WEEK FIFTY-FOUR :: What Is The Most Effective Way To Build Your Lats?

**webmaster** · 12-08-2005, 05:09 PM

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TOPIC: What Is The Most Effective Way To Build Your Lats?

For the week of: Dec 7th - Dec 14th
(Wednesday @ Midnight Is The Final Cut).

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What are the best exercises for building lat width? Be descriptive (how many sets and reps, etc.).

What IFBB Pro has the freakiest lats? The smallest lats?

Do genetics play a role in lat development?

What body parts will help make the lat pose appear even more pronounced?

BONUS QUESTION: What is the proper way to perform a front lat spread? Back lat spread?

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Don't discuss any other topic in this section. ONLY discuss the question above.

The best response will get $75 in credit to use in our online store! The other good responses will be used in an article on the main Bodybuilding.com site, with the poster's forum name listed by it. Become famous!

Thanks,
Will
Webmaster
Bodybuilding.com

iForce Dave · 12-09-2005, 02:20 AM

Every bodybuilder knows that in order to achieve that dramatic "V shape" it is neccessary to build thick, wide lats. Huge lats can make or break any bodybuilder, as they are visible in nearly every pose, and are a direct indication of the time and effort put into back training.

Before we get into how to train the lats, lets take a look at the anatomy of the Latissimus Dorsi and its accompanying muscles.

What are the "

The Lats, or Latissimus begin at the lower back (erector spinae), and continue up to the trapezius. They extend outward from the middle of the back and are bordered by not only the trapezius but also the rhomboid major and minor, as well as the rear deltoids. Thus, working your lats requires more than isolation excercises, the secret to a thick wide back is to work all the accompanying muscle groups. However for our purposes we will look at what we can do to specifically target our lats for optimal growth.

Because the Lats are such large muscles, they require large amounts of stress to be exhausted and stimulated for growth. This means that our excercises must vary and must target our lats from several different angles. Any seasoned bodybuilder knows that one of the secrets to massive growth is to stimulate as many fibers as possible by working a muscle from every angle possible, this will enhance not only size, but definition and symmetry.

What are the best excercises for building the lats?

In order to increase the width and thickness of the Lats, I reccomend a moderately high volume of sets with heavy weights. As i said before the lats are a large muscle and need a lot of work. Due to the fact that working our lats will inevitably hit the other muscles in our back, its safe to say that this volume will also work the rest of the muscles in the back as well. As per the specific number of sets and excercises for building a massive lat spread, I think that this routine will spark amazing growth in anyones lacking lat department!

Assume that one day will be devoted to lat development, which i reccommend, I do not think it is neccessary to work lats more than once a week. Allowing maxiumum recovery time will insure that your muscles grow to optimal size!

Workout 1
Wide Grip Pull Ups 3 Sets 8-12 Reps(A good way to warm up outer lats and joints)
Bent Over Barbell Rows: 4 Sets 12,10,8,6 (A mass builder, use heavy weight and concentrate on form)
Lat Pulldown 3 Sets 4 Sets 12,10,8,6 (Adjust seating and posture to insure that you are using the lats as much as possible and not the bicep)
One Arm Dumbell Rows 3 Sets 12,10,10 (Keep head up and focus on exhausting your lats and using them as much as possible.) **A bb.com excercise of the week!**

Workout 2
Hammer Strength Lat Pullback 3 Sets, 14,12,10 (Use as a warmup for lats and joints in elbows, shouldes, neck)
T-Bar Rows 4 Sets 12,10,8,6 (A Mass Builder, use heavy weight and concentrate on keeping strict form and not momentum)
Dumbell Pullovers 3 Sets 10,9,8 (Focus on the outer portion of the lats, this is a classic excercise that many swear by! learn why!)
Lat Pulldown 3 Sets 14,12,10 (Adjust seat and posture to insure you are using as much of your lat as possible. Use this excercise to exhaust the lats for their final beating!)

Rotate Between these two workouts each week for 2-3 months and you will see a dramatic improvement in the thickness and width of the lats, and the rest of the back as well!

Something that I want to stress here is the importance of the mind-muscle connection. For those who don't know i suggest you read up on it but in a nutshell it is the process in which your brain communicates with your muscles via the nervous system to adapt to imposed stresses. Using this knowledge, If the main focus is to increase the width of your lat spread, focus on stimulating the outer portion of lat fibers when conducting these excercises.

What IFBB Pro has the best lats?

While I think that nearly every professional bodybuilder takes lat & back training very seriously, there are a few whose efforts clearly stand out. Their dedication shows in their flawless width, symmetry, and thickness of their lat spreads. On the top of my list is of course Ronnie Coleman. His lat spread alone some say is the reason that he has taken jay cutler so many times (sorry Jay!). Other noteworthy candidates would be Lee Haney and Franco Columbo.
I think that pros such as Markus Ruhl and Gunter are lacking in the lat department. It could be that their massive bodies dwarf the lats but nevertheless they are shaped like refridgerators!

Genetics.....
Unfortunately genetics are something that we all must deal with. There are some of us who will never have 20 inch arms or 30 inch waists. However, I dont think that anyone should lets genetics discourage their bodybuilding goals! We build for one reason, and that is to make our body the best that it can be! Maybe for some of us our lats will never look like wings, but what we can do is work to our full potential and try to overcome the barriers that poor genetics place for us. Many of todays top bodybuilders faced genetic limitations, and they have trained to overcome them. Another way to compensate for poor genetics in one department is to compensate with what you do build well. If you think that your lats are hard to build, then focus on them while also building the rest of your back and trimming your waistline as to still create the famous X FRAME.

Complimenting the Lats!

As I said earlier, lats arent the only contributor to the ultimate lat spread. When a builder flanks his arms and you see his "wings" open up, there is a lot going on that helps the image. The waistline should be as thin as possible. This will increase the appearance of the V shape that begins at the lower back. Abdominal development and lower back excercises will help in this look. Another important factor in the lat spread is the Upper Back. Also big Hamstrings will increase the V Taper appearance.While the lats account for a majority of the horizontal aspect and width, well built trapezius and rhomboid muscles will show that while you have taken your lat width into consideration, you havent neglected to train the other muscles in your back!
If you are viewing the lats from the front, then it is a different story. The lats are most visible from the front when doing a double bicep pose. Taking this into consideraiton I think that again abdominal development and a trim waist will increase the V Taper of the torso, and also Quad development. Treetrubk quads will build the X FRAME that the lat spread compliments.

Bonus Question* The Lat Spread*
Front Lat Spread:
The Lat Spread is a compulsory pose and very important to judges! To perform a perfect Front Lat spread, begin by placing one foot slightly ahead of the other, and be sure to plant your feet and get ready to squeeze! With your chest flexed, bring your shoulders up so the lats are visible and try to flex them as if you were pulling your shoulder blades apart! Flex your lats by pinning your fists to your waist and squeezing them as hard as possible to get all the blood flowing to them giving them a full, hard look. Keep your head up and smile as the judges watch your wings unfold!
Back Lat Spread:
The back spread is similar to the front, but their slight differences are very important. Begin with one foot in front of the other like before. Now, instead of pulling up, you want to lean forward very slightly as to round out your torso, keeping your hands at the waist, pull your elbows forward to the front. Squeeze your lats and focus on bringing out as much width as possible!

I reccomend that you practice this pose a lot! it is very complex and is easy to perform incorrectly. BB.com has great posing guides that go in depth and will show you examples of perfect lat poses!

Thanks for taking the time to read my suggestions for creating the Ultimate Lat Spread. As always, nutrition and rest are the keys to any bodybuilders success! I hope that by using the prescribed excercises and the mind muscle connection you will see your lats spread and soon you will have the wings that you wanted! thanks everyone, happy lifting!

cajunbam · 12-09-2005, 05:56 AM

1. Lat Pulldowns - do you prefer them to the front or rear, both, alternating each rep and / or set and / or week?

2. No close grip seated cable rows to kill the lower lats (wings)?

Overall, great article!!!

Peace.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dalvare1

Every bodybuilder knows that in order to achieve that dramatic "V shape" it is neccessary to build thick, wide lats. Huge lats can make or break any bodybuilder, as they are visible in nearly every pose, and are a direct indication of the time and effort put into back training.

Before we get into how to train the lats, lets take a look at the anatomy of the Latissimus Dorsi and its accompanying muscles.

What are the "

The Lats, or Latissimus begin at the lower back (erector spinae), and continue up to the trapezius. They extend outward from the middle of the back and are bordered by not only the trapezius but also the rhomboid major and minor, as well as the rear deltoids. Thus, working your lats requires more than isolation excercises, the secret to a thick wide back is to work all the accompanying muscle groups. However for our purposes we will look at what we can do to specifically target our lats for optimal growth.

Because the Lats are such large muscles, they require large amounts of stress to be exhausted and stimulated for growth. This means that our excercises must vary and must target our lats from several different angles. Any seasoned bodybuilder knows that one of the secrets to massive growth is to stimulate as many fibers as possible by working a muscle from every angle possible, this will enhance not only size, but definition and symmetry.

What are the best excercises for building the lats?

In order to increase the width and thickness of the Lats, I reccomend a moderately high volume of sets with heavy weights. As i said before the lats are a large muscle and need a lot of work. Due to the fact that working our lats will inevitably hit the other muscles in our back, its safe to say that this volume will also work the rest of the muscles in the back as well. As per the specific number of sets and excercises for building a massive lat spread, I think that this routine will spark amazing growth in anyones lacking lat department!

Assume that one day will be devoted to lat development, which i reccommend, I do not think it is neccessary to work lats more than once a week. Allowing maxiumum recovery time will insure that your muscles grow to optimal size!

