Lats Exercises
38 lats exercises with photo demos and step-by-step instructions.
The lats run from the upper arm all the way to the pelvis, which means they shorten most when the elbow travels down and back toward the hip. Any exercise that follows that line — pull-ups, pulldowns, single-arm dumbbell rows, straight-arm pulldowns — is a lat exercise; anything that pulls the elbow straight back at chest height belongs to the mid-back. Because the lat is a big, fibre-rich muscle with a long range of motion, it grows especially well from loaded stretch: a slow negative on a pull-up or a pulldown with a genuine overhead reach is worth more than extra weight. Keep the torso quiet, avoid the temptation to lean back, and train them in the 8–15 rep range for most sets.
How often should you train lats?
Direct lat work twice a week, 6–12 sets total, fits neatly inside a normal back routine. If your goal is width specifically, put one vertical pull first in the session while you are fresh.
Common lats training mistakes
- Leaning back on pulldowns until they become a row — the lats lose the stretched position where most of the growth stimulus lives.
- Gripping the bar too tightly and pulling with the biceps. Use a thumbless or hook grip and think of the hands as hooks.
- Only ever doing wide-grip work. A neutral or shoulder-width grip lets the elbow travel further into extension and usually loads the lat harder.
Frequently asked questions about lats training
Which exercise isolates the lats best?
The straight-arm pulldown, because the elbow stays locked and the shoulder does all the work, so the biceps and mid-back can't take over. It is best used after a heavy pull-up or pulldown, not instead of one.
Are pull-ups or pulldowns better for lats?
Both work. Pull-ups let you load your body and train the stretch under high tension; pulldowns let you control load precisely and take the set past technical failure. Most lifters should use one of each per week.
How wide should my grip be?
Slightly wider than shoulder width is enough. Extremely wide grips shorten the range of motion at the top and usually reduce, not increase, lat involvement.
How many sets do lats need per week?
6–12 direct sets, on top of your rowing work, is plenty for steady growth. Quality of the stretch and the squeeze matters more than adding more sets.
Do rows train the lats too?
Yes, especially single-arm dumbbell rows and any row where the elbow finishes close to the hip. Rows with a high elbow path bias the rhomboids and mid-traps instead.
All Lats Exercises
- Band Assisted Pull-Up
- Bent-Arm Barbell Pullover
- Cable Incline Pushdown
- Catch and Overhead Throw
- Chair Lower Back Stretch
- Chin-Up
- Close-Grip Front Lat Pulldown
- Dynamic Back Stretch
- Elevated Cable Rows
- Full Range-Of-Motion Lat Pulldown
- Gironda Sternum Chins
- Kipping Muscle Up
- Kneeling High Pulley Row
- Kneeling Single-Arm High Pulley Row
- Latissimus Dorsi-SMR
- Leverage Iso Row
- London Bridges
- Muscle Up
- One Arm Against Wall
- One Arm Lat Pulldown
- One Handed Hang
- Overhead Lat
- Overhead Slam
- Pullups
- Rocky Pull-Ups/Pulldowns
- Rope Climb
- Rope Straight-Arm Pulldown
- Shotgun Row
- Side To Side Chins
- Side-Lying Floor Stretch
- Straight-Arm Pulldown
- Underhand Cable Pulldowns
- V-Bar Pulldown
- V-Bar Pullup
- Weighted Pull Ups
- Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown
- Wide-Grip Pulldown Behind The Neck
- Wide-Grip Rear Pull-Up
Related pull exercises
Back exercises · Middle Back exercises · Lower Back exercises · Traps exercises · Biceps exercises · Forearms exercises