The Best Latissimus Dorsi Exercises to Build Bigger Lats

A lot of bodybuilders are guilty of spending too much time training the muscles they can see in the mirror. Every day is chest, shoulders, biceps, and abs day. And leg training? Forget about it!

That’s a shame because this mirror-focused training approach leaves a whole lot of muscle untapped.

Of all your back muscles, the lats are arguably the most important. When developed properly, your lats give your back width and thickness. In fact, big lats are even visible from the front and look a little like wings.

Because of their size and function, it’ll take more than a couple of sets of lat pulldowns or seated rows to build the back of your dreams. Instead, you’ll need to hit your lats from a variety of angles and with different movements to develop muscular, strong lats.

In this article, we reveal the 15 best exercises for building bigger lats.

Latissimus Dorsi Anatomy

While you don’t need a degree in functional anatomy to build bigger latissimus dorsi or lats for short, it may be helpful to know a little more about this massive muscle so you can choose the best exercises to train it.

Latissimus dorsi means side back muscle, which tells you (in Latin!) where your lats are. The lats basically connect your arms to your torso and, as such, they control several upper arm movements.

The functions of the lats are:

Adduction of the shoulder joint – adduction means to draw a limb into the midline of your body. The lats adduct the shoulder joint, meaning they pull your upper arms down and into your sides, such as during lat pulldowns or wide-grip pull-ups.

Extension of the shoulder joint – as well as adducting your shoulder, the lats are also responsible for shoulder extension. This means drawing your upper arms backward. Exercises that involve this movement include seated and bent-over rows.

Medial rotation of the shoulder joint – medial or internal rotation means turning inward. The lats are a back muscle, but they attach to the front of your humerus. As such, when they contract, they turn your upper arms inward. Doing a front “lat spread” is an example of this movement.

To develop your lats fully, you need to perform exercises that involve shoulder adduction AND shoulder extension. This means your workout needs to include vertical AND horizontal pulling exercises.

To that end, here are the best exercises for building bigger lats, classified by joint action.

The Best Latissimus Dorsi Exercises – Vertical Pulls

Vertical pulling exercises mainly involve shoulder adduction and will help you build a wider upper back. If you want a broader lat spread, these are the exercises you need to do!

1. Lat pulldowns

Lat pulldowns are an excellent upper back exercise. Using a lat pulldown machine means you can easily adjust the weight and even do pump-inducing drop sets. Lat pulldowns are very straightforward, and you can use several different handles and hand positions to train your lats from various angles. Lat pulldown options include:

• Wide overhand grip
• Medium overhand grip
• Neutral medium grip
• Neutral narrow grip
• Medium underhand grip
• Narrow underhand grip

How to do it:

1. Sit on the lat pulldown machine, so your feet are flat on the floor. Adjust the leg pad so that it holds you securely in position.
2. Stand up and grab the handle with your chosen grip. Sit back down and place your legs under the pads. Lean back slightly and lift your chest up toward the bar.
3. Bend your arms and pull the bar down to the top of your chest. Think about leading with your elbows. Keep your wrists straight. Pause at the bottom of each rep for 1-2 seconds.
4. Slowly extend your arms and repeat.

Avoid shoulder injuries by only doing lat pulldowns to the front. Behind the neck lat pulldowns put a lot of extra stress on your shoulder joints and do not increase lat activation. Instead, you’ll get a better, safer workout by pulling the bar down to your front.

 

2. Single-arm lat pulldowns

Doing lat pulldowns using one arm at a time means you can really focus on the muscle you are training, reinforcing the mind/muscle connection. It’s also an excellent way to identify and fix left to right strength imbalances that may go unnoticed in bilateral or two-handed exercises.

How to do it:

1. Attach a single D-shaped handle to your lat pulldown machine. Grab the handle and sit down so that your torso is perfectly upright. Brace your abs.
2. Bend your arm and pull the handle down to your shoulder. Allow your wrist to rotate naturally as you exercise. Keep your legs and trunk perfectly still throughout.
3. Extend your arm slowly, and then repeat. Do the same number of reps on each arm.

 

3. Pull-ups

You don’t need fancy exercise machines to build bigger, wider lats. In fact, all you really need is a suitable place to hang and the strength to lift your body weight with just your arms.

As well as being an excellent lat exercise, pull-ups are a good indicator that you are a healthy weight for your height. If you can’t do pull-ups, it could be because you are overweight.

How to do it:

1. Hang from an overhead bar using a slightly wider than shoulder-width, overhand grip. Pull your shoulders down and back and brace your core.
2. Without kicking your legs or swinging, bend your elbows and pull your chin up and over the bar. Squeeze your shoulders together and avoid craning your neck.
3. Lower yourself back down smoothly and repeat.
4. You can also do pull-ups with a wider than shoulder-width grip.

 

4. Chin-ups

Where pull-ups are performed using an overhand grip, chin-ups are done using an underhand grip. This puts your biceps in a mechanically advantageous position which may mean you can do more reps or lift heavier weights. It also means your biceps get a good workout as you train your lats.