Workout 1
Wide Grip Pull Ups 3 Sets 8-12 Reps(A good way to warm up outer lats and joints)
Bent Over Barbell Rows: 4 Sets 12,10,8,6 (A mass builder, use heavy weight and concentrate on form)
Lat Pulldown 3 Sets 4 Sets 12,10,8,6 (Adjust seating and posture to insure that you are using the lats as much as possible and not the bicep)
One Arm Dumbell Rows 3 Sets 12,10,10 (Keep head up and focus on exhausting your lats and using them as much as possible.) **A bb.com excercise of the week!**

Workout 2
Hammer Strength Lat Pullback 3 Sets, 14,12,10 (Use as a warmup for lats and joints in elbows, shouldes, neck)
T-Bar Rows 4 Sets 12,10,8,6 (A Mass Builder, use heavy weight and concentrate on keeping strict form and not momentum)
Dumbell Pullovers 3 Sets 10,9,8 (Focus on the outer portion of the lats, this is a classic excercise that many swear by! learn why!)
Lat Pulldown 3 Sets 14,12,10 (Adjust seat and posture to insure you are using as much of your lat as possible. Use this excercise to exhaust the lats for their final beating!)

Rotate Between these two workouts each week for 2-3 months and you will see a dramatic improvement in the thickness and width of the lats, and the rest of the back as well!

Something that I want to stress here is the importance of the mind-muscle connection. For those who don't know i suggest you read up on it but in a nutshell it is the process in which your brain communicates with your muscles via the nervous system to adapt to imposed stresses. Using this knowledge, If the main focus is to increase the width of your lat spread, focus on stimulating the outer portion of lat fibers when conducting these excercises.

What IFBB Pro has the best lats?

While I think that nearly every professional bodybuilder takes lat & back training very seriously, there are a few whose efforts clearly stand out. Their dedication shows in their flawless width, symmetry, and thickness of their lat spreads. On the top of my list is of course Ronnie Coleman. His lat spread alone some say is the reason that he has taken jay cutler so many times (sorry Jay!). Other noteworthy candidates would be Lee Haney and Franco Columbo.
I think that pros such as Markus Ruhl and Gunter are lacking in the lat department. It could be that their massive bodies dwarf the lats but nevertheless they are shaped like refridgerators!

Genetics.....
Unfortunately genetics are something that we all must deal with. There are some of us who will never have 20 inch arms or 30 inch waists. However, I dont think that anyone should lets genetics discourage their bodybuilding goals! We build for one reason, and that is to make our body the best that it can be! Maybe for some of us our lats will never look like wings, but what we can do is work to our full potential and try to overcome the barriers that poor genetics place for us. Many of todays top bodybuilders faced genetic limitations, and they have trained to overcome them. Another way to compensate for poor genetics in one department is to compensate with what you do build well. If you think that your lats are hard to build, then focus on them while also building the rest of your back and trimming your waistline as to still create the famous X FRAME.

Complimenting the Lats!

As I said earlier, lats arent the only contributor to the ultimate lat spread. When a builder flanks his arms and you see his "wings" open up, there is a lot going on that helps the image. The waistline should be as thin as possible. This will increase the appearance of the V shape that begins at the lower back. Abdominal development and lower back excercises will help in this look. Another important factor in the lat spread is the Upper Back. Also big Hamstrings will increase the V Taper appearance.While the lats account for a majority of the horizontal aspect and width, well built trapezius and rhomboid muscles will show that while you have taken your lat width into consideration, you havent neglected to train the other muscles in your back!
If you are viewing the lats from the front, then it is a different story. The lats are most visible from the front when doing a double bicep pose. Taking this into consideraiton I think that again abdominal development and a trim waist will increase the V Taper of the torso, and also Quad development. Treetrubk quads will build the X FRAME that the lat spread compliments.

Bonus Question* The Lat Spread*
Front Lat Spread:
The Lat Spread is a compulsory pose and very important to judges! To perform a perfect Front Lat spread, begin by placing one foot slightly ahead of the other, and be sure to plant your feet and get ready to squeeze! With your chest flexed, bring your shoulders up so the lats are visible and try to flex them as if you were pulling your shoulder blades apart! Flex your lats by pinning your fists to your waist and squeezing them as hard as possible to get all the blood flowing to them giving them a full, hard look. Keep your head up and smile as the judges watch your wings unfold!
Back Lat Spread:
The back spread is similar to the front, but their slight differences are very important. Begin with one foot in front of the other like before. Now, instead of pulling up, you want to lean forward very slightly as to round out your torso, keeping your hands at the waist, pull your elbows forward to the front. Squeeze your lats and focus on bringing out as much width as possible!

I reccomend that you practice this pose a lot! it is very complex and is easy to perform incorrectly. BB.com has great posing guides that go in depth and will show you examples of perfect lat poses!

Thanks for taking the time to read my suggestions for creating the Ultimate Lat Spread. As always, nutrition and rest are the keys to any bodybuilders success! I hope that by using the prescribed excercises and the mind muscle connection you will see your lats spread and soon you will have the wings that you wanted! thanks everyone, happy lifting!

utah997 · 12-09-2005, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dalvare1

Every bodybuilder knows that in order to achieve that dramatic "V shape" it is neccessary to build thick, wide lats. Huge lats can make or break any bodybuilder, as they are visible in nearly every pose, and are a direct indication of the time and effort put into back training.

Before we get into how to train the lats, lets take a look at the anatomy of the Latissimus Dorsi and its accompanying muscles.

What are the "

The Lats, or Latissimus begin at the lower back (erector spinae), and continue up to the trapezius. They extend outward from the middle of the back and are bordered by not only the trapezius but also the rhomboid major and minor, as well as the rear deltoids. Thus, working your lats requires more than isolation excercises, the secret to a thick wide back is to work all the accompanying muscle groups. However for our purposes we will look at what we can do to specifically target our lats for optimal growth.

Because the Lats are such large muscles, they require large amounts of stress to be exhausted and stimulated for growth. This means that our excercises must vary and must target our lats from several different angles. Any seasoned bodybuilder knows that one of the secrets to massive growth is to stimulate as many fibers as possible by working a muscle from every angle possible, this will enhance not only size, but definition and symmetry.

What are the best excercises for building the lats?

In order to increase the width and thickness of the Lats, I reccomend a moderately high volume of sets with heavy weights. As i said before the lats are a large muscle and need a lot of work. Due to the fact that working our lats will inevitably hit the other muscles in our back, its safe to say that this volume will also work the rest of the muscles in the back as well. As per the specific number of sets and excercises for building a massive lat spread, I think that this routine will spark amazing growth in anyones lacking lat department!

Assume that one day will be devoted to lat development, which i reccommend, I do not think it is neccessary to work lats more than once a week. Allowing maxiumum recovery time will insure that your muscles grow to optimal size!

Workout 1
Wide Grip Pull Ups 3 Sets 8-12 Reps(A good way to warm up outer lats and joints)
Bent Over Barbell Rows: 4 Sets 12,10,8,6 (A mass builder, use heavy weight and concentrate on form)
Lat Pulldown 3 Sets 4 Sets 12,10,8,6 (Adjust seating and posture to insure that you are using the lats as much as possible and not the bicep)
One Arm Dumbell Rows 3 Sets 12,10,10 (Keep head up and focus on exhausting your lats and using them as much as possible.) **A bb.com excercise of the week!**

Workout 2
Hammer Strength Lat Pullback 3 Sets, 14,12,10 (Use as a warmup for lats and joints in elbows, shouldes, neck)
T-Bar Rows 4 Sets 12,10,8,6 (A Mass Builder, use heavy weight and concentrate on keeping strict form and not momentum)
Dumbell Pullovers 3 Sets 10,9,8 (Focus on the outer portion of the lats, this is a classic excercise that many swear by! learn why!)
Lat Pulldown 3 Sets 14,12,10 (Adjust seat and posture to insure you are using as much of your lat as possible. Use this excercise to exhaust the lats for their final beating!)

Rotate Between these two workouts each week for 2-3 months and you will see a dramatic improvement in the thickness and width of the lats, and the rest of the back as well!

Something that I want to stress here is the importance of the mind-muscle connection. For those who don't know i suggest you read up on it but in a nutshell it is the process in which your brain communicates with your muscles via the nervous system to adapt to imposed stresses. Using this knowledge, If the main focus is to increase the width of your lat spread, focus on stimulating the outer portion of lat fibers when conducting these excercises.

What IFBB Pro has the best lats?

While I think that nearly every professional bodybuilder takes lat & back training very seriously, there are a few whose efforts clearly stand out. Their dedication shows in their flawless width, symmetry, and thickness of their lat spreads. On the top of my list is of course Ronnie Coleman. His lat spread alone some say is the reason that he has taken jay cutler so many times (sorry Jay!). Other noteworthy candidates would be Lee Haney and Franco Columbo.
I think that pros such as Markus Ruhl and Gunter are lacking in the lat department. It could be that their massive bodies dwarf the lats but nevertheless they are shaped like refridgerators!

Genetics.....
Unfortunately genetics are something that we all must deal with. There are some of us who will never have 20 inch arms or 30 inch waists. However, I dont think that anyone should lets genetics discourage their bodybuilding goals! We build for one reason, and that is to make our body the best that it can be! Maybe for some of us our lats will never look like wings, but what we can do is work to our full potential and try to overcome the barriers that poor genetics place for us. Many of todays top bodybuilders faced genetic limitations, and they have trained to overcome them. Another way to compensate for poor genetics in one department is to compensate with what you do build well. If you think that your lats are hard to build, then focus on them while also building the rest of your back and trimming your waistline as to still create the famous X FRAME.

Complimenting the Lats!

As I said earlier, lats arent the only contributor to the ultimate lat spread. When a builder flanks his arms and you see his "wings" open up, there is a lot going on that helps the image. The waistline should be as thin as possible. This will increase the appearance of the V shape that begins at the lower back. Abdominal development and lower back excercises will help in this look. Another important factor in the lat spread is the Upper Back. Also big Hamstrings will increase the V Taper appearance.While the lats account for a majority of the horizontal aspect and width, well built trapezius and rhomboid muscles will show that while you have taken your lat width into consideration, you havent neglected to train the other muscles in your back!
If you are viewing the lats from the front, then it is a different story. The lats are most visible from the front when doing a double bicep pose. Taking this into consideraiton I think that again abdominal development and a trim waist will increase the V Taper of the torso, and also Quad development. Treetrubk quads will build the X FRAME that the lat spread compliments.

