The latissimus dorsi, or lats, are a fan-shaped muscle on your mid-back. A large muscle, they work with your traps to form the “V” shape so many people desire. More importantly, the lats are an important muscle for many movements in and out of the gym. Nearly any time you pull with your upper body, you’re engaging your lats.

When you’re working your lats, make sure to take care of them. Warm up with some lat mobility exercises, and don’t forget to stretch your lats. Here are a few of my favorite lat exercises:

1. Lat Pull-Downs

The simple bar hang is a great way to stretch your lats. This is a bit of an active stretch, and you can modify it a bunch of different ways that I will discuss. The simple hang helps upward shoulder mobility as the lats stretch upward.

You can use a pullup bar if you have one, or something else you can hang on. Grab the bar with an overhand grip and hands shoulder width apart.
Fully extending your arms, hang for 30 seconds. rest for 10 to 20 seconds, then repeat.
To work the lats in different ways, you may try widening or narrowing your grip, or switching to an underhand chin-up grip.

2. Pull-Ups

Pull-ups are a classic lat workout and a key functional fitness exercise. They’re a great exercise for surfers, climbers, or any athlete who uses their upper body. In addition to your lats, you’ll work your rhomboids, traps, deltoids, biceps, and triceps. You can hit the muscles in different ways by easily adjusting your grip.

Grab the bar with palms facing away from you.
Squeeze your shoulderblades together and keep your core tight.
As you pull to lift yourself, connect with the muscles in your back. Use your back to pull yourself up, not your biceps.

3. Tucked Rows

Tucked rows are a great way to really target your lats. In this variation of the row, you keep your arms and elbows in and close to your torso, maximizing the use of your lats. I prefer to do this exercise with dumbbells, but you can also do it with a barbell or even resistance bands.

Begin by holding the weights in your hands with feet about hip width apart. You can allow the knees to bend slightly.
Keeping a straight back, bend at the hips to reach as horizontal as you’re able.
Do the row, pulling the weights upward toward the body. Keep your elbows in close to your body and don’t allow them to stick out.

4. Side Dumbbell Pullover

The normal dumbbell pullover is generally seen as a chest exercise, but also hits your lats and abs. You also get a good stretch through the lats as you lower the weight, making this a solid lat exercise to incorporate into your routine.

Lie on your side on a flat surface.
Holding a dumbbell in one hand, begin with the weight straight up the air.
Slowly lower the weight down and above your head, keeping your arm as straight as possible.
This may stretch your lat and work your mobility a bit, so don’t go farther than you’re comfortable.
Slowly raise the weight back to the starting position.
Repeat on the other side.

5. Machine Row

I’m not personally a huge fan of gyms, but a machine row is a solid way to hit your lats. With the machine and concentrated movements, you can protect your lower back well and lift heaver weights. Don’t forget to get a squeeze at the top of the movement.

Sit in the machine so your chest is secure with the pad. Grab the handles of the machine firmly.
Squeeze your abs and glutes and you drive your chest into the pad.
Beginning with a squeeze of the shoulder blades and keeping an open chest, pull to row. Drive your elbows back as far as you’re able, squeezing at the top here.
Release slowly, and repeat as many times as necessary.

6. Bird Dog Row

This is one of my favorite rowing variations as you work a whole lot of your body. Also, because of the lack of balance, you have to have near-perfect form. If you don’t have correct form or drop your shoulder, you will fall. It’s great way to train in proper row technique.

For this exercise you can use a bench or ledge. Begin in a bird-dog position. Hold the weight in your right hand, with your left hand supporting your body. Keep your right knee and foot on the ground to support you, and lift your left leg straight back and keep it horizontal.
Begin the row by simply pulling the weight up toward your chest. Try not to dip the shoulder. Keep the shoulders level horizontally, and chest open.
Repeat as many times as you’d like, and switch to the other side (switching legs as well).

7. Inverted Row

The inverted row is a great row variation that uses your bodyweight much like a pushup. You can use a bar on a rack, or a TRX system to do this exercise. To make this exercise more difficult, you can lower the bar to make yourself more horizontal. If you’re looking for more TRX movements, be sure to check out my post on the best TRX Lat Exercises.

Begin on your back on the ground. As you get ready to start, make sure to activate both your glutes and core as you will essentially be doing an inverted plank.
Grab the bar or TRX and row. Pull your body up to the max contraction possible, squeeze for a moment, and slowly lower yourself back down. Through the movement, make sure to keep your torso stiff. Keep your chest open, and squeeze through the shoulder blades.

For more mobility exercises and routines, check out my Stretching and Mobility Programs.

More Lat Exercises

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