How to do it:

1. Hang from an overhead bar using a slightly narrower than shoulder-width, underhand grip. Pull your shoulders down and back and brace your core.
2. Without kicking your legs or swinging, bend your elbows and pull your chin up and over the bar.
3. Lower yourself back down smoothly and repeat.
4. You can also do chin-ups with a neutral/parallel grip.

 

5. Weighted pull-ups and chin-up

If you can do sets of ten or more bodyweight pull-ups or chin-ups, you are probably ready to graduate to doing these awesome lat builders with a bit more weight. Wearing a weighted vest or using a chin/dip belt means you have another way to make your workouts more progressive and don’t have to rely on doing more and more reps. Start off with about 10% of your body weight and increase gradually after that.

However, take care not to descend too quickly and “shock load” your elbows or shoulders as that’s a fast track to pain and injury.

 

6. Straight-arm pulldown

Most lat exercises are compound, which means they involve not only the shoulder joint and lats but other joints and muscles, especially the elbows and biceps. Straight-arm pulldowns are an isolation exercise that only involves the shoulder joint. This is a useful exercise for when you want to train your lats without taxing your biceps.

How to do it:

1. Stand in front of a lat pulldown machine fitted with a straight bar. Hold the bar with a shoulder-width, overhand grip.
2. Keeping your arms straight but not locked, push the bar down to your upper thighs.
3. Raise the bar to above head height to stretch your lats and repeat.

 

 7. Dumbbell pullover

Dumbbell and machine pullovers are a great way to isolate your lats, and they involve your pecs too. Pullovers are a single joint exercise, so all the movement happens at the shoulder. Unlike all pull-ups, pulldowns, and row variations, pullovers do not use your biceps. They are great for finishing off your lats at the end of your back workout.

How to do it:

1. Set an adjustable bench to a 10 to 15-degree decline. Grab a single dumbbell and hold it in both hands. Place the palms of your hands against the inside of the weight plates.
2. Lie on the bench with your head lower than your hips. Press the dumbbell up to arms’ length and hold it over your chest. Bend your elbows slightly, and then keep them rigid.
3. Lower the weight back over your head so your biceps brush your ears. Extend your arms as far as you can without arching your lower back excessively.
4. Pull the dumbbell back over your chest and repeat.

You can also do this exercise with a barbell or with a dumbbell in each hand. If your gym has a pullover machine, use it according to the manufacturer’s instructions, as each one is different.

The Best Latissimus Dorsi Exercises – Horizontal Pulls

Horizontal pulling exercises mainly involve shoulder extension and will help build thicker lats. If you want a back that’s as deep as it is wide, these are the exercises to use.  

1. Deadlift

The barbell deadlift is arguably the king of back builders. When you do deadlifts, you must forcibly extend your shoulders to keep the weight close to your legs. This creates an intense contraction in your lats. As well as your lats, deadlifts work all your other back muscles, as well as your glutes and hamstrings. In fact, the deadlift comes very close to being a full-body exercise.

How to do it:

1. Place a loaded barbell on the floor. The bar should be about mid-shin height. Stand with your toes under the bar, feet hip-width apart.
2. Lean forward and hold the bar with an overhand or mixed grip, where one hand faces forward and the other faces backward.
3. Straighten your arms, lift your chest, and drop your hips. Your lower back should be slightly arched, and your abs tightly braced.
4. Drive your feet into the floor and stand up straight. Do not round your back or bend your arms. Use your lats to keep the bar close to your legs at all times.
5. Push your hips back, bend your legs, and lower the weight to the floor. Get set for another rep and repeat.

 

2. Bent-over row

Bent-over rows are a classic back builder. Performed with a barbell, this exercise also works your lower and upper back along with your lats. However, the bent-over row can be hard on your lower back, so avoid this exercise if you have a history of low back pain.

How to do it:

1. Hold a barbell with a wider than shoulder-width overhand grip. Bend your knees slightly and then bend forward from your hips until your torso is angled to between 45-90 degrees. Do not round your lower back.
2. Without using your legs or lower back to lift the weight, bend your arms and pull the bar up to touch your abdomen.
3. Slowly extend your arms and repeat.

 

3. T-bar row

The T-bar row is an old-school back exercise that’s still popular today. It’s a little more lower back-friendly than regular bent-over rows, which is good news if you find the barbell version awkward or uncomfortable. However, to avoid injury, you still need to do T-bar rows with a slightly arched and not rounded lower back.

How to do it:

1. Step onto the T-bar row platform and stand with one foot on either side of the bar.
2. With your feet flat, bend your knees slightly and hinge forward from your hips. Keep your back slightly arched.
3. Grasp the handles with both hands. With your arms straight, lift the weight up until your torso is between 45 degrees and parallel to the floor.
4. Bend your arms and pull the handle into your chest. Lead with your elbows and keep your wrists straight.
5. Fully extend your arms and repeat.