Bonus Question* The Lat Spread*
Front Lat Spread:
The Lat Spread is a compulsory pose and very important to judges! To perform a perfect Front Lat spread, begin by placing one foot slightly ahead of the other, and be sure to plant your feet and get ready to squeeze! With your chest flexed, bring your shoulders up so the lats are visible and try to flex them as if you were pulling your shoulder blades apart! Flex your lats by pinning your fists to your waist and squeezing them as hard as possible to get all the blood flowing to them giving them a full, hard look. Keep your head up and smile as the judges watch your wings unfold!
Back Lat Spread:
The back spread is similar to the front, but their slight differences are very important. Begin with one foot in front of the other like before. Now, instead of pulling up, you want to lean forward very slightly as to round out your torso, keeping your hands at the waist, pull your elbows forward to the front. Squeeze your lats and focus on bringing out as much width as possible!

I reccomend that you practice this pose a lot! it is very complex and is easy to perform incorrectly. BB.com has great posing guides that go in depth and will show you examples of perfect lat poses!

Thanks for taking the time to read my suggestions for creating the Ultimate Lat Spread. As always, nutrition and rest are the keys to any bodybuilders success! I hope that by using the prescribed excercises and the mind muscle connection you will see your lats spread and soon you will have the wings that you wanted! thanks everyone, happy lifting!

Great post! Thanks for the info... I am going to put it to work..

perldog007 · 12-09-2005, 11:41 AM

Yup Yup, dalvare1 gets my vote - good post!

Dallas68 · 12-09-2005, 05:11 PM

yeah it is actually good but ppl ahve turned it into a three page post lol no matter means it is well done and thought out oh well good luck

iForce Dave · 12-10-2005, 02:10 AM

Hey jus wanted to follow up on your q's!
I personally prefer to do my lat pulldowns to the front, I feel like i can really hit my lats more that way than doing them to the rear which for me tends to hurt my shoulders.

And Close grip Pulls are great too. I personally like to superset them with lat Pulldowns. I think some people would argue that those are more for the middle and upper back as opposed to lat width, jus depends on how you do them. but i agree, close grip pulls are a great excercise.

sword chucks · 12-10-2005, 06:46 AM

yeah nice article dalvare, nice and early too :P

cajunbam · 12-10-2005, 09:00 AM

dalvare1:

Do you place your palms facing out - away from you, or in - towards you when doing the pulldowns? Also, when you say close grip pulls, do you mean pull-ups or lat pulldowns? Sorry for all of the questions, but I'm trying to figure out a few things myself for my lagging lats........

Thanks in advance for your time,
cajunbam

Quote:

Originally Posted by dalvare1

Hey jus wanted to follow up on your q's!
I personally prefer to do my lat pulldowns to the front, I feel like i can really hit my lats more that way than doing them to the rear which for me tends to hurt my shoulders.

And Close grip Pulls are great too. I personally like to superset them with lat Pulldowns. I think some people would argue that those are more for the middle and upper back as opposed to lat width, jus depends on how you do them. but i agree, close grip pulls are a great excercise.

mikefromms · 12-10-2005, 11:11 AM

I agree that the back needs more work because of its size, but that's just too much work for most natural trainees. I would also add that the trainee stretch those lats out at the extended part of the movements and really feel the stretch and get that contraction by squeezing the shoulder blades together at the contracted position. During the first few years of my training, I only did barbell and dumbell rows and got the "v". I have great back and lat development and have rarely trained used more that 6 to 8 sets for the whole back including erectors and traps. I can literally do one set and increase weight from workout to workout and develop huge traps. In fact, they overdevelop, so I must actually skip traps at times. Focus, stretch and full contraction are keys to back develop. I should also mention being lazy and only putting forth an half-axxxx effort on the back will not yield great results. I now use a variety of exercises including low pulley cable rows, pulldowns which are great.

Whoever you are, learn how much exercise you can handle and how often you can train without overtraining and think big. Start with a couple of back exercises, couple of set per exercise and add sets and build up the number of exercises and sets over a two or three months. Hey, it's not a crime to start out with a full body routine. After training the better part of 25 years, I have found that starting a training "cycle" with fewer exercises and sets and building up over a 10 or 12 week periods of time along with good protein nutrition/diet will yield good results until you peak. If you are more serious, a training log is important. But you can get by as a recreational bodybuilder if you just keep up the the top weight in exercises. As you progress into the "cycle" start to add supplements that increase your focus, endurance, energy to enhance the cycle. At the end, you will need a week or two off and plan out another cycle. I think of bodybuilding as a chest match. The longer you do it, the smarter you have to be to outsmart your body to keep it improving. A nice wide lat spread, what can I say, it's priceless.

Mikefromms

Gajanga · 12-10-2005, 09:48 PM

I've been lifting on and off for about a year and a half now. I've made very nice improvements and take this very seriously. This was a great read for me. I really appreciate all the help guys.

iForce Dave · 12-11-2005, 11:53 AM

Regarding the direction of the palms:
I personall feel that it is up to the person doing it, however they feel most comfortable. I like to switch between palms facing away from me, and then i use a different bar that lets you have you palms facing towards each other. I dont really use my palms facing towards me but thats jus me.

Regarding Close Grip Pulls:
I meant close grip pullbacks, not pullups

Glad you guys liked the article!

And for Mike Fromms
I agree that some trainees may have a problem training at high volume. So everyone listen to mike and listen to your body! if you feel overtrained or fatigued stop and adjust your workouts accordingly. I personally use high volume because my back doesnt grow that well unless i do. Unlike my arms, for some reason they grow like weeds.....

sword chucks · 12-11-2005, 02:40 PM

no way, 12 sets isnt too much at all for the back in fact i like that program davarle

Charged · 12-12-2005, 11:59 AM

Lats

In my knowledge the best way to build lats is chin ups weighted of course and if you can't do them weighted then workout to it, I can now chin my own bodyweight dangling from me for 1 rep which is a great achivement of mine.

I would probably do chins on monday and friday for 3x10 for the best results, always add weight so that you force you're muscle to grow.

To me jay cutler has very freaky lats and in my opinion they do loook hidious.

If you work the whole of you're back you will get a more overall look of the lats.

Of course genetics matter some people are born with that V shape.

I would definatly suggest chins to lat pull downs as they are alot more functional and are alot better for the tendons.

2xgrey · 12-12-2005, 07:15 PM

You know, I've always had a lot of trouble with pull-ups, but considered them a superior exercise for the whole back.
I just recently figured out what separated these from regular pulldowns though, and it's just a matter of angle.
Next time you're on a pulldown, sit farther back on the seat so you have to lean your torso forward slightly. It reproduces the angle of a pull-up very closely and works the entire upper back area. You can feel all those lesser muscles, that often don't receive enough attention, really cramping up back there.
Even with much less weight, it produces a new kind of soreness, and hopefully new muscle mass, too. I'll just have to wait and see.

futbolplayer · 12-13-2005, 08:17 PM

First, I strongly believe in quality not quantity, so I’m going to keep this simple, yet beneficial for everyone. Im not going to ramble on about the make up of the "lats" or give you other unncessary information in order to win the $75 dollar prize, I'm here to help all you bodybuilders out there improve your lats with a program that I have had great sucess with. Before I explain my workout i want you to understand how important muscle overload is instead of muscle fatigue. The lats are a very hard muscle to get to grow without overloading them.(with any muscle) If you pyramid down sets on your lats or do higher than 8 reps, your not only gonna loose mental focus during your workout, but you are also going to become fatigue, leading to less overload on the next exercise. Do not push yourself over the amount of reps you can preform by doing half reps or cheating. Follow this workout I have outlined below with as little modification as you can. If you do this I can assure you more growth in your lats. Also while on this workout make sure you are getting the correct amount of protein,calories,fats and carbs. Also, if you feel working lats once a weeks isnt enough...Wait untill you try this workout, you will be lucky if your lats are not sore 5 days later. and yes, I know soreness does not determine growth, but I'm just trying to show how much overload you are putting on your lats with this exercise, which is extremely important to thier growth.

lats,
If you are looking to build those "huge, v-shaped, wide" lats like the pro's you must realize how to train the lats correctly. This 2-months workout I am going to provide you will assure you larger lats. (with proper nutrition). It worked very well for me after a trainer at a gym recommended it (some principles were based off max-ot). You will work your lats once a week, because with this training program, your lats will need plenty of recovery due to its high intensity.
Month 1 (weeks 1-4)
-perform as many sets as it takes you to do 25 wide grip chin ups. (note: go to positive failure on each set)
-next, perform 3 sets of 6-8 reps, of lat cable pulldowns. (note: you grip should be shoulder width apart and hands should be holding the bar just before it begins to slant)
-finally, perform 1 very heavy set of one arm dumbell rows. you should do 4-6 reps.
Month 2 (week 4-8)
-perform 50 reps of wide grip chin ups. (remember, as many sets as it takes to get to 50, with positive failure after each set.)
-next, 2 sets of one arm dumbell rows, 6-8 reps
-finally, 1 set of heavy wide grip cable lat pulldowns. perform 4-6 reps.
note: on all these exercises focus on the negative portion of the lift. This is just as important as the positive part of the lift. This is very important for developing your lats. Lower the weight twice as slow as you raise it. Also, after your lat workout, go home and have a protein shake with some instant oats or a good source of carbs. If you do all of these you will see a significant widening and thickening of your lats.

Freakiest lats? Trevor Crouch has "freaky" last. When you see this guy flex his lats, its almost as if he could fly. His lats are like a pair of wings..(there freaky)
smallest lasts?
Not to "bash" him i love the guy, but Garrett Downing has a small pair of lats. This is partly due to his enormous chest and biceps, but regardless i think they look extremely small on him and there is always room for improvement.

Genetics play a role in everything. Genetics choose how you will look, therefore genetics are not necessarily just going to determine the size of your lats, but how they are shaped. Certain people are gifted and put on muscle faster then others, but the good news is with hard work overtime you can catch up. The bad news is, with certain genetics you will not be able to catch up to the "beautiful" shape some peoples lats have no matter how hard you work. Then again that’s life, you can sill achieve a very nice physique regardless of your genetics.

