Latissimus dorsi strengthening exercise: Health Benefits, How to do?

What is a Latissimus dorsi strengthening exercise?

The back includes some of the largest muscles in the anatomy, muscles that are working in your everyday movements to support your body and spine. The back muscles also make up some of the muscles of the core, particularly the latissimus. Strengthening these muscles will not only give your body great proportion, but this will also help you have a strong, sturdy base for all kinds of activities of daily living.

The latissimus dorsi is the biggest muscle of the back. These muscles are situated on either side of the back and travel from the posterior to the shoulder down to the hips.The latissimus muscles are involved in pulling motions, like pulling open a door or, in exercise, doing a pull-up.Because of these activities, typical latissimus dorsi exercises involve a pulling or rowing motion. The following exercises show a variety of ways to train your lat muscles by using dumbbells and resistance bands.Keep in mind these are the biggest muscles so you can typically use a heavier weight, depending on the exercise.

A Quick Latissimus dorsi Anatomy Lesson

Latissimus dorsi has a large muscle, which has triangle-shaped muscles on the back, creating a thick taper from shoulder to waist. This muscle inserts into the upper part of the humerus, your upper arm bone, from the inner side. This muscle has two main actions, primarily work when you pull objects, and when you adduct things. What is adduction? Raise your arms out to your sides, forming a “T” with your trunk. Now lower them forcefully back to your sides. That forceful lowering action is known as adduction.

This all means that traditional rowing movement with your arms by your sides pulling straight back will impact your latissimus. Get too wide with your grip on a row though, and you start to see more involvement from the posterior deltoid and middle trapezius.

Health Benefits of a Strong Latissimus dorsi Muscle.

• Your latissimus dorsi muscle is used many times throughout the day. Every time you pick up your children or grandchildren, this muscle is contracted.
• You also utilize these muscles when grabbing grocery bags from your trunk or when pulling weeds.

• These muscles are used when you sitting at your desk.
• Turn to the side to hold a paper from the printer and you will not only engage your abdominal muscles but also your latissimus dorsi.
• Keeping your latissimus strong and flexible enables you to perform all these activities with ease.

• Regular exercise improves your overhead mobility.
• This makes it possible to hold objects off higher shelves in your kitchen, closet, or garage without experiencing stiffness or pain.

• Bad posture has many negative health issues like an increased risk of back pain and digestive issues such as heartburn, constipation, and incontinence.
• Strengthening your latissimus dorsi supports a healthy posture. Specifically, it helps to keep your thoracic spine and lumbar spine in proper alignment.
• It is also your latissimus dorsi that helps you develop the V-shape you see in most bodybuilders.

There have different exercises to strengthen your latissimus dorsi muscle.

One Arm Row on One Leg

How to do it?

• Performing a row on a single leg adds a balance challenge and, for that reason, you will probably use a low weight.

• To start, shift the weight to the left leg and tip from the hips, taking the trunk parallel to the ground as you lift the right leg straight up. keep Your body in a straight line from head to heel.
• You can hold onto a wall for balance if you need to.
• From this position, pull the elbow up into a row and slowly lower down.
• If you feel tired, take the leg down and rest lightly on the toes, keeping most of the dumbbell in the front leg.
• Repeat for 10-16 repetitions on both sides.

Lat Pulls With Bands rest

How to do it?

• This exercise resembles the lat pull machine at the gym.
• If you want to make this exercise more challenging, you can use a door holder for your band and put it in a doorway above you or you can hold the band overhead and squeeze the back muscles to pull the elbows down towards the rib cage.
• To make this exercise challenging, hold the band with the hands closer together.
• You can also perform this exercise one arm at a time for a more targeted move.

• Repeat for 12-16 reps.

Rowing Barbell

How to do it?

• While dumbbells allow you to work both sides individually, a barbell allows you to lift a heavier weight than you would with separate weights.
• For this exercise, you have to grab the barbell with the palms facing your body and tip from the hips until your trunk is at about a 45-50 degree angle.
• You do not want to lower the trunk too far because that can strain your back, especially if your weight is heavy.
• Your knees should be flexed to protect the back, take the barbell straight out and then squeeze the back to pull the barbell in towards your umbilicus.
• Repeat for 10-20 repetitions. You can also perform this move with the palms out, as in a biceps curl.

Dumbbell Pullovers

How to do it?

• Pullovers are the best exercise because they work multiple muscle groups at the same time—the latissimus, the chest, and the triceps. If you do them on the physio ball, you also contract your lower limb and core.to start this exercise you have to come in a bridge position and grab a weight straight up overhead.
• If you are new to this move, begin with a lighter weight.

• Keeping the arms extended, elbows slightly flexed, lower the dumbbells behind you to about head-level or as far as you feel comfortable.
• Squeeze the back and slowly pull the weight back to starting position, repeating for 12-14 repetitions.

Renegade Row

How to do it?

• To start this exercise you have to come into a plank position on the hands and toes or knees. grab two dumbbells with the palms facing each other.
• If this bothers your hands, try just one at a time.
• Holding the plank position for alternate rowing each weight up and down for 10-16 repetitions.
• If this is too challenging then perform this exercise on your knees, keeping the knees directly under the hips and the hands under the shoulders.

