bend over and grab the bar with both hands.
Keep the core embraced and back and neck straight.
Pull the bar with your back and arms towards your hips. Make sure your elbows are to both sides of your lat muscles!
Squeeze at the top and slowly lower back to the floor.
Summary
Back day is one of the best days spent at the gym for those of us who love upper body days. With that, we want to make sure we have great exercises to gain strength and size! The five back exercises provided are just a handful of our favorite back day exercises to work towards that V-taper physique! If you have any more questions about how to perform the movement, more back exercises, or anything at all, feel free to reach out! We are always happy to help.
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