A overall well developed back will add to the greatness of your lats, its that simple. When posing for a "back lat spread" the overall development of your back compared with your lats is crucial. Work those lats, but don't forget about the rest of your back. When both are put together, a very impressive physique is created.

A few keys to having a great lat spread:
(front)
1. smile and look confident.
2.place your hands knuckles facing in on your hips.
3. stick your chest up into the air, again looking confident.
4.have a slight bend in you knees
5.Finally,Flex those lats and make everyone proud.
(back)
1.bow your head slightly
2.lean your body forward a bit
3.flex those lats, and again make everyone proud.

note: while preforming your lat spread dont forget to flex other muscles groups such as: abs,quads,cals,chest, these will all add to your pose.

I hope all this helps make sure while on this training routine you are getting the right amount of calories, protein, and carbs, and i can assure you growth and widening of the lats. And thank you for listening to my post and I hope it helps. (send me reviews on how my program worked for you.)

Dallas68 · 12-14-2005, 04:31 PM

i would still finish writing my article but not sure if i can damn! went to get puppy from overseas delivery and they took like 3 hours so i had no time to finish writing damn man ill send in my article anyway...i apologise

Dallas68 · 12-14-2005, 05:15 PM

TOPIC: What Is The Most Effective Way To Build Your Lats?

The most important aspect when trying to build ones body is to understand the physiology of the muscles and where they are situated. Then once you know that you shall be able to learn how to make the particular muscles grow. In this case the Lats or (Latissumus Dorsi) is what we shall be looking at.

The Latissumus Dorsi is the muscles that will create the V-Taper so many bodybuilders and professional swimmers have. This will make your waist appear smaller and your shoulder width wider than they really are. This is very good to create the illusion that you are larger and stauncher.

The Lats are basically like a birds wings when your arms are next to your side with palms resting on your waist then you will not have any view of the Lats but if the arms are spread just like a bird in half flight then you should see even if you don’t have much of a back where the muscles lie.

The Latissumus Dorsi is obviously a majority part of the back and a very large one at that. The large “wings” we see on pro bodybuilders are the cause of many muscles growing. When a bodybuilder does their back exercises they are mostly using compound movements and the Lats are hit with the rowing and pulling.

Let’s get to it!

Dallas68 · 12-14-2005, 05:16 PM

What are the best exercises for building lat width? Be descriptive (how many sets and reps, etc.).

You need the guts to pull and row some heavy weights that you can handle for only about 8-10 reps maximum since the lats need a load of stimulation!

Simple is the word that should rotate in your head all the time with mass gains on your back since it is simply eating enough and then heaving enough weight. With the right movements completed with good form you shall grow!

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/mahler73.htm

The above link will take you to a program that combines heavy compound movements. These are comprised of mass builders and width fortifiers in your back

Such as:

Deadlifts
Squats
Bench
Dips (weighted)
Chin ups

These all in some way either hit the lats in a direct5 or indirect way which guarantees it to be hit multiple times in the week.

So you will of course need to focus on back for one day a week! Yes people say more is better but that does not always ring true with bodybuilding you need stimulation. To break and build the muscles up not destroy them!

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ronharris6.htm

Ron Harris covers a very unique type of wide grip chin ups to truly help build your back.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/charles4.htm

Chin ups and pull ups through a variety of gripping can help you to build not only the Lats but as well the supporting muscles!

Here are exercises to put together

Overhead pulldowns in front of you not behind that is dangerous supersetted along with Bent over rows
You should in increasing weight do at least 4 sets each going from 12 reps to a minimum of 8 reps with increased weight you are comfortable but stimulating muscles with.

Remember to feel out the muscle it is called the mind-muscle connection.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2002/latpulldown.jpg
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2002/bentoverbbrow1.jpg

Close grip front lat pulldowns supersetted with pull ups

Now here it is good for another 4 sets along with the close grip front lat pulldowns ranging from 12 to 10 reps. the pull ups on the other hand vary on the trainee. You must push and try better your pull ups by one or two reps each set but if you cannot then take it down each time by one.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2002...ppulldown1.jpg
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2002/pullup.jpg

The straight arm movement is very isolated and can help very well. Wide grip lat pulldowns is textbook lat development and should not be avoided the muscle must be3 felt and used 100% in the exercise.

3 set each to taper down of 12 reps down to 10 reps of each exercise.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2002...mpulldown1.jpg
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2002/latpulldown.jpg

So here they are together!

4 sets of 12 to 8 reps
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2002/latpulldown.jpg
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2002/bentoverbbrow1.jpg

4 sets of 12 to 10 reps and pull ups depend on your strength
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2002...ppulldown1.jpg
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2002/pullup.jpg

3 sets of 12 to 10 reps
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2002...ppulldown1.jpg
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2002/pullup.jpg

Remember to push yourself and feel out the muscle.

Dallas68 · 12-14-2005, 05:18 PM

What IFBB Pro has the freakiest lats? The smallest lats?

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/drobson90abig.jpg

I am torn between Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler they both have fantastic development and both have earned the freaky Latissumus Dorsi award! There huge physiques cover some of their lats and I find that they have the biggest because their waists are not small compared to how you would want a smaller classically built bodybuilder to look.

But that’s what makes them even better as they have exaggerated Lats to make up for their larger waists.

I personally cannot even fathom any of the IFBB pros stepping on stage without somehow looking freaky so I cannot count anyone out and am not very convinced that any of them have small lats. They are that big so all their bodyparts stay as big as they are.

Do genetics play a role in lat development?

Yes if you were born into a Mesomorph family then you most possible would have incredible genetic abilities and grow big and strong. Yet if born into a family that is skinny and very lean then chances are you will not have as great a set of lats.

Genetics is overrated or used as an excuse as many of the pros as children were pretty small. Look at them now. So it comes down to persevering and dedication.

What body parts will help make the lat pose appear even more pronounced?

The word pronounced in bodybuilding is definitely a good word. The whole reason of bodybuilding is to grow and give the illusion of being bigger than you truly are.

So you must definitely have a tiny waist. To achieve this you must have a solid abdominals routine. Plus you must use stomach vacuums which helped Arnold Swarchenegger keep his stomach small and compacted.

Deltoids are the next order of business they are on the sides of your body and have three heads which when all built to maximum ability, will create a devastating paramount of a tiny waist sweeping to Massive shoulders. They must be trained to look like large and scary boulders.

Finally posture you must listen to those who say you’re slouching. If you listen you can pronounce your shoulders even more. Strengthen your lower back more.

Plus you will feel better, you spend a monumental amount of time in the gym may as well show yourself off!

BONUS QUESTION: What is the proper way to perform a front lat spread? Back lat spread?

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/backlat.htm
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/mark9.htm
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/frontlat.htm

These are good articles and come straight from those who have competed and won!

Remember to have your whole body tensed as it is not only your lats on display but as well as calves, hamstrings, lower back, abdominals (depending which pose it is front or back)

Keep shoulders down
Have fists on waist
Pull shoulder blades apart
Spread lats outward

Thank you and good luck with your Latissumus Dorsi Build them freaky!

sword chucks · 12-14-2005, 07:09 PM

Mastering the Physique- Training the Lats

Introduction

Let’s talk about training! Training for bodybuilders isn’t the same for every muscle group, so we need to learn more than just exercises for training each muscle- each muscle should have a different way of being trained so that you grow as fast as possible and build a developed physique! Training the lats is something that, for some of us, is especially unique.

First I’m going to go into what exercises are best for widening the back. I will also throw in the distinction between width and thickness movements. You can read about the lat development that you can find in the IFBB Professional bodybuilding circle, and genetics in lat building. Finally, I will talk about how to get that V-Taper look by manipulating the physique, and touch on posing.

Back Training’s Bread and Butter- Exercises

The best exercises for lat width are movements that work on a vertical plane, usually. There are also some exercises that work on a horizontal plane that are effective for width, too. Horizontal movements such as rows generally feed the back’s thickness while vertical movements such as chins cause width to improve in the lats. There are also one or two movements that work somewhere in between being strictly vertical or strictly horizontal pulling.

Chins and Pull ups

The first movement that comes to mind for building the lats is chin ups or pull ups (both are pretty much the same). Advanced bodybuilders will be able to perform these with ease and are probably used to using extra weight on a dip belt or with a dumbbell between the feet when performing chins. Intermediate bodybuilders are probably good for ten to twelve solid pull ups and will sometimes be able to add weight. Bodybuilders who are just starting will have a very hard time with the pullups, because it is just your entire bodyweight being moved by your arms and back, and you probably aren’t strong enough to really perform well at pullups yet.

No matter who is performing them though, chins are a great lat builder. Advanced bodybuilders have many ways to go with chins. Since your body weight alone is so easy to do chins and pull ups with, you can manipulate your grip and see which style of chins and pullups you like best. There are several handles for chins and pullups. You can try using the V-bar handle by hanging it over the pullup bar like you might see in a long bar row, which I will talk about later. You can use very wide grips, do partial reps at the bottom or top of the movement to really pump up the lats, and maybe even go for a one-armed chin or pull up and build each side of the back individually. You can also get the most out of chins because your back is so strong that you can pull your sternum up to the bar and manipulate time-under-tension like that. Once you find a style of chins and pull ups that you prefer over the others, you can do one of two things- use that exercise as a warm-up for the back and biceps and use 3-4 sets of 8 reps to get the blood pumping, or treat it as a real mass-building movement and put a dumbbell between the ankles and work heavy in the 4-8 rep range after a warmup. Advanced bodybuilders definitely have a lot of options for chins, because they can treat them like any other exercise.

Intermediate bodybuilders will have more trouble with chins, though. At an intermediate level, you will probably work with your bodyweight or adding five to twenty-five pounds of extra weight on very heavy sets. You are really limited to regular pullups or chins, because those two basic movements are hard enough for you. You could try changing it up with variations in grip width and using different bars for the movement, but it would be best to just stick with regular pullups and chins. You will need to work on the pulldown machine to perform a thorough warm-up without tiring yourself out, and then you can do this movement early in the workout, adding weight if necessary to stay in the 4-8 rep range. Most intermediate bodybuilders will probably have trouble doing these properly AFTER many other exercises, so fit them in early in the workout, and stick to the basics- A, B and C.