Pull-Ups

How to do it?

If you are new to pull-up exercise, there are ways to modify to movement and slowly build the strength to lift your entire body.

• Start by putting a chair or step stool under the pull-up bar. put your hands wider than your shoulders, prop one foot (or both feet if needed) on the chair and use that leverage to pull your body up.
• Lower and repeat for 10 or more repetitions.
• Over time, you can try using less from your lower limb and more from your upper limb.
• Try this modification ,Use a table or a chair to pull yourself up into position and then slowly lower yourself down without the chair.
• These are called negatives, which are a great way to build upper limb strength.

Dumbbell Rows

How to do it?

• For this exercise, hinge from the hips, your back should be flat and the abdominals engaged.
• The weights (which should be on the heavy side) hang down and you squeeze the back to pull the elbows up to trunk level.

• You do not want to yank the dumbbells up, but us\ those back muscles to regulate the movement. The elbows should stop just above trunk level.

• Because you are bent over with dumbbells hanging down, your lower back has worked too hard to keep your body neutral.
• Flexed the knees if you feel a strain in the lower back and keep your abdominals braced.

One Arm Row

How to do it?

• For the single-arm row, you can often go even heavier because now you are supporting your lower back with 1 hand on the other leg, unlike the double-arm rows.

• For this exercise, engage the latissimus as you pull the elbow up to trunk level. At the top, squeeze the shoulder blades together to get more muscles involved. Lower the dumbbells and repeat for 12-16 repetitions on each side.

Seated Rows With Resistance Bands

How to do it?

• Resistance bands can change the whole rowing exercise. The resistance band gives you resistance throughout the exercise, so your muscle fibers will fire just a little differently.
• You can perform this exercise standing or sitting. Wrap a resistance band around a steady object in front of you and hold the handles in both hands. Move back far enough that you have a challenging tension on the band.
• Your shoulder should be down, squeeze the back to row the elbows in, stopping at trunk level. Release and repeat for 12-16 reps.

Bent-Over Row With Bands

How to do it?

• For this exercise, loop the band under both ankles and hold onto the band closer to the feet.
• This will let you get more tension in the band than holding the handles.
• Keep your back flat and parallel to the ground, pull the elbow up, stop at trunk level
• Repeat for 10-12 repetitions. This exercise is also great with tempo changes.

Power Plank With Rows

How to do it?

• This advanced move hits two muscles with one stone. The plank activates the abdominals, lower back, and lower limb.

• Adding a row means you work the core even more since you are balancing the body on a single hand, and you are also working the lattisimus dorsi.

• To start this exercise, come into a plank position on the hands and toes with the feet wide. if you want to modify it, perform this exercise on the knees.
• Hold onto a kettlebell or a dumbbell and pull the elbow up into a row.
• Lower and repeat for 14-18 repetitions while holding the plank the whole time. Take a rest and then switch sides.

Alternating Dumbbell Rows

How to do it?

• One way to change traditional dumbbell rows is to alternate them from right to left.
• This move activates more core and allows you to concentrate on a single arm at a time.

• To start, tip from the hips and keep the back flat. Slowly flexed the left elbow, pulling it up to trunk level.
• Lower and now lift the right elbow into a row.
• Alternate, taking your time with each repetition for 10-15 repetitions.

Straight Arm Pulls

How to do it?

• The targets the back muscles, but it utilizes your triceps as well.
• Balance yourself on the ball means your lower back and legs utilize to stabilize your body.
• To perform this exercise, anchor a band around a steady object in front of you and then position yourself with the ball under the trunk.you are far enough away from the anchor point to have tension on the band.

• Start with the arms extended out in front of you and, keep your arms straight, pull them down and back behind you, squeezing the back.
• Repeat for 10-20 repetitions.

Barbell Pullovers

How to do it?

• Doing this exercise with a barbell increases the intensity of this exercise quite a bit.
• Unlike dumbbell pullovers, you will want to keep your elbows flexed the entire time so you do not go too far and end up dropping the barbell.

• Begin this exercise on the bench and grab the barbell with hands close together just over the rib cage.
• Keeping the elbows flexed, lift the barbell and take the arms back behind the head.
• Contract the back to pull the barbell back to starting position and repeat for 10-12 repetitions.

Compound Row

How to do it?

• This exercise works the lats, but it also works on the lower back, glutes, and hamstrings.You may choose a heavier band for this exercise to get the most out of benefits.
• Firstly Wrap a band around a steady object in front of you and step back until you feel tension on the band.
• Tip from the hips, knees slightly flexed, and abdominals in, keeping the arms extended.
• Stand up and, at the same time, pull the elbows to trunk level in a rowing motion.
• Release and repeat for 10-20 repetitions.

When did you not do Latissimus dorsi strengthening exercise?

• If your healthcare provider advised you to take a rest.
• If you are recently undergone any surgery.
• If your arm bone is recently fractured.
• If you have a back problem then avoid weight lifting exercises.
• If exercise is painful please avoid painful exercise