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View Full Version : Lats, lats and more lats



Cobalt
12-12-2012, 02:37 PM
My target muscle for my upcoming cycle will be my lats. I feel like they usually lag behind everything else in both size and strength.

What are your favorite / most effective lat exercises?

Rodja
12-12-2012, 02:58 PM
Neutral grip pullups
Kroc rows

DJM
12-12-2012, 03:25 PM
pullups
rows

BBG
12-12-2012, 04:50 PM
pullups
rows

xxiv
12-12-2012, 05:02 PM
pullups
rows

Scope75
12-12-2012, 06:01 PM
Pull-ups and rows!!
I do a shit load of pull-ups wide/neutral grip and need to get back to going rows more often.

weekend
12-12-2012, 06:12 PM
Neutral grip pullups
Kroc rows

gonna hit some krocs for the first time tonight... what do you think of pendlay rows?

Cobalt
12-12-2012, 07:18 PM
Fuck, pull-ups and rows it is.

BUT, can anyone link a youtube vid of proper form doing these? Maybe I'm just not doing them right.

DJM
12-12-2012, 07:31 PM
Fuck, pull-ups and rows it is.

BUT, can anyone link a youtube vid of proper form doing these? Maybe I'm just not doing them right.

dude its a pullup
you are doing them right, pretty basic beginner movement
, maybe you dont do them enough

get wifey to take a back shot n post it in your log.....might be something minor to adjust to bring them out

BBG
12-12-2012, 08:06 PM
With pullups I usually grab the bar, pull myself up, lower myself and repeat ;)

But really I do either 2 ways: all the way up so my chest touches the bar, or I do shortened range of motion.

Cobalt
12-12-2012, 08:06 PM
dude its a pullup
you are doing them right, pretty basic beginner movement
, maybe you dont do them enough

get wifey to take a back shot n post it in your log.....might be something minor to adjust to bring them out

I'll have to do that later on (at work right now).

I seriously ask it, because I usually get this type of answer.
Do your palms face away or toward your body? Do you do shoulder width hand distance or a wide grip?

Just like benching, I always did a shoulder width distance with my hands. When we did that bench press challenge, everyone let me know I was too narrow. Its just minor crap like that.

EDIT:

It was actually more toward a vid of rows, I get results of a row machine for cardio...

Cobalt
12-12-2012, 08:18 PM
Or I can do vids at work:

pullups - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8CSdHX4jfU&feature=youtu.be)

Rulk
12-12-2012, 08:26 PM
I'll have to do that later on (at work right now).

I seriously ask it, because I usually get this type of answer.
Do your palms face away or toward your body? Do you do shoulder width hand distance or a wide grip?

Just like benching, I always did a shoulder width distance with my hands. When we did that bench press challenge, everyone let me know I was too narrow. Its just minor crap like that.

EDIT:

It was actually more toward a vid of rows, I get results of a row machine for cardio...Get a comfortable overhand grip, about shoulder width apart. that is pretty generic but as go with what feels comfortable to you.

For rows I like the cable rows with the close grip attachment. If I do any free weight rows, it's better for me to do one arm db rows with the other arm supported. I avoid bb rows due to lower back issues.

weekend
12-12-2012, 08:28 PM
Or I can do vids at work:

pullups - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8CSdHX4jfU&feature=youtu.be)

that you? i say always wanna get higher up, chin at least level to the bar.

try many grips, super wide, close overhand, close underhand, shoulder underhand, and shoulder overhand, and neutral if you have the equipment.

do a fuck ton of all of the grips and then you will get a nice well rounded result. definitely need to get higher though for a full contraction.

- - - Updated - - -


Get a comfortable overhand grip, about shoulder width apart. that is pretty generic but as go with what feels comfortable to you.

For rows I like the cable rows with the close grip attachment. If I do any free weight rows, it's better for me to do one arm db rows with the other arm supported. I avoid bb rows due to lower back issues.

interesting, i find that the one arm rows bother my lower back more than barbell rows. maybe because i have weak obliques.

Scope75
12-12-2012, 08:30 PM
I'm also interested in seeing how to do these properly becsuse you can never have to much knowledge.
I switch grips all the time to hit the muscles differently. Mainly wide and nuetral thou.