Beginning bodybuilders are the lifters that will be lucky to get 3 chins on a good day. This can be due to a lack of strength, or maybe you are carrying some extra body fat around that you shouldn’t be. Either way, these are some things that will be sorted out quickly if you are consistent with lifting, and you can become a great chinner. Until then, there are two substitutes for pullups that are pretty much the same movement. First, you can perform pullups on a weight-assistance machine, and try to lower the amount of assistance each time you work out- this is great because it will allow you to stay in your desired rep range even when working with your entire bodyweight would be too much. You can also do negatives on chins and pull ups without actually doing the positive part, as the negative phase of an exercise is known to be up to 150% stronger than the muscles on the positive phase of it. This is a very basic way to get the most out of pull ups and chins, but remember not to overdo it- training at a level that is 150% harder than normal training isn’t something you want to do too much, or you can get hurt.

For anybody that can perform chin-ups, pullups and any variation of those movements properly, I recommend them for many different rep ranges. Doing chins with a very heavy weight and strengthening the back with the 2-3 rep range is very effective, as chins are a basic and simple movement, and for some people training like this is the only way to perform real chins! Chins in the 5-8 rep range are pretty typical for bodybuilders, whether they add weight or not. Any variation of pullups is also good for a warm-up movement if you are strong enough to easily pump out 8 to 10 chins for 3 sets without getting tired at all, like Lee Haney does. On the other hand, if you can do that many you can also treat this movement as an exercise to bring up muscle endurance and conditioning- perform one to three sets of max reps with 30 to 60 seconds rest to get this effect from chins and pullups.

Cable Pulldowns

Cable pulldowns are another lat exercise that is a vertical movement. Cable pulldowns are great for any bodybuilder at advanced or novice levels, actually, because anybody can manipulate the weight to be exactly what they need, unlike pullups and chins where you can only go as low as your bodyweight for weights.

The first variation to this is in grip. You can go wide-grip or close-grip for cable pulldowns. Most people prefer a wide grip because they think that wide grip means wide lats, but this isn’t always so. A very wide grip does stretch the shoulder girdle out significantly, which widens the shoulders, but a very close grip blasts the outer lats and stretches the actual muscle like nothing else. A very wide grip might be damaging to the shoulders of beginning bodybuilders who aren’t used to the movement, too, or advanced bodybuilders who get aches and pains from the heavy weight. A medium grip on the lat pulldown is great for overall back mass, too.

There are several handles that you might come across in the gym, too, and all of them are good for variation in the routine. You are going to want to find a pulldown handle that gives you the best mind-to-muscle connection, and which “makes one rep equal two reps” (Lee Haney). For me, this is the widest cable bar in the gym, it is about 4 and a half feet long. I grip it just before the bar starts to curve and what I do is actually a bit weird to explain- I take the bar and twist it so that the curved ends are pointing up to the ceiling rather than at the floor- this angle seems to bring the lats even more into the motion. I also like the wide-grip neutral hand position bar, which I call an “I-bar”.

Which way should the palms face when doing pulldowns? Well, since you can pick as low of a weight as necessary on pulldowns, do that, and try out EVERYTHING. When I was experimenting with the mind-to-muscle connection on various pulldown grips, I would use 50% of my 6-8 rep max at the time. I tried close and wide reverse-grip pulldowns and the same grips for regular-grip pulldowns. I also tried out the special handles in the gym like “V-bars”, “I-bars” and “M-bars”. What worked best for me was the wide grip, palms-away style, although I can see some people with higher lats getting more out of the M-bar due to the neutral grip.

Pulldowns are great because you can go places with pulldowns that you couldn’t go with regular pullups. I never would recommend training in the 2-3 rep range on the lat pulldown machine, or even going below five reps really. When I go to too high of reps on this exercise, though, I just start to tire out easily and my back and arms become fatigued, but not worked hard. I stick in the middle- six to nine reps per set for me is about ideal.

sword chucks · 12-14-2005, 07:10 PM

High Pulley Rows

High pulley rows might be something new to you that will shock the back, because it is an exercise that pulls in a combination of vertical and horizontal pulling. You can use a large variety of handles, but I prefer the shoulder-width grip. You are going to find that it is kind of un-natural even with that straight grip to pull all the way to your chest at first, but if you go slow and really try to feel the lats it should be an effective exercise!

To perform high pulley rows, go over to your gym’s cable station and face towards one side of it. Then firmly grasp the cable handle and sit back with the weight. Be careful not to recklessly swing the weight down- ask for a hand with it if you need. Your feet should be firmly planted on the cable apparatus that you are pulling from and your butt firmly on the ground. Keep your back straight and perform the exercise like a regular cable row, but from a higher pulley. Do not use a jerking motion or lean back at all, or you will be wasting your effort! When you finish your repetitions and hit failure, let the weights down- not in a reckless and dangerous manner, but in a safe and controlled way.

If your gym has a V-bar handle or a wide-grip hammer bar for cable stations, you might get some use out of those on high pulley rows. Overall, this exercise is effective for total back development. I would work in a medium rep range for performing this movement- 6 to 9 repetitions per set, and 3 to 4 sets. Since it is not a very cardiovascular-taxing movement, you can perform it with low rest periods such as forty-five to sixty seconds in between sets.

Barbell Rows and Dumbbell Rows

Barbell Rows and Dumbbell Rows are some very basic back exercises that are necessary if your routine is made up of just A-B-C, basic movements. Rows with a barbell really effect the middle back and trapezius while single-arm rows hit more outer and lower lats from my experience. Each exercise has some advantages over the other, so you should see which type of free-weight row, barbell or dumbbell, fits your needs best.

Barbell Rows are more of a power movement for me. I love the feeling the day after a few perfect sets of bent-over barbell rows, just me pulling a heavy barbell to my chest all the way from the floor. The way I perform rows takes some getting used to for other people. First, I usually warm up pretty thoroughly when doing barbell rows. Barbell rows are unlike the above mentioned back movements because they require more stability from the hamstrings and lower back, and also pull more traps into the movement, so you should make sure those muscles are warm before performing bent over barbell rows. If you use perfect form, you can even create some new hamstring growth- a two in one effect.

First, I load a barbell up with weights and leave it on the floor, not in a power cage. I find no trouble in using forty-fives on each side, I can still get a full stretch in my back without the plates hitting the floor and stopping my movement. If you have long arms then try to use smaller plates though, as I want you PARALLEL with the ground. I take a shoulder-width grip and pull to my lower chest, keeping my elbows in. I rarely go over one forty-five on each side and sometimes a ten too, but really I just keep perfect form, and as I gain weight, I am sure my strength will go up. Whatever you do, don’t round your back! You could get an injury easily.

Do Dumbbell Rows in the same angle to the ground as you would barbell rows. Dumbbell Rows will give a different feel though as they isolate more the back and take the lower back and hamstrings out of the movement somewhat. I really like dumbbell rows because I can just focus on training my back with them without fatiguing my lower back, and I can also get more of a squeeze in my lats this way. I used to go very heavy on these in my early stages of training, doing a “starting-the-lawnmower” type of motion to compensate for the huge poundage, but now I make sure to only contract the back and not twist or raise my shoulders more than necessary. I also realized that jerking the weight when performing single-armed rows is very easy and there are a few ways that you might be doing it and you won’t even notice- so I always perform very slow reps.

Free-weight rows are both great for back development and thickness. Here is how I would use them as far as reps go. For barbell rows, I like to use them as a power movement if I need one rather than dumbbell rows, so they are good for the 2 to 5 rep range. However, I usually stick to 5 to 8 reps on barbell rows. I never go too high because you’ll find that this exercise really will make your lungs tired before your back! For dumbbell rows, I think you can go higher reps and do more sets of twelve reps or higher if you want to, as you don’t have to worry about lungs or posterior chain failing before the back. I would not use this as a power movement but you can train it in the 5 to 8 rep range too. For barbell rows, I usually will perform 3 to 5 sets. For dumbbell rows, I also perform 3 to 5 sets, but make sure that you do the same number of sets and repetitions for each arm, or you could create an unbalance in strength that you don’t want!

Cable Rows

Cable rows are different than barbell and dumbbell rows and I separated both variations of the row because cable rows work the back at an entirely different angle. From barbell and dumbbell rows you just can’t get the isolation and the stretch that you get from cable rows. Your gym probably has a specific apparatus just for cable rows, so it shouldn’t be hard to find it. First, place your feet firmly on the foot pads, evenly spaced out. Then, firmly grasp the handle. When performing any exercise, you should start with a firm grip, even if you do end up just having the weight off the end of your fingers at the end of a set. Do not have your knees too bent when performing this movement as it could limit your range of motion. Also, you will strengthen the hamstrings by going just short of locking out at the knees. Next, lean forward with the weight entirely, let the back stretch, then pull the weight to your lower stomach area.

I see too many people in the gym just performing partial reps on the cable row, and working more arms than back by simply pulling with the arms and not allowing the back to move. If you want to hit the back from multiple faucets, do not be rigid like this- instead, make sure to lean forward all the way, almost into a pulldown and then pull up, leaning back to perpendicular with the seat and with the weight at your lower stomach simultaneously.

There are several different handles that you can try for seated cable rows. I think that it is important to find which one you like best and which gives the best mind-muscle connection to the back. For me, the V-bar cable attachment is awesome for cable rows, even if it doesn’t hit my back very hard on lat pulldowns. I think the reason that it is so effective is that it is a narrow grip, so it targets outer lats more. A wide grip bar might work well for you too, though, so try that out. Straight bars with a reverse grip or palms-down grips might also provide a new feeling in the back for you, so just try different things out.

