Larger Lats - Achieve Them!

People are impressed by big, ripped lats (short for Latissimus Dorsi, in case you were wondering if I paid attention in Latin class), especially those of us in the bodybuilding community. There are few sights, even at a bodybuilding competition which are more dramatic than when the contestants turn around to show off these impressively defined muscles ? there are often gasps of admiration from the crowd and a little applause.

Although not everyone wants to build competition quality lats, many of us wouldn?t mind at all having a little more definition from our back muscles. In this article, I?ll give you a few exercises to get you started.

Standing Dumbbell Rows:

1. Holding a dumbbell with one arm, take your free arm and hold onto the bench for balance ? it is helpful to also let your knee on this side rest on the bench for extra support.

2. Your arm holding the dumbbell should be reaching all the way to the floor.

3. Keeping your elbow against your body, slowly raise the dumbbell up towards your side. Make sure your lats and your elbow do the work-don’t let your bicep or the momentum of the weight interfere.

4. Pull the weight up to your hip, hold for a moment to make the most of the muscle contractions, and then slowly return to starting position.

5. Repeat this exercise 10-12 times, and then switch to the other side.

This exercise requires a cable pulley machine, if you don’t have one at home, remember to try this the next ime you are at the gym.

Front Pulldowns Close-Grip:

1. Grip the handlebar firmly with both hands.

2. Pull the weight towards your body slowly. Slightly arch your back and push your chest forward.

3. The key to this exercise is to use your elbows, not your biceps, to pull the weight.

4. Continue pulling the handle down to your chin and hold it for a moment. Slowly release the weight, letting your arms go with the handlebar for a great stretch.

5. This is one fantastic lat builder, as long as you use your elbows and not your biceps, to do the work. Nothing wrong with bicep work, we’re just working on the lats now!

These exercises should give you a good start on building your lats into the powerhouses they can be ? or just a little more defined. Whatever your goal, keep at it and you WILL achieve it!

Catch ya at the gym!