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Big Lats Workout to Help You Achieve Your Body Goals

How To Sculpt A Perfect Body?

Big biceps, chiseled abs, broad shoulders, and a V-shaped torso have long been considered the staple of the male physique’s attractiveness. Achieving all those features is not an easy task and requires a lot of determination, hours of training, and proper nutrition. Only if you put in enough effort and hard work will you be able to enjoy the anticipated results. You need to work all your muscle groups to achieve that picture-perfect look. That includes your back – a commonly neglected body part in training. If your goal is an ultimate ripped look, then this big lats workout is exactly what you need. Keep a log of your exercises to monitor your workouts.

How To Perform Bodybuilding Lat Exercises Safely?

Big lats workout consists primarily of exercises that involve vertical and horizontal pulling arm movements. Before getting down to your big lats workout first, you need to learn how to do all the exercises safely. If performed incorrectly, lat exercises can lead to an injury (1). You should also know when you should stop pushing your limits. For example, when performing a lat pull-down (2), stop immediately if you feel any discomfort in your shoulders. When doing bent-over rows (3), wrong posture can lead to a serious back injury. That is why if you want to go all-out, it is better to exercise lying on a bench to prevent any undesired consequences. The same goes for pull-ups (4). If you want to take your pull-ups to another level, take some precautions, and make sure that there is a professional nearby to watch your form. Another exercise that requires perfect form is a Romanian deadlift (5). When performing this exercise, avoid rounding your back and keep the weights close to your body to avoid low back spasms.

Top 3 Best Lat Exercises For Your Big Lat Workout

The best workout for big lats includes exercises that exert the widest range of motion on your lats, engaging every part of the muscle. So, without further ado, here are the top 3 best lat exercises for you to include in your big lat workout:

Dumb bell workout
Image by Henryk Niestrój from Pixabay

Straight-Arm Pulldown

This exercise is an advanced version of a basic lat-pulldown. It takes your lats through a wider range of motion, thus boosting the workout. You can perform this exercise on a machine or at home, using resistance bands (6):

  1. Attach the resistance band to a stable object above your head and hold the band’s ends with your arms straight in front of you.
  2. Slowly lower your arms to your sides without bending them.
  3. Hold it for a couple of seconds and return to the initial position.
  4. Perform 4-6 sets, 8-12 reps each.

Bent-Over Row

The bent-over row is one of the best lat exercises since it works your traps, lats, rhomboids, and rotator cuffs and improves your posture. While performing this exercise, focus on the proper form and prioritize your safety. You can spice up your big lats workout with a variation of this exercise, such as bent-over row and side lunge (7):

  1. Take a dumbbell in each hand, get into a side lunge, take a step with your right foot to your right, and bend your knee.
  2. Bend over at the waist and lower your arms.
  3. Bend your elbows, pulling them towards the ceiling and lifting the dumbbells. Keep your head down in line with your spine.
  4. Do 4-6 bent-over rows, switch to a left-side side lunge, and do 4-6 more.
  5. Perform 4-6 sets, 8-12 reps each.

Seated Cable Row

This exercise triggers serious muscle growth by working your lats, rhomboids, trapezius, and biceps. It involves a cable machine, which keeps your muscles engaged throughout the workout and ensures a certain safety level (8). Here is how to perform a seated cable row (9):

  1. Sit at the cable station with your feet on the platform and knees slightly bent.
  2. Grab the V-bar and pull it towards your torso until your hands reach your chest.
  3. Slowly extend your arms back to the initial point.
  4. Perform 3-4 sets of 5 high-weight reps or 2-3 sets of 10-12 medium weight reps.
Gym workout equipment
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More Exercises For Your Big Lats Workout

Having a great variety of exercises in your big lats workout will make it more effective and fun. So, here are some more exercises to add to your big lats workout:

Deadlift

The deadlift is a full-body exercise that primarily targets your quads, glutes, and hamstrings, but with some variations (10), it can also involve your lats. Here is how to perform a deadlift:

  1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and push your hips back.
  2. Grab the bar, and push your heels into the floor and extend your hips until you stand tall.
  3. Lower the bar back to the initial point.
  4. Perform 4-6 sets, 8-12 reps each.

Dumbbell Pullover

The dumbbell pullover can help you fully engage your back muscles, adding to wider lats. This exercise focuses on your lats by removing your biceps from the workout. Since it requires good shoulder flexibility and mobility, avoid performing this exercise with stiff or weak shoulders. Here is how to perform a dumbbell pullover (11):

  1. Lie down on a bench and hold the dumbbell with extended arms above your chest.
  2. Inhale while lowering the dumbbell down and back through a 90° arc.
  3. Pull the weight back up while exhaling.

DISCLAIMER: This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make any kind of decision. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!

Sources:

  1. 10 dangerous exercises that lead to injuries (2017, edition.cnn.com)
  2. Back Exercises – Seated Lat Pulldown (acefitness.org)
  3. Arm Exercises – Bent-over Row (acefitness.org)
  4. 6 Core Exercises for Wrestlers (2019, teamusa.org)
  5. Romanian Deadlift vs Deadlift: Which Is Best for Your Goals? (2017, teamusa.org)
  6. 5 surprising ways to use a resistance band to boost your health (2020, nbcnews.com)
  7. A 15-minute morning workout routine you can do anywhere (2019, nbcnews.com)
  8. For weight training, is it better to use free weights or machine weights? (2018, mayoclinic.org)
  10. The 5 Muscle Groups Guys Neglect Most (2017, huffpost.com)
  11. COMPARISON OF MUSCLE ACTIVATION AND KINEMATICS DURING THE DEADLIFT USING A DOUBLE‐PRONATED AND OVERHAND/UNDERHAND GRIP (2011, uknowledge.uky.edu)
  12. Bodybuilding Anatomy-2nd Edition.pdf (2015, academia.edu)

Featured Photo by Nigel Msipa on Unsplash