Cable rows are really an isolation movement more than anything else. I would not use them for power training as barbell rows are much better for that. The 5 to 8 rep range is nice on these, but cable rows are also great because you can go to even higher rep ranges without worrying about the back giving out on you before your lats hit failure. I also like cable rows because they are different than other row exercises so that you can manipulate time-under-tension such as lengthening the negative portion of the movement without letting it distract you from perfect form. I would perform three sets of eight to twelve repetitions on the seated cable row.

Putting it all together

So if these are the bread and butter exercises for back training, what are some good ways to combine them all into one single intense day of training per week, or maybe even two? I am going to go into that in this section. Basically, I always recommend starting with a movement like chins or pulldowns, placing lower rep movements first too. Then I might do my rows after the first vertical pull movement, or alternate between types of exercises. Here are some routine ideas below:

1- One day a week (advanced)
Chins 3 x 8 (warmup) (only do if this doesn’t fatigue you too much)
Weighted Chins 3 x 6
Wide-grip lat pulldown 3 x 8
Single arm dumbbell row 3 x 8
Seated cable row 1 x 12

2- One day a week (intermediate level)

Lat pulldown 3 x 8 (warmup)
Chins 3 x max reps or add some weight if necessary to stay in 6 to 8 reps
Bent barbell Row 3 x 6
Wide-grip lat pulldown 3 x 10
Single arm row 3 x 10

3- Two days a week (beginner level)

Lat pulldowns 3 x 10
Bent over barbell row 2 x 10
Negatives from a pullup bar: 3 negatives. Perform only once in the two days.

sword chucks · 12-14-2005, 07:11 PM

The Best of the Best- Best Lats in Bodybuilding

In IFBB pro bodybuilding, EVERYBODY is HUGE. However, there are still some bodybuilders in this past Olympia who stand out due to a particular body part, such as the lats.

Ronnie Coleman’s lats are just huge. He might not have an insane V-Taper, but that doesn’t mean that his lats aren’t big, it just means that his waistline makes them look smaller, an unfortunate illusion. Ronnie has one of the biggest and strongest backs of all time. His DVD shows him performing repetitions on the barbell row with nearly five hundred pounds! His lats are giant and if his waist was as small as, say, Dexter Jackson’s, he would have the best V-Taper in history! He would likely be 20 pounds lighter for competition weight if he didn’t have those huge lats.

Mike Sheridan is a bodybuilder who is just working his way up the ranks in the Olympia. He doesn’t seem like he has much in the way of lats right now, so that is something that he needs to work on.

Do genetics play a role in lat development?

Genetics play a huge role in the development of every muscle. For lats, this role is no less. For example, some bodybuilders just won’t develop sweeping lats like others and might have an extremely hard time building the back. However, the SHAPE of the lats is what really makes these genetically differences, not simply lat size. Lats are a big muscle group, but their shape can vary quite a bit.

For most people, lats either have high bellies, low bellies, or somewhere in between. For people with high lat bellies, you might develop some decent width, but really your lats will look small from the front because they don’t take up much space. For you, I would give this advice- use lots of close-grip pulldowns to stretch the muscle out and you might lengthen the lat bellies a bit. Single-arm cable rows also give a huge stretch which will make a difference in your lat placing.

People with extremely low lat bellies might look like they don’t even have lats on the other hand. You guys with low lat bellies should still use a full range-of-motion for back training and train back like you regularly would, but keep your waist size from getting too large! Otherwise you might hurt your physique by eliminating the V-Taper completely. People with medium lat bellies have it the best, though. Your lats will look big on your body and you don’t need to focus on stretching them out more than you normally would.

How do you tell what your genetics are for lats? Well, just hit a lat spread and you will be able to see where your back begins to pop out. If it pops out right near your hands, then you must have low lats, because your hands should be right on your waist. If your lats start just 4 or 5 inches below the armpits, then you have HIGH lats! If they are clearly somewhere in between then you have medium lat bellies.

Overall, you shouldn’t let your lat genetics worry you too much, just build your physique up and enter your contest in great condition and you will know that you did your best!

Complimenting the lats- other muscles in a lat pose

In lat spread poses, you might want your lats to stand out, but you don’t want to have ONLY lat development! Posing is all about how the body comes together and looks as a whole.

For the front lat spread, the important muscles in order of importance, are side deltoids, the chest, the abdominals, the triceps and the quads. If you are posing the back, why isn’t it the back that is important? Well, the front lat spread is really showing the front of your body- the “pushing” muscles. The side deltoids are the most important because they will make you appear even MORE wide than your lats do if you have good side deltoid development. They can add a lot of mass just where the center of vision will be. The chest is also key here! You don’t want your chest to disappear when performing a front lat pose. Your chest should be flexed actually. The next most important muscle is the triceps. You might not consider this, but when you perform the pose right, they can have the same effect on the appearance of width as the side deltoids do. The triceps are key! The abs are also important, you don’t want to show a flat stomach during the front lat spread! The quadriceps are also proudly displayed when you perform the front lat spread, and if you don’t show off your quadriceps, you are missing out on possible points in the pose. Big quads will make you look wider!

The rear lat spread is one that makes more sense as far as what muscles are important to you. You will need to worry about the muscles that are actually on the back, the “pull” muscles! The rear delts will have the same effect that the side delts do here. They will make you look wider, but you will also be able to see them in all of their development. So make sure to train your rear delts! Traps will also show up in this pose, as they stretch down the entire back. Calves will also be proudly displayed as your most noticeable leg muscle in this position, so make sure you have calves that look good flexed and pop out at the ankle. Triceps will also add to width in the rear lat pose, so make sure you have tris that just bulge out of the back of your arms, and all of your lat poses will be happy.

Showing off your lats
Posing the lats really isn’t easy to learn. However, I am going to explain it in this section so that you can work on it for a while each day until you get the hang of it! Just like getting that mind to muscle connection in the lats, this ability doesn’t come immediately, but will come with practice.

To spread the lats, whether it is a front or rear lat pose, you must first put your chest out. Then, move your elbows forward and bring your elbows together in front of you. Do this slowly so that the lats “come with” your elbows, and what I mean by this is that they should be spreading as your arms spread. Then, you will find that your traps are flexed. Well, let your shoulders down, and rotate your elbows forward a bit more- at this point your chest should be flexed. At this point, I usually put my thumb against the back of my waist to keep my fists from pointing forward. My knuckles are usually facing each other while they are holding my waist.

Make sure that you’re not leaning forward too far or back too far. Practice this in the mirror to see what angle makes your lats appear largest.

While you should spread your lats in the same way for both front and rear lat spreads, you should also be sure to flex certain muscles depending on what pose you are performing.

Front lat spread:
1- place one foot forward, with both toes facing forward, and your quadriceps flexed
2- spread the lats as I described above
3- make sure that the chest is tensed
4- make sure that your deltoids are tensed
5- smile and look proud!

Rear lat spread:
1- place one foot behind you on the toes, and flex the calve on that ankle
2- make sure not to lean too far forward
3- spread the lats as I described above
4- flex the hamstrings and glutes
5- don’t let your confident facial expression down, somebody might see you from the side too!

Posing the lats is key in competition. If a bodybuilder can’t properly show the lats, it doesn’t matter how big they are, they probably will not win the competition. Make sure nobody has this advantage over you!

Conclusion

This article should have helped you perfect your execution in each back movement, think of how to put together a back routine, and to learn how to showcase the lats in competition. While you are doing all of these training routines, remember the basic principles for mass gains- if you place a heavy stimulus on the body after letting it recover for an extended period of time, a growth response WILL take place. Your diet is still key just as building any muscle mass too. Make sure that you have everything in check with your lifestyle, then use this training knowledge to improve your results a bit more.

DSM18 · 12-15-2005, 12:41 AM

TOPIC: What Is The Most Effective Way To Build Your Lats?

The term lats derives from the muscle ‘latissimus dorsi’. If you want a wide back, having a well-developed latissimus dorsi is vital. A wide back, one that begins all the way up at the shoulders, and angles down into a narrow waistline really adds a flow to the physique.

Its affect on symmetry, which is increasingly important in competitions, can’t be overstated. It’s probably the most important factor in achieving a V-taper, and if you look at the previous Olympia winners, if you want to success in the sport, a V taper is must.

The muscle begins right at the top of the outer back, and extends all the way down to just above the waist. It is the 2nd bigger back muscle, and is ultamitely responsible for creating the V-taper.

DIAGRAM:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a42/drewey_06/lats.jpg

(Sorry, i have been trying to upload an image of the back muscles i have, but i can't get it up. Just click the link)

Do genetics play a role in lat development?

Yes, but come to think of it, genetics have a major influence on anything you do. Having said that, you basically have two choices. The first, and one I definetly don’t advise choosing this option, is to give into your genetic limitations. Some have been cursed with incredibly bad genetics, so bad that the belief they simply won’t make it feels like a reality.

The second option, and one I follow, and you should, is to [i]never[/] give in to what god gave you. The fact is, no one chose what they born with, and the best thing to do is just accept what you have. Even those you look at and think, ‘they were blessed with perfect genes’ have overcome many hurdles, or physical limitations, to get where they have.

In my eyes, success in bodybuilding isn’t only about geneitcs, or the quanitity of anabolic substances, but good old hard work, with a side serve of determination. If any of you have seen how hard these pro’s train, atleast those at the top like Jay and Ronnie, you’ll believe my above statement.

Noone is born with the perfect physique. Its take hard work and courage to get it. I’m not denying people have bad genes, but just saying that genes are just one part of the equation.

What faults are their lats? Some people are firstly born with a wide hip structure, and therefore have a wider waist. This means your lats won’t look as wide, and will take a lot more work to get them to where you want. In this case, I would recommend a lot of Wide Grip Chin ups and reverse grip barbell rows to form the basis of your program. There is an exercise section below with descriptions, and advice.

Then there are those who’s backs just don’t seem to grow. It may sound counterproductive, but if your back is lagging, or always has been, I recommend decreasing sets for the back. Why decrease sets? Most people increase sets for lagging bodyparts.