 

4. Pendlay row

Pendlay rows were invented by USA weightlifting and powerlifting coach Glen Pendlay. This exercise is basically a bent-over row where each rep starts with the weight resting on the floor. This momentary pause between reps takes stress off your lower back, gives your grip a brief rest, and provides an opportunity to reset your core. This should mean you can use more weight or do more reps than with regular bent-over rows.

How to do it:

1. Place a loaded barbell on the floor. Stand with your toes beneath the bar, feet roughly shoulder-width apart.
2. Lean forward and hold the bar with an overhand, shoulder-width grip. Straighten your arms, lift your chest, and slightly arch your back. Your knees should be partially bent. This is your starting position.
3. Without jerking with your back, pull the bar off the floor and into your abdomen. Lower the bar back to the floor and repeat.
4. Each rep should start from a dead stop, so no bouncing!

 

5. Single-arm row

Because you have one arm free to use for support, single-arm dumbbell rows are much easier on your lower back than barbell bent-over rows. They also allow you to work one side at a time, which is an excellent way to identify and fix strength imbalances. Finally, single-arm rows allow you to really stretch your lats at the bottom of each rep, which can help increase hypertrophy or muscle building.

How to do it:

1. Hold a dumbbell in one hand. Lean forward and place your free hand on a knee-high bench. Your upper body should be perpendicular to the floor, and your back should be straight and not rounded. Place your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent for stability.
2. Bend your arm and pull the dumbbell up and into the side of your chest. Lower the weight and extend your arm, getting a good stretch in your lats as you do so
3. Do the same number of reps on each side.

Some people like to do this exercise with one knee resting on the bench. This can work, but you may feel more stable with both feet on the floor. This more balanced stance should allow you to lift more weight.

 

6. Chest-supported dumbbell row

Most horizontal pulling exercises work your lats and your lower back. However, this one is different as your upper body is supported, which removes your lower back from the movement. This can be useful if you have a tired or injured lower back or just want to concentrate 100 percent on your lats.

How to do it:

1. Lie face down on an incline bench, so your feet are still touching the ground.
2. With a dumbbell in each hand, extend your arms and let them hang down from your shoulders. Rotate your wrists, so your palms are facing inward.
3. Bend your arms and pull the weights up and into your lower ribs. Think about driving your elbows back and together to maximize lat engagement.
4. Lower the weights back down by extending your arms toward and floor and try to stretch out your lats at the bottom.
5. Continue for the desired number of reps.

 

7. Seated cable row

Seated cable rows allow you to do a horizontal pulling exercise in a seated position which takes some stress off your lower back. As this is a machine exercise, you can adjust the weights quickly and easily, making it ideal for pyramids and drop sets.

How to do it:

1. Attach a straight bar or parallel grip handle to a low pulley machine. Sit on the machine with your knees slightly bent.
2. Grab the handles and sit up straight. Do not round your lower back.
3. Without leaning forward or backward, pull the handle into your abdomen and then straighten your arms.
4. If you have to lean forward and backward to complete your reps, the weight is probably too heavy!

 

8. Inverted rows

This rowing variation puts very little stress on your spine. It’s perfect for anyone with lower back pain or those who prefer to include more bodyweight exercises in their workouts. You can make this exercise easier or harder just by moving your feet or changing the angle of your body.

How to do it:

1. Using a Smith machine or squat rack, set the bar to about waist height. You can also use a suspension trainer, such as a TRX. Sit under the bar and hold it with a wider than shoulder-width overhand grip or a narrower underhand grip.
2. Lean back so your arms are straight. Lift your hips off the floor so that your weight is supported by your arms and legs only.
3. Bend your arms and pull your body up to the bar.
4. Extend your arms and repeat.

More on Latissimus Dorsi:

• Inverted Row Exercise Guide and Videos
• Cable Incline Pushdown Exercise Guide and Videos
• Cable Straight Arm Pulldown Exercise Guide and Videos
• Cable Pulldown Exercise Guide
• Train For Full Body Gains And Function With The Renegade Row
• How To Do Seated Cable Row (Back)
• How To Do Decline Bent-Arm Barbell Pullover (Lats, Chest)
• How To Do Incline Straight-Arm Pull-Down (Lats)
• How To Do Cable Straight Arm Pulldown (Lats)
• How To Do Barbell Rack Pull (Back)
• Machine One-Arm Row (Back)
• One-Arm Lat Pull-Down (Lats)
• Standing Twisting Cable Row (Back)
• Weighted Inverted Row (Back)
• Bent-Over One-Arm Cable Pull (Lats)
• Seated One-Arm Cable Row (Back)
• Standing Twisting Cable High Row (Back)
• How To Do The Landmine Row

Latissimus Dorsi Exercises – Wrapping Up

Bodybuilders have a saying; if you want to grow, you’ve got to row! And while rowing exercises ARE crucial for building a bigger, more muscular back, so too are vertical pulling exercises like chin-ups and pulldowns.

So, if you are serious about building the best back possible, make sure you attack it from both angles with vertical and horizontal pulling exercises. That way, you’ll sculpt a back that’s wide AND thick.