DJM
12-12-2012, 08:59 PM
i dont see anything wrong with how you do it, i never got the legs straight down, personally they are tucked back, but seems fine

like weekend said, all grips, wide, narrow, all work

rows wise im opposite of noa, i like barbell, usually the smith, hammer rows, those meadows drop rows, and so on

im guessing its more a thing where you might need to emphasize back, however in the vid you look thick, and you probably have more back than you think hiding under the fat.......if i was in charge itd be 250 test / 400 tren and drop bf, if you were at 190 by cycle's end, youd have dropped fat and added depth to the muscle, and look bigger than you might at current condition in the 210-212 range

i know you want to be bigger, all good.........but im guessing you got more muscle than you think once you decide to strip away the fat hiding it dude (speaking from experience, we've all been there)

Cobalt
12-12-2012, 09:58 PM
Back isn't too bad, but I guess I'm wanting a massive lat spread when viewing from the front. My sides go straight up from my pecs, not flare out like you see with most bb's.

I'm not going higher in the vid because I physically can't, low ceiling. You can actually hear me hit the light fixture in the last 2 reps if your audio is turned up enough.

Rulk
12-12-2012, 10:04 PM
I like straight arm pulldowns to isolate the lats and at the end of the workout, a dead hang with the feet barely touching the ground.

The straight arm pulldowns pre-exhaust the lats before everthing else, and it seems you can feel the lats much better through the rest of your workout. I do this also because I try not to go too heavy and hurt my back, where if I did not pre-exhaust, I would use more weight and increase risk of a blow out.

The stretch at the end helps to get my lats really sore, more than they normally would without it.

burlyman30
12-12-2012, 10:32 PM
Fuck, pull-ups and rows it is.

BUT, can anyone link a youtube vid of proper form doing these? Maybe I'm just not doing them right.

Hell, you don't need to do it right, just add one more roid into your stack. :rolleyes:

Here's some tips from Scooby...

Proper form of the pullup - bodybuilding basics - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZF0Uz7rty8&feature=endscreen&NR=1)

DJM
12-13-2012, 06:57 AM
Hell, you don't need to do it right, just add one more roid into your stack. :rolleyes:

Here's some tips from Scooby...

Proper form of the pullup - bodybuilding basics - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZF0Uz7rty8&feature=endscreen&NR=1)

ouch !!!!

and for scooby, yeah hes a character, but solid video for beginners

xxiv
12-13-2012, 07:41 AM
Back isn't too bad, but I guess I'm wanting a massive lat spread when viewing from the front. My sides go straight up from my pecs, not flare out like you see with most bb's.


I agree with djm, Even with big, thick lats it is going to be difficult to have an impressive spread with bf hiding it.

Cobalt
12-13-2012, 10:34 AM
Hell, you don't need to do it right, just add one more roid into your stack. :rolleyes:

Here's some tips from Scooby...

Proper form of the pullup - bodybuilding basics - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZF0Uz7rty8&feature=endscreen&NR=1)

As dumb as it sounds, I learned a lot from that vid. Apparently, we were forced to do them incorrectly in middle and high school.
I would always let my elbows come inward, putting biceps in the equation. That is where the problem lies. I just did a few of them using the method in the video and I can really feel it.

Gotta spread reps before I can give them to you again burly.

DJM
12-13-2012, 11:00 AM
As dumb as it sounds, I learned a lot from that vid. Apparently, we were forced to do them incorrectly in middle and high school.
I would always let my elbows come inward, putting biceps in the equation. That is where the problem lies. I just did a few of them using the method in the video and I can really feel it.