Usually when you have a bad bodypart, your confidence is low, and usually not training that muscle group at the right intensity. By decreasing sets and taking more break, this allows you to bring more intensity back into your back workouts. And we all how important intensity is. After 8 weeks, I would switch back to higher volume. I wouldn’t recommend staying at low volume because the back is so complex, I think it needs the variety.

Another genetic stubborn aspect of lat training is undeveloped lower lats. There are some body parts almost everyone finds hard to develop like upper and inner chest, the calfes and, a lot of the time, lower lats. The good thing with lower lats though is that you don’t need them overly massive. But if this is you and your lower lats are truly stubborn, I would recommend doing machine low-rows. These are great, and can be done unlilaterally for better isolation.

To hit mid lats, I would recommend dumbbell one arm rows. They blasted my lats like nothing before.

What are the best exercises for building lat width? Be descriptive (how many sets and reps, etc.).

It’s time for the exercises… what you should do to develop lats, and what is either a waste of time, or potentially dangerous. Lats are a complex muscle group, and have a variety of exercises and movements at your selection, which is good because variety is the key to any good routine.

Very generally speaking, all back exercises can be divided into pulldown movements (Cable Pulldowns, pullovers, Chin ups, pull ups.), rowing movements, reverse flyes and back extensions to target the lower back. The focus on this article will be lats, so exercises in the row and pulldown group will be discuess in detail.

Rowing movements are more of the mass builders and pulldowns the sculptor. Rowing movements a compound exercise, whereas pulldowns are more of an isolation movement. But having said all that, neither should be ignored, balance is what you should aim for.

DSM18 · 12-15-2005, 12:45 AM

Wide-grip Chin up: The grand daddy at building shapely back width.

When it comes to upper back width, Wide Grip Chin ups and Wide Grip Front Pulldowns are the king movement. I’d recommend both, but because Chin ups are a bodyweight exercise, where you are lifting yourself rather than remaining stationary, I beleive they should be priotised over pulldowns. When the exercise becomes too easy, simply add resistance through a weight belt. But this is only after you’ve done them for a while because for beginners It’s difficult to the exercise for the assigned reps using just bodyweight.

In this case, instead of doing 3 or 4 reps out of your 12, then resting for one minute, an efficient and effective way of doing them is through staggered sets. Arnold used these to train calfes; do as many wide-grip chin ups as you can in between other sets for that same muscle group, or even better on a day you are training a separate body part so the lats are completely rested and you’ll get more out of the exercise.

I could only do 1 wide-grip chin using strict form a few years ago. I wanted to do 3 sets of 12, so I’d do one Chin up after every set of my 25 set chest workout. Within 3-4 months, I was able to 4 sets of 12 continuous reps effortlessly. Supersetting back and chest is actually a good idea because supersetting opposing muscle groups works well.

To do Wide-grip chins correctly, begin by hanging from a wide, angled bar (better for wrists), using the widest grip that still feels comfortable. A wide grip is more difficult, but recommended because it involves more of the lats, whereas the closer the grip, the more the biceps assist the movement, and the easier it becomes.

By hanging for a second it will teach you to stretch your lats at the bottom of each movement. Some believe this triggers the bodies CNS to release more hormones. From hanging position, as you come up lift with your back and really squeeze your outer lats. Angle your arms down as you would with lat pulldowns, slightly arch your body back while lifting your chest out and push up until the bar touches your mid-lower chest. Its difficult, but if you can, hold that position for one second.

I would recommend beginning doing 4 sets of 8 body weight Wide-grin chin ups, applying staggered sets for those who find 8 continuous reps difficult. If you’re an advanced trainer I would recommend 4 sets of 15 bodyweight chins, and to only add resistance when 15 continuous reps can completed with good form.

Variations: Medium-grip Chin-ups, close grip chin ups, close-grip V-bar Chin ups.

Alternatives: Machine Pulldowns.

Front Lat pulldowns :

These are great way to isolate your upper section of your latisimus dorsi, and to add width to your upper back. If done strictly, they can really give you some amazing cuts and awesome back separation. Too often people lean back 30 degrees and yank the weight to their chest. This is good if your aim is to work the whole upper back, including the smaller muscles. But to truly isolate the lats, heres another way to perform lat pulldowns –

Firstly, keep your back stationary, only arching it back slightly. Bring the weight down slowly and in a controlled fashion to your chest, but in stead of bringing your arms straight down, focus on angling the elbows in towards to your sides. This technique hits the lats more because if your arms are out, it causes you to squeeze your back muscles together and will involve traps. You will have to reduce the weight doing it this way, but you’ll feel an amazing burn in your upper lats.

Pulldowns can be performed using a closer or medium width grip, but I find these counterproductive because they involve biceps too much. Also, they are commonly done behind the neck. These can be potentially dangerous to your shoulders. I would stick to front pulldowns and chins. Behind the neck pulldowns aren’t all that effective anyway – when you pull the weight down behind your neck, this causes all the muscles in your back to cave in together. This action means the lats are being robbed of workload.

Use a slightly angled bar as they are better for the wrists. Adopt a wide grip on the bar. Remember, that these and chin ups are the same range of motion, only difference is one you are lifting your body, whereas with these you remain seated. Really squeeze the lats, and feel them working. This is especially important when training your back because there are so many synergists muscles, its easy for another muscle to take over the workload.

The way I split my sets up with pulldowns is by keeping my elbows in strictly on the first 2 sets, then for each of the next two sets, letting them go out slightly more on each set. I do this to make sure I am isolating the lats, but also hitting the smaller muscles for a more complete hit. But I never let my back swing back or use momentum.

Variations: Medium Grip Front Pulldowns.

Alternatives: Wide Grip Chin Ups.

DSM18 · 12-15-2005, 12:51 AM

Reverse-Grip Lat Pulldowns:

The range of motion, and therefore the form of the exercise, is the same front pulldowns. The only difference lies in the placement of the hands; here the hands are in reverse grip. Use a wide grip to hit the lats, if the grip is too close, the exercise is pointless if your aim is to target the back because it will turn into a curl-variation. I prefer traditional lat pulldowns because using a reverse grip has more bicep involvement, but I would still recommend them for variety. Use these when you need a change.

Variations: Medium Grip Reverse-grip pulldown

Alternatives: Wide Grip Pull ups.

Wide-Grip Pull-ups:

Many people prefer pull ups than chin ups simply because people find chin ups too difficult. Sometimes its good to include a balance pull-ups and chin ups for a beginner as pull ups can help build a base of strength for chin ups. Like the Chin-up adopt a wide grip, and really squeeze on the way up.

Variations: Medium grip.

Medium grip EZ bar pullovers:

Pullovers are a famous exercise that professional body builders have sworn by since the 50’s. If you look at bodybuilders from that era, one thing will stand out – their incredible lats, and one exercise that would have no doubt contributed to this is the Pullover. The pullover is one of the most complete movements there is – it combines all the synergists involved in both pushing and pulling movements, and hits the back, chest, tie-ins, delts and triceps very hard.

Nowadays you see everyone doing pullovers using a dumbbell, but back in the day the barbell was favoured. The dumbbell adopts more of a close grip which hits the chest more, particular the inner regions. This is good if this is your aim, but if you want wide lats, then I would recommend using a medium grip on a barbell or EZ bar. Ez bar is better for the wrists.

**Also, keeping your arms straight will target the lats more, whereas bent-arm pullovers will tend to hit the chest. That’s because when you bend your arms its turning the movement into more of a push, with your arms straight it remains more of a pulling movement.

To perform pullovers, begin with the EZ bar in the air above your chest, with your arms very slightly bent. Choose a sensible weight, because once you go down, theres no turning back. Slowly lower the bar over your head, and behind it. Make sure you arms remain relatively straight, its easy to bend them without realizing. Go down below your head, and pause for one second.

This does two things; first, it avoids your swinging the weight up by using momentum, 2nd, it will encourage you to really feel the stretch in your lats. When you bring the weight back up, do it slowly and controlled. A lot of people choose to do this exercise on a bench lengthways, but I perform it lying normally.

I would recommend using 3-4 sets here. A good volume is nessacary because unlike rows or pulldowns, theres only one movement. Do 8-10 reps.

Variatoins: wide grip EZ bar pullovers, medium or wide grip barbell pullovers, medium or wide grip cable pullovers.

Alternatives: Medium Grip Cable Pullovers.

ROWS:

Rows are the ultimate at thickening your lats. They allow you to lift heavy weight, and there are so many variations and options, that there will always be room for change. To ensure you have a balanced back, you should find a healthy balance between the volume you allocate to rowing movements, and how much to pulldowns/chins.

Because there are more options with rows, I recommend a total of 2:1 ratio against pulldowns/chins. So if you are doing 2 sets of chins and 2 sets of pulldowns, I would recommend a total of 8 sets of exercises in the row group.

So, which rowing movements are useful at targeting your lats? Read on and find out.

Reverse-grip Bent over barbell rows (using a medium grip):

This is a compound movement that is probably the best of all back exercises at adding thickness to your lats. It involves almost all of the back, relies on the erectors as stablisers for lower back thickness and is a free weight movement that allows you to lift really heavy weight. It’s a favourite of Jay Cutler, and probably the reason his lats are so thick and wide.

Considering it’s an amazing exercise, its important to note that how you perform the bent-over row can really affect whether you are actually hitting your lats, or other back muscles at the expense of lats. Using a medium, underhand grip will target the lats, overhand and wide grip will hit traps more. Be sure to bench over to paralal to the ground. This ensures you are getting the deepest range of motion, and keeping tension on the lats.

Begin with your arms extended below you so your arms are nearly touching the ground. Avoid moving your back to hoist the weight up, keep it stationary throughout the movement, with feet planted firmly on the ground. Keep your head up and your arms planted at your sides. Lift it slowly and contract the lats on the way up. Don’t contract your shoulder blades back which detracts the attention away from working lats. If you can, squeeze for a contraction at the top.

I would recommend 3 sets of 10-12 reps. You can tailor the amount of sets you allocate to free weight rows depending on your goal – if you are really lacking in thickness, then you can do 6 sets. I wouldn’t recommend 6 sets of just barbell rows, include 3 sets of T-bar rows or dumbbell rows too. Excessive sets of the one exercise is my opinion is a waste when you could be doing another exercise. Variety within each exercise is a good principle to follow.

