11 Lat Exercises That Will Totally Sculpt Your Back

by | Feb 16, 2022 | Workouts

Keeping track of muscle abbreviations is like remembering text slang, tbh. You’ve got quads, traps, delts, glutes…the list goes on. But your lats (a.k.a. latissimus dorsi) shouldn’t get lost in the shuffle. They’re the huge muscles that run from the back of your shoulders down to your hips, responsible for everything from pulling to maintaining posture. And because of that there are a few lat exercises you need to be doing.

And while it may seem simple enough to locate the right lat-targeting machines at the gym (there’s literally one called a lat pulldown), if you’re at home with nothing but a set of dumbbells…uh…where do you even start?

READ MORE: Try This 25-Minute Total-Body HIIT Workout And Torch Calories Fast

That’s where the lat exercises below, provided by celebrity fitness trainer and Revenge Body star Lacey Stone, come in. Add them to your back workout day, or dedicate a whole routine to those oh-so-important lats.

Time: 15 minutes

Equipment: Dumbbells (start with 2 to 4 kilograms for beginners)

Good for: Lats

Instructions: Choose three lat exercises below. For each move, do 20 reps, then continue to the next move. Repeat the entire three-move circuit three times total. Or incorporate some of these lat exercises into a back workout routine.

1/ Bent-Over Row

How to: Grab a pair of dumbbells and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Bend forward from your hips to lower your chest toward the floor, arms hanging directly from your shoulders and palms facing toward body. Brace your core, then pull the weights toward your rib cage, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Pause, then lower back to start. That’s one rep. Do 20 reps.

READ MORE: 17 Back Exercises Every Woman Should Add To Her Workout ASAP

2/ Alternating Bent-Over Row

How to: Grab a pair of dumbbells and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Bend forward from your hips to lower your chest toward the floor, arms hanging directly from your shoulders and palms facing toward your body. Brace your core, then pull one weight toward your rib cage, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Pause, then lower back to start. Repeat on the other side. That’s one rep. Do 20 reps.

3/ Underhand Bent-Over Row

How to: Grab a pair of dumbbells and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Bend forward from your hips to lower your chest toward the floor, arms hanging directly from your shoulders and palms facing toward the ceiling. Brace your core, then pull the weights toward your rib cage, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Pause, then lower back to start. That’s one rep. Do 20 reps.

4/ Single-Arm Bent-Over Row

How to: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Bend forward from your hips to lower your chest toward the floor, one arm hanging directly from your shoulders and palm facing toward your body. Brace your core, then pull the dumbbell toward your rib cage, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Pause, then lower back to start. That’s one rep. Do 20 reps on each side.

5/ Single-Arm Underhand Bent-Over Row

How to: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Bend forward from your hips to lower your chest toward the floor, one arm hanging directly from your shoulders and palm facing up, toward the ceiling. Brace your core, then pull the dumbbell toward your rib cage, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Pause, then lower back to start. That’s one rep. Do 20 reps on each side.

READ MORE: 10 Lower-Body Resistance Band Exercises To Tone Your Legs And Glutes

6/ Single-Leg Row

How to: Hold a dumbbell in your right hand, facing your body, and raise your right foot slightly behind you. Hinge forward, letting the weight hang directly under your shoulder as you lower your torso and raise your right leg until both are parallel to the floor. This is your starting point. Bring the dumbbell to your rib cage. Pause, then slowly lower back to start. That’s one rep. Do 20 reps on each side.

7/ Bent-Over Fly

How to: Grab a pair of dumbbells and stand with your feet hip-width apart and your knees bent. Bend forward at the hips and let your arms hang straight down from your shoulders, palms facing your body. Raise both arms out to the sides as you squeeze your shoulder blades together. Return to start. That’s one rep. Do 20 reps.

8/ Alternating Bent-Over Fly

How to: Grab a pair of dumbbells and stand with your feet hip-width apart and your knees bent. Bend forward at the hips and let your arms hang straight down from your shoulders, palms facing your body. Raise one arm out to the side as you squeeze your shoulder blades together. Return to start. That’s one rep. Do 20 reps on each side.

READ MORE: The 10 Best Bodyweight Abs Exercises Of All Time To Crush Your Core

9/ Superwoman

How to: Lie facedown on the ground, with your arms and legs stretched out. Squeeze your glutes and lift your torso and legs up as far as you can. Hold for one or two seconds. Slowly return to start. That’s one rep. Do 20 reps.

10/ Alternating Superwoman

How to: Lie facedown on the ground, with your arms and legs stretched out. Squeeze your glutes and lift your left arm and right leg up as far as you can. Hold for one or two seconds. Slowly return to start. Repeat on the opposite side. That’s one rep. Do 20 reps.

11/ Renegade Row

How to: Assume a pushup position with your hands on the weights, arms extended, and feet slightly wider than hip-width apart. Bend your right arm and raise the dumbbell to chest level, keeping your hips and shoulders level. Lower the weight to the floor, then repeat the move by rowing the left dumbbell. That’s one rep. Do 20 reps.

This article was originally published on Women’s Health US

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