Gotta spread reps before I can give them to you again burly.

high school was a while ago tho dude? considering you are advanced enough to be running a test/tren/deca cycle anyday now, one would think your training would have evolved from phys ed class
the trainers in most gyms dont even instruct good technique, let alone a hs teacher to teens

also if you feel your knowledge of back training is lacking, i wouldnt stop at a clip of scooby doo there.....ESPECIALLY if you are gonna run that cycle, or else youll piss away your time.....id be looking more at bb'ing specific routines beyond just the pull up, or else dont bother running gear and wasting the strength/endurance/aggression it gives.....a john meadows back assault is more suited for someone on cycle looking to develop a greater back.....not researching pull ups

sorry if im an ass, but test, tren, dbol (oral deca), they push you to push your body, so one would be consumed with killing their back with rep after rep after exercise.........and the concern over elbows in or out shouldnt even be a factor anymore at this stage in the game

you said you wanna be massive in your log, but only now figuring out rows are good for the lats? and the worse was after those movements were suggested by everyone, you still asked to provide a vid as opposed to at least getting that done on your own

you made a post few days ago about something, sorry forgot, foggy right now, and man i read it and said fuck a)i didnt know that thanks b)damn this guy knows his shit................so cmon man .......... tbh fk googling shit, bug rodja, the guy is all about power and basic compound moves.....hed design a simple but very effective back routine for you no doubt, and youd see results inside the 12wks

Rodja
12-13-2012, 11:08 AM
gonna hit some krocs for the first time tonight... what do you think of pendlay rows?

They're a good movement, but people do them incorrectly. It's a low rep movement that requires immense speed similarly to a DE.

burlyman30
12-13-2012, 11:13 AM
...youd see results inside the 12wks

Without the gear.

Cobalt
12-13-2012, 11:25 AM
I'm trying to stay humble and stand back while the people that know everything throw in their knowledge.

I'm coming across as stupid so that I'll get EVERYTHING from your minds, and hope you open your grey matter and not assume I know something. I'm really bad at asking questions, so I'd rather get the full story and pick out what I didn't know.

I can do fucking pullups, they are basic as shit, but can be made complex. I've always done them for bicep work, not so much lats. I wanted to know the details, the really specific details. Like in the video, I didn't know that simply bringing your elbows in, even a little bit, would shift work into your biceps.

I know what rows are... now. I do them a lot, I just didn't know what they were called. Its not like a new thing for me, I know the exercises, not the names.

I'm also looking to expand my routine. I know a ton of exercises to hit the biceps from the bicep challenge a year ago. Going into it, I only knew a few workouts, now I know a shit ton. Again, coming into this looking stupid so that your all would hopefully drop a workout bomb on me for different movements.

DJM
12-13-2012, 11:37 AM
T NATION | A Monstrous Back: The Mountain Dog Way (http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/a_monstrous_back_the_mountain_dog_way)
ANTOINE VAILLANT - 9.5 WEEKS OUT - TEUTONIC BACK WORKOUT - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2Ww2z7HAR4)
^^^^meadows inspired, high intensity

burlyman30
12-13-2012, 12:00 PM
I'm trying to stay humble and stand back while the people that know everything throw in their knowledge.

I'm coming across as stupid so that I'll get EVERYTHING from your minds, and hope you open your grey matter and not assume I know something. I'm really bad at asking questions, so I'd rather get the full story and pick out what I didn't know.

I can do fucking pullups, they are basic as shit, but can be made complex. I've always done them for bicep work, not so much lats. I wanted to know the details, the really specific details. Like in the video, I didn't know that simply bringing your elbows in, even a little bit, would shift work into your biceps.

I know what rows are... now. I do them a lot, I just didn't know what they were called. Its not like a new thing for me, I know the exercises, not the names.

I'm also looking to expand my routine. I know a ton of exercises to hit the biceps from the bicep challenge a year ago. Going into it, I only knew a few workouts, now I know a shit ton. Again, coming into this looking stupid so that your all would hopefully drop a workout bomb on me for different movements.

Sounds like you have a lot of experimenting to do, between elbow positioning, grip widths, supinated vs neutral vs pronated grip, etc. And then transfer that experimentation to every back exercise you are able to do. Pullups and rows are basic builders which is why everyone mentioned them, but there are a lot of variations within those exercises. And some people feel one exercise more than another.

For instance, pullups and pulldowns are entirely different exercises on how they hit the lats. It has a lot to do with body mechanics/positioning. One person may get more out of one than another, but for most people, pullups trumps pulldowns.