Variations: Medium-grip, Overhand Barbell Rows.

Alternatives: Hammer grip Dumbell Rows.

DSM18 · 12-15-2005, 12:55 AM

Dumbell rows: (using a hammer grip).

These are great as a substitute for Bent over barbell rows. Like barbell rows they are a freeweight option that are great at thickening the lats, as well as surrounding muscles. These can be performed either standing, or against an incline. Doing them standing will involve your lower back as stablisers, whereas against incline will better isolate the lats. Its also good to note that the higher the incline, the more of the traps and rhomboids become involved.

A hammer grip is recommended for two reasons: Firstly, the traditional overhand grip can be bad for the wrists, and secondly, it will focus more of the stress on the lats. Also remember to keep your arms by your sides, and bend over so your upper body is parallal to the ground.

A lot of people will tell you to do the exercise rowing towards your lower abs, but I like to row a little higher to hit the mid and upper lats.

Variations: Incline dumbbell rows, Standing dumbbell rows.

Alternatives: Reverse Grip Barbell Rows.

T-bar rows:

These another excellent choice at adding thickness to the lats. They were a favourite of Arnold Schwartznegger. Grap the bar using a medium grip, with feet firmly planted on the ground. As you lift the weight, arch your back slightly up and keep it still. Although its important to contract your back in some movements, doing so will detract away from hitting the lats.

Lift the weight to your sternum and slowly lower the weight. A lot of people choose to do lower reps on this exercise, but I recommended sticking to the traditional 8-10 range because back tends to work together, and with low reps, its a lot harder to isolate the lats.

Alternatives: Hammer Grip Dumbell rows, Underhand Grip Barbell Rows.

One arm rows:

IN my opinion, these are the single best exercise at targeting the lats. Because your arms remain pinned at side during the movement, and your forced to use a hammer grip, it gives you no other option but to hit your lats with upmost force. Additionally, it’s the best free weight exercise at achieving a good stretch.

Its also good to add in one exercise within the rowing group that trains your arm one at a time. I find I can really focus on one lat at a time, and feel the muscle working.
One arm rows add thickness, and really hit to your outer part of your mid and lower lats, as well as hitting your upper lats.

I have got good results using 12 reps on this exercise. I recommend a beginner use 1o reps, for 3 sets. Its important though when your doing the exercise to use strict form, with a controlled movement. Its so easy to yank the weight up and literally rob your lats of any real stimulation and workload. So do it slowly, even more so than any other exercise, and squeeze, squeeze, squeeze.

Variations:[/i] These can done bench-assisted, or standing by leaning against something like a weight rack. When standing, your always using more stablisation, so you will also really feel your lower back.

Alternatives: One-arm lever rows

One-arm Lever rows:

This is a great exercises because it allows you to lift incredibly heavy weight, and everyone I see doing them, executes the movement with almost perfect form. They are great at the developing the outer lats. Be sure to extend your arm out as far as you can to feel the stretch, and do the movement super slowly on the negative.

When lifting the weight, squeeze the lats at every stage of the ascent. You should really feel it when the lever reaches your side if you continue squeezing. Be sure go all the way to your side so you elbow goes behind your body, and if theres an option to, using a hammer grip is always better at targeting the lats.

Alternatives: One arm dumbbell rows.

Machine low rows:

The Range of motion here makes this exercise focus more on the lower portion of the latissimus dorsi. The lower part of the lats is a stubborn part for many trainers, but a lot of people really aren’t doing the right exercises to target the are of the muscle. I don’t recommend too much volume for lower lats because if they too developed, they can destroy the V. So, one exercise with 3 sets is enough, and gives you enough room to focus on your upper lats and other back muscles.

Machine rows also differ in their ROM because you arms begin close together at the start of the movement, and come outwards as your bring them to your sides. It depends on the machine your using.

Make sure you lean against the pad, go as deep as you can, but make sure to not round your back. It is optional whether you do them unilaterally, or two arms at once.

Variatoins: high rows. Attachments.

DSM18 · 12-15-2005, 01:00 AM

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER: The Routine:

Now you know the exercises, it’s time to put together a routine for massive lats. Back should be given its own day in my opinion. It’s the second largest bodypart, and deserves this attention. This is considering you are an advanced trainer on a 5 day split, if not back can be paired with biceps, training back first if its a lagging bodypart.

As training lats is the main focus on the program, more important exercises have been used at the beginning when the body is primed, and less taxing ones towards the end. Also, the exercises have been ordered in a way to prevent fatigue, by alternating between rowing and other movements.

When choosing exercises for your own program, don’t only do exercises to target the lats. Be sure to contract your back on a lot of movements and use different grips for your traps and other back muscles. And if you find the volume too high in the following programs, keep the exercises, but tailor the sets for each to your liking.

NOTE: I would perform Pullovers on chest day as its both a chest and back compound movement, and reverse flyes with your delts. This is good, because it gives you more room here to sculpt your back. There are two programs below, alternate them weekly for 3 months.

WEEK ONE:

One arm Dumbell rows: 4 sets, 12,10,10,8 reps.

Bodyweight Wide-grip Chin ups: 5 sets, 10-15 reps.

Reverse-grip Bent over barbell rows (medium grip): 4 sets, 12,10,10, 8 reps.

Wide Grip, Reverse Grip Pulldowns: 2 sets, 12,10 reps.

T bar rows: 3 sets, 12, 10, 8 reps

Weighted Reverse Hyperextensions. – 3 sets 15 reps.

WEEK TWO:

Bent knee deadlifts – 4 sets, 10,8,8,6 reps.

One-arm rows – 4 sets, 12, 10, 10, 8 reps.

Wide-Grip Machine Pulldowns – 3 sets, 12, 10, 8 reps.

T bar rows – 3 sets, 12, 10, 8 reps

Weighted V-bar Chins – 3 sets, 12 reps

Machine low row – 3 sets, 12,10,8 reps.

DSM18 · 12-15-2005, 01:02 AM

What body parts will help make the lat pose appear even more pronounced?

Posing is like training in a way, the body works together at bringing the result. That means, for a good pose, you need all your muscles to work, not only the target one. With the lat pose, its not only about the lats, but the chest, quads, delts… infact, everything.

Firstly, and most importantly, the lat pose shows off what type of V-taper you’ve developed. That means for a good pose, delts should be full, and wide that make the waist appear smaller. This means strongly developed side and rear delts for width.

As well as shoulders are the waist. A trim waist makes the upper body appear bigger. Take a look at some of Bull Bucannons pics to see what I’m talking about. My recommendation here is to just be conscious of your waist when posing. Don’t try to hard to hold it in, but just know its an important factor.

It’s not only the V-taper on show, but also how balanced your upper and lower bodies are. For this pose to look half decent, big quads are a must. Without them you’ll look ridiculous. Particularly important is the outer sweep to the quads, that after time will give you the Ronnie Coleman X taper.

On a final note, your chest should be full, calfes big enough to match the quads and arms well-developed.

What IFBB Pro has the freakiest lats? The smallest lats?

Look at the previous 3 Olympia winners - Coleman, Yates and Haney – and soon you’ll begin to realize how important lat development is on a professional stage. Each of 3 had a freakiness to their lats that was immeasurable. But who had the freakiest lats?

To define “freaky”, its something out of the normal, and with that said I would give it to Ronnie Coleman. His lats have a perfect combination of massiveness, thickness and width that make him look like a monster. Not many other pro’s can match this. When he stands by Jay, Jay matches Ronnie in terms of size, but Ronnies back is clearly harder, with better trap development.

Compared against the other 2 previous Olympia winners, both Yates and Haney had good width, but lacked Ronnies size and thickness. Haney lats gave his physique an incredible flow, and Yates’ lats had a godly width that noone competing against him could match at that time.

Who has the smallest lats? There are a few that come to mind. But I would say Stan Mccrary. Although he has some good poses, such as side chest and most muscular, his lat spread isn’t one of his better ones. His lats don’t have the same dominance from the front as do a lot of other pros. His lats fail to have that V-shape that would really bring more symmetry to his upper body. Generally his physique is pretty unbalanced, and is why he consistently places outside the top 10 in Pro Shows.

BONUS QUESTION: What is the proper way to perform a front lat spread? Back lat spread?

Both of these poses are compulsory round one poses. The front lat spread is probably my favorite pose, and definitely one of the most important. It gives the competitor the opportunity to show off how symmetrical their physique is, their V-taper and how balanced their upper and lower bodies are.

Both of these lat spreads are almost identical. The only difference lies in having to round your back in the back lat spread which brings the back out, and positioning your hands out of sight on at your midline, rather at the waist.

To perform the front lat spread, begin with one foot very slightly forward, with your feet out. Place your hands just above your hip bone, with palms facing down, and your thumbs behind your body. This might not feel comfortable on the wrists, and takes a bit of time to perfect.

In this position, pull your shoulder blades apart, and bang, spread your wings by bringing out your lats. Tense them as hard as you can and be sure you keep your head up and have a good posture. In fact, almost every muscle is vital in this pose, make sure you are squeezing your whole body – be sure to bring your chest out and show off you quads.

Like the front lat spread, with the back lat pose, bring your right foot back stand on your toes, with both knees slightly bent. Hands should be on the midline of the body, palms facing down. Spread your lats by rounding your back and bending very slightly forward.

To make this pose even more impressive, and this is how Ronnie does it, strart with your back muscles crunched up and in. Your back will look straight, but when you hit the pose, your wings will widen and the crowd will explode.

One of the keys to good posing is self-confidence, so make sure you hold your bodyright upright and be proud of each pose. And smile : ) (on the front poses that is).

I hope you learnt something from this article. Only thing to do now is to put what you’ve learnt to the test. Apply what you think might be useful, and start your mission of sculpting your lats into the wings of a plane.

DSM18 · 12-15-2005, 01:49 AM

I said i was to going to add the muscles (and secondary) that each exercises trains... sorry i sort of ran out of time, maybe will can add it to my article.