Larger Lats - Achieve Them!

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

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

Standing Dumbbell Rows:

1. You will need a bench for this one. Hold a dumbbell in one hand, take your free hand and hold onto the bench for balance. You can also place your knee on the bench for extra support.

2. The arm with the dumbbell should be extended to the floor.

3. Slowly pull the dumbbell up towards your side, being careful to let your lats and elbow do all of the work here, not your biceps or the momentum of the dumbbell ? keep your elbow against your body during this.

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

5. Repeat this 10-12 times before switching to the other side.

You?ll need a cable pulley machine to do this next one ? if you don?t have one at home, try this one next time you hit the gym.

Front Pull downs with a Close-Grip:

1. Grip the handlebar firmly with both hands.

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

3. You want to use your elbows to pull the weight; not your biceps-this is the success to this one!

4. Pull the handle down to your chin and hold for a moment, slowly releasing the weight and allowing your arms to go up along with the handlebar for a stretch.

5. This exercise is a sure-fire back builder, as long as you remember to work with your elbows and not biceps (not that working out your biceps is bad, but today we?re taking lats!).

These exercises will get you started on the way to building the lats you want-whether for competition or just a little more defined. Keep working and you will achieve it!

See ya at the gym!

About the Author

Fitness expert Caleb Lee will teach you a lot about building muscle. His website will teach you ways to build muscle fast.