I like barbell and dumbell rows, but each exercise hits a completely different part of my back. Barbell tends to focus more on my upper back/rear traps/rhomboids while dumbell hits my outer lats and lower lats intensely. Grip orientation and width will change everything about a barbell row.

I prefer a thumbless grip on most lat exercises and view the hands as a hook. Then concentrate on pulling back your elbows. It takes a lot of the bicep out of lat work and focuses it on the back.

Go experiment!

DJM
12-13-2012, 12:36 PM
my new fav, close grip pulldown but seated reverse (back to the leg pad), fkn pulls great

also i noticed in colbalt vid, you gotta arc your chest and shoulders back to emphasize the lats, more how antoine does it than scooby

burlyman30
12-13-2012, 01:11 PM
my new fav, close grip pulldown but seated reverse (back to the leg pad), fkn pulls great



How do you do this without just pulling yourself up off the seat? I pull heavier than I weigh, generally.

Side note... great exercise that I haven't done in ages... pullup (can use mid or narrow grip) but don't pull to the chest-- pull to the upper abs. You'll be leaning way back to make this happen.

DJM
12-13-2012, 02:13 PM
How do you do this without just pulling yourself up off the seat? I pull heavier than I weigh, generally.


thats the thing, go light, like 160lb on the stack (im 215-220 now), but the pull is so good after 15reps noway i can pull more, it just yanks the lats in such a way its great.....that and no room for cheating like the losers who do pulldowns where their back is parallel with the fkn floor

burlyman30
12-13-2012, 03:36 PM
thats the thing, go light, like 160lb on the stack (im 215-220 now), but the pull is so good after 15reps noway i can pull more, it just yanks the lats in such a way its great..

I'll give it a shot. Always learning something, even after 28 years. Love that.



...that and no room for cheating like the losers who do pulldowns where their back is parallel with the fkn floor

That turns it into a cable row.

DJM
12-13-2012, 03:40 PM
I'll give it a shot. Always learning something, even after 28 years. Love that.


saw a vid of glass doing this with kai greene, they used a pad to prop him up, i just sit and the leg pad is in my mid to upper back

Scope75
12-13-2012, 05:13 PM
thats the thing, go light, like 160lb on the stack (im 215-220 now), but the pull is so good after 15reps noway i can pull more, it just yanks the lats in such a way its great.....that and no room for cheating like the losers who do pulldowns where their back is parallel with the fkn floor
These are something I'll be tiring tonight.

Rulk
12-13-2012, 05:30 PM
my new fav, close grip pulldown but seated reverse (back to the leg pad), fkn pulls great

also i noticed in colbalt vid, you gotta arc your chest and shoulders back to emphasize the lats, more how antoine does it than scooby
Nice. Been doing those for quite some time now.

saw a vid of glass doing this with kai greene, they used a pad to prop him up, i just sit and the leg pad is in my mid to upper back

And yep, got the idea from Charles Glass. Tiny variations that add new stimuli to routines and muscle growth.

JM1000
04-02-2013, 12:16 PM
It's been a while but here's an interesting video on pullups ... :P

I look for you pain! Pull up and deadlifts with CT Fletcher - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=189ORL6cIBs#)!

DJM
04-02-2013, 12:53 PM
It's been a while but here's an interesting video on pullups ... :P

I look for you pain! Pull up and deadlifts with CT Fletcher - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=189ORL6cIBs#)!

chick in the pink ftw

islandmagic
04-03-2013, 04:40 AM
I have been doing pull-ups 3 days a week when I weight train.... I do 4 sets of 12 and I use 3 different grips... I love pull-ups and if you do pull-ups right after your chest work out even better... my two cents... get those lat huge my friend!!! If your gym has one use the incline lever Row that SHI#$#$ will get your back huge!!!

Monday I do wide grip pullups palms facing out

Friday closed grip pull-up palms facing out

Sat I do chine up's palms facing me closed grip

O_RYAN_007
04-04-2013, 09:54 PM
It's been a while but here's an interesting video on pullups ... :P

I look for you pain! Pull up and deadlifts with CT Fletcher - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=189ORL6cIBs#)!

I'm digging CT Fletcher more and more.