Lats aren't working in Lat Exercises?

[ATreakingFypo]

So I have been trying to do lat exercises using lat pulldowns and chin ups with palms facing outwards. However I felt like my biceps were doing everything and my lats were just "sitting there". I just found out that is probably whats happening. So my question is when doing these exercises how are you supposed to engage your lats? Thanks in advance

[haroldhamersma]

So I have been trying to do lat exercises using lat pulldowns and chin ups with palms facing outwards. However I felt like my biceps were doing everything and my lats were just "sitting there". I just found out that is probably whats happening. So my question is when doing these exercises how are you supposed to engage your lats? Thanks in advance

I suggest you go light 1 day and just purely focus on contracting your back as much as possible to develop the Mind muscle connection, exercises where you can really do this are cable row and lat pulldown, keep your elbows close to your body on the rows and on the pulldowns go down all the way and SQUEEZE. Also try flexing a lot in the mirror when you're at home etc this will really help !

[cjmcfarland317]

Yeah I agree with harold. You really have to practice contracting them. One of the cues I've found that helps me isolate them is "try to put your should blades in your back pant pockets" this will help tense up the back and force more contraction on the lats. One of the exercises I have found that work best on my lats are straight arm pull downs(on your knees, either with a cable machine or resistance bands)

[medjen]

Cues/suggestions to help engage the lats (lat pulldowns, specifically):
Lighten the weight. No, really lighten the weight.
Don't wrap your thumbs around the bar.
Think of your hands as hooks.
Pull with your elbows. Think about drawing your elbows down to your sides, rather than pulling the bar toward you.

[louie0939]

alot of people have this problem so dont feel bad. the lats are probably the hardest muscle group target and to make that 'mind/muscle' connection we all seek.

as was mentioned above, think of your hands as hooks on the bar. focus your mind on your back executing the movement and doing the work... not pulling with the biceps.

[ATreakingFypo]

Thanks for the advice! I will go ahead and try to imagine having hooks and use lighter weights

[sequoiiathrone]

Lats were my hardest to focus on. Try using straps and the tips of your fingers to take the biceps out of it. Then when you pull down on the lat pulldown bring your elbows down like you're trying to push something back with them. Then focus on flexing your lats through the lift. The arms are really just meant to be as hooks for your lats.

[MillerTime07]

It can take a long time to build the mind muscle connection. I know exactly the feeling you are describing. What helped me is to focus on pull-ups. I would do them 3x a week and it really helped develop the connection and now I feel the contraction on any lat movement.

[Shmiz]

I try visualize pulling my elbows down, seems to help me

[iceNsteel]

I find focusing on a good range of movement throughout the exercise helps a lot. That said, the biceps are relatively small muscles. So I've found that, especially if you're doing any kind of volume in your back training, the biceps tend to get a pretty good burn going early and the mental focus goes to that muscle because the discomfort is more acute. Thus it's not that the lats aren't working, it's just your focused on how much more your biceps are burning. If your biceps were really doing all of the work you wouldn't be able to move the kinds of loads that are involved in lat exercises.

[nerdlapdance]

Don;t put your thumb under the bar, put it over next to your fingers. Works a treat.

[LuWellness]

So I have been trying to do lat exercises using lat pulldowns and chin ups with palms facing outwards. However I felt like my biceps were doing everything and my lats were just "sitting there". I just found out that is probably whats happening. So my question is when doing these exercises how are you supposed to engage your lats? Thanks in advance

Keep the shoulders depressed, shoulder blades retracted and the elbows tucked in.

Place your fingers on one lat and practice.

[Jmice]

Imagine that you are bending the bar in half turn your elbows inwards ,pull and squeeze

[Phiri]

Hey man. I hadn't been feeling much in my lats for a while either. Was mostly using arms to pull and locking up my traps somehow.
I read an article on BB.com yesterday, I don't think I am allowed to post links yet, but sure if you typed in Lat Shrugs you will find it. I gave the technique a try and had a fantastic session! Feeling it nicely today.
Basically in the dead hang off a bar or I guess with the pull down bar loaded just shrug yourself up/the bar down the small bit you can, focusing on just engaging the lats. Now pull yourself up/ the bar down. I would imagine just doing the shrugs without completing a pull would be great for progression if you can't do full pull ups.
Not sure if i have described it very well, best is to find the article ;-)


Edit: Tried, but definitely can't post link. Article is "Police your lats: assign width to your back with lat shrugs" by Jim Vaglica on 16 December 2013.
Hope that helps.

[SolidOakie]

Hang on a pullup bar and pull yourself up without any use of your arms. Your body will only raise up a few inches. Anyway, that motion is how you should begin your lat pulldown movement

[bout350racing]

I came across this thread Monday and tried everything recommended and a thanks to all of you. visualized it, practiced it and applied it. Lats feel like they got more of a workout than any other time before. Hope it worked for the OP too.

[abendm]

So I have been trying to do lat exercises using lat pulldowns and chin ups with palms facing outwards. However I felt like my biceps were doing everything and my lats were just "sitting there". I just found out that is probably whats happening. So my question is when doing these exercises how are you supposed to engage your lats? Thanks in advance

If you don't already deadlift, they're (really RDLs) actually how I learned to fire my lats properly. In the negative portion of the deadlift, you're really forced to fire your lats to keep the bar from swinging away from your body. This effect gets more pronounced around the knee area and below. If you load up a weight that you can DL in the 5-8 range and do some RDLs, you should feel lats firing and should be able to replicate that in pulldowns/chins.

[PapaHet09]

Reduce the weight. One mental que that works for me is rather than just pulling the bar and just moving it from point A to B, 'flex your muscle against the weight'

[CorpseCorpuscle]

For lat pulldowns as an example: Use straps; the hands are just hooks. You are trying to work your back, not your hands. Keep your lower back tight and posture erect and lean back a 'little bit', and then pull the bar down to the top of your chest. Contract your scapula--basically, stick your chest out like you just paid for a new pair of titties and you want everybody to notice. Don't swing the weight unless you're trying to break through a plateau. There is a time and place for cheating a weight through its range of motion. Don't use the knee pads; raise them all the way up. When you put the pads down on your knees, you are incorporating the legs into the movement--which is not what you want--unless you're trying to break through a plateau. You want your BACK to do ALL the work. Lastly, lean forward a little bit to help stretch the lats out on the eccentric phase of the lift.

[kanis999]

I should note that biceps are coming along for the ride whether you like it or not. There's no "removal" of the biceps from the movement, they will play a big role no matter what. But, using the advice given ITT, you can help emphasize the lats and de-emphasize the biceps slightly.

[Arnoldswim]

The weight is gonna need to be very light for you to start practicing to engage your lats. For me I always try to pull shoulder blades down and then flex right above my SI joint to feel my lats engage.

[Josh7000]

I find for lats, under hand or neutral grip hits my lats much better. Do underhand grip pulldown and squeeze down with your lats. I've never understood people when they say wide overhand hits your lats the best, it does but more the upper lat where as underhand or neutral seems to hit the whole lat better

[Diedlifting]

Imagine pulling your shoulder blades into your back pockets

[povertyphaggot]

Wide grip pull up works best for me and also retract your scapula when doing pull ups.

[ATreakingFypo]

I know this is old, but thanks to everyone who helped, I finally got my lats working. And to abendm, I started deadlifting, and the next couple days my lats were sore, so i just tried all kinds of movements and the pain in my lats helped me to find my lats!