Large Lats
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by: CalebLee
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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.
The Dumb bell Row:
1. Holding a dumbbell with one arm, take your free arm and hold onto the bench for balance ? it is helpful to also let your knee on this side rest on the bench for extra support.
2. The arm with the dumbbell should be extended to the floor.
3. Slowly, pull the dumbbell up to your side letting the lats and elbow do all the work. You don't want the bicep or the momentum of the weight to do the work, just your elbow, which should remain against your body throughout the exercise.
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.
This next exercise requires the cable pulley machine. If you don't have one be sure to try it at the gym.
Close-Grip Front Pulldowns:
1. Firmly grip the handlebar with both hands.
2. Pull the weight down towards your torso slowly while pushing your chest forward and slightly arching your back.
3. You want to use your elbows to pull the weight; not your biceps-this is the success to this one!
4. Pulling the weight to your chin, hold for a moment then slowly allow the weight to return upwards. This gives you a good stretch in the arms.
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
About the Fitness expert: Caleb Lee knows a lot about building muscle. His website will show you how to build muscle fast.
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