5 Best Lat Exercises. When you think of the attractive body parts to exercise in the gym, you usually think of the beginning of the so-called “mirror muscles.” These are the muscles that each guy likes to train and the ones that you can always see easily—chest, arms, abs, and shoulders.
Training your lats, however, seems boring to some and daunting to others because sometimes, we believe in pull-ups as our only choice. But there are a host of activities that can get the job done.
Here Are 5 Best Lat Exercises
Pull-up
Nothing works your lats completely as well as a perfect pull-up, and, unlike with another workout, you don’t have to give as much attention to holding your back straight because gravity will take care of that for you. Just don’t hit yourself up if you try when you’re beginning – pull-ups are tough.
Hang from a pull-up bar with your arms stretched, hands shoulder-width apart and your palms facing apart from you. Strengthen your core and gently pull yourself up until your neck is above the bar. Rest, then lower in an identically controlled manner till your arms are straight again.
Dumbbell pull-over
If, after all the pulling, pushing and rowing, you feel like you require a little lie-down, complete your session with this movement. Take care when choosing weight and if in doubt, go lighter. You’re going to be carrying that weight above that beautiful mug of yours.
Rest with your head and back flat on a table, and your feet flat on the ground, carrying one dumbbell in both hands with your arms stretched above your chest. Maintaining your arms stretched, lower the dumbbell back your head till it’s approximately level with your head, then take it back up to over your chest. If you begin to feel trouble in your shoulders, don’t drop the weight any further; rather, go and work on your shoulder movement and choose a lighter dumbbell.
Single-Arm Long-Bar Row
This variety of the single-arm dumbbell row does a barbell attached at one end, either into a landmine hosel or into a corner. Some people find this setting to gain a more excellent range of motion than either the barbell or dumbbell gives. You can also place this surprisingly heavily.
Set up, so the barbell is at your side. With your chest up and back flat, lean over and grip the bar near the collar with a neutral grip, having your knees bent. Stretch your elbow as high as possible, but don’t bend your body; keep it square and facing front. Always hold your head neutrally aligned as well.
Decline Dumbbell Pull-Over
This version of the pull-overs decline position focuses more on the lats than the flat-bench pull-over while decreasing the degree of pressure on the chest. Not only will you gain a more excellent range of motion than the flat-bench variant, but also more significant time below tension on the lats.
Pick a bench with about a 45-degree decline, and set a single dumbbell on the ground at its base. Hook your legs below the rest, and reach back for the weight. Your arms should be straight, but your elbows should be opened and stay in more or less the same position during the movement. Pick the weight up to a point somewhere over your chest, really concentrating on stretching with your lats.
Single-Arm Cable Row
This row variation replaces the close-grip handlebar with a D-handle, so you’re working each side individually. This change helps give you more range of motion and more grip choices: neutral (palm-in), overhand, underhand, or maybe best of all, twist your palm, turning it up (or down) as you pull, which gives you a completely new feeling.
Set yourself up like you’re doing a seated cable row with your knees bent and back lightly bent, sitting up tall. Grip the handle with one hand, dragging your elbow as far back as feasible without bending your body to the side. Retract your shoulder blade, and give the middle-back musculature a short squeeze before letting the weight to pull your arm back to the origin position.
Also Read: Benefits of strength training
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