What it lets you do
- Pulling a heavy fire door open with your arm, not your bodyweight.
- Getting yourself out of a pool on your arms instead of walking to the ladder.
- Lifting a bag into the overhead bin with one hand.
Back to the muscle map
Lats
The lats: the widest muscle in the body and the engine of every pull.
- 33
- Primary muscle
- 4
- Secondary muscle
The big fan-shaped muscles down the sides of your back, from your armpits to your waist. They're what makes a back look wide from behind.
Where you feel it
Right under your armpits, along the sides of your ribs. It's a broad pull, not a burn in one spot. If the only thing on fire is your arms, your back never really joined in.
If you skip it
Every pull becomes an arm job, and your arms are a fraction of the size. You run out of arm long before your back is anywhere near done.
Anatomy and function
The latissimus dorsi spans from the lower spine, pelvis and lower ribs up to the inside of the upper arm. It is the largest muscle of the upper body by surface area. Its job is to pull the arm down and back toward the body: adduction and extension of the shoulder, plus some internal rotation.
Every pull-up, pulldown and row is a lat exercise, and the lats also stabilise the spine during deadlifts and squats by creating tension through the whole back. Well-developed lats give the torso its V-shape and improve pulling strength in swimming, climbing and grappling.
How to train it
The volume and frequency below are programming starting points for the lats, to be adjusted to each person's level and recovery.
- Rep ranges
- 6-10 reps on weighted pull-ups and heavy rows, 10-15 reps on pulldowns and cable rows
- Frequency
- 2 sessions per week, mixing vertical and horizontal pulling
Key movement patterns
- Vertical pull (pull-up, chin-up, lat pulldown)
- Horizontal pull (barbell row, cable row, single-arm dumbbell row)
- Straight-arm pulldown or pullover for isolation
- Deadlift for isometric lat tension
Common mistakes
- 01
Pulling with the arms and biceps instead of driving the elbows down and back.
- 02
Shrugging the shoulders up during pulldowns rather than depressing them first.
- 03
Rowing with a rounded back and momentum.
- 04
Never feeling the lats because the range is cut short at the top.
Exercises for this muscle
37 matching exercises
Primary muscle33
MET 4.5
TRX Row
MET 5
Barbell Bent Over Row
MET 5
Landmine Row
MET 5
Reverse Grip Barbell Row
MET 5
One Arm Dumbbell Row
MET 4.5
Lat Pulldown – Wide Grip
MET 4.5
Reverse Lat Pulldown
MET 4.5
Lat Pulldown
MET 4.5
Lat Pulldown – V-Bar
MET 5.5
Pull-Up
MET 5.5
Neutral Grip Pull-up
MET 4.5
Seated Row – V-Bar
MET 4.5
Seated Row – Lat Bar
MET 4.5
Low Row – Machine
MET 4.5
Seated Row – Machine
MET 4.5
Assisted Pull-Up Machine
MET 4.5
Assisted Pull-Up – Neutral Grip
MET 4.5
Assisted Pull-Up – Supinated Grip
MET 8
SkiErg
MET 4.5
Bodyweight Row (Bar)
MET 7
Sled Pull
MET 4.5
Bent-over Row – Gym80
MET 4.5
Dumbbell Bent Over Row
MET 4.5
One Arm Bent Over Dumbbell Row
MET 4.5
One Arm Dumbbell Row – Rotation
MET 5.5
Renegade Row
MET 4.5
One Arm Neutral Grip Dumbbell Row – Bench Support
MET 4.5
One Arm Dumbbell Row with Rotation – Incline Bench Support
MET 4.5
High Row – Machine
MET 5
T-Bar Row – Machine
MET 4.5
High Row – Pronated Grip Machine
MET 4.5
Seated Row – Lat Bar (Wide Grip)
MET 4.5
One Arm Seated Row – Cable
Frequently asked questions
How do I feel my lats during pull-ups?
Start each rep by pulling the shoulder blades down, think about driving the elbows toward the hips, and control the descent. Lighter assisted reps done slowly usually teach the connection faster than heavy sets.
Pull-ups or rows for a bigger back?
Both. Vertical pulls emphasise width through the lats; horizontal pulls add thickness through the mid-back. A complete program includes at least one of each.
Does grip width matter on pulldowns?
A moderately wide, pronated grip emphasises the upper lats; a closer, neutral or supinated grip lets you pull through a longer range and involves the lower lats and biceps more.
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