Having trouble activating lats

[n3mo0101]

I can't, and really have never been able to, properly engage my lats. I really don't know what I'm doing wrong. Please help me guys.

I can never tell if I'm actually contracting my lats or not and it sucks.

 

[malcom young]

Try dropping the amount of weight and Squeezing the shoulder blades together slowly, pausing, then repeating.

 

[n3mo0101]

Try dropping the amount of weight and Squeezing the shoulder blades together slowly, pausing, then repeating.

I've recently started doing this. I dropped the weight almost 40%. I do 3-4 second negative with a 1-2 second isometric hold on the contraction. It does feel better for sure, I just don't know if I'm fully engaging them

 

[maldorf]

I've recently started doing this. I dropped the weight almost 40%. I do 3-4 second negative with a 1-2 second isometric hold on the contraction. It does feel better for sure, I just don't know if I'm fully engaging them

I think the easiest way to really feel them is to do high rep pulldowns in a slow and controlled fashion. Try a 20 rep set. I would do the concentric portion of the lift the slowest, where you are pulling the bar down.

 

[OutToLunch]

Jordan peters and John meadows recently put out YouTube videos addressing lat activation...

 

[D2]

this video fm JOhn will help

https://youtu.be/D6xk1RmjdsQ

 

[danieltx]

Intentionally try to pull back with your elbows, not arms. Do exercises one side at a time and experiment with range of motion, particularly if you have long arms. Aside from deadlifts I'll do one type of row with both hands, but everything else for back is one side at a time. I get a much better squeeze that way.

 

[manilla]

Do some underhand pull-ups. Goodluck not using your lats.

 

[OutToLunch]

https://youtu.be/nNn-49MHCb4

 

[tenny]

also....mike arnold can help you with this.....ask him how
he learned how to flex his lower lat bellies.

I would PM him though..

 

[suppdude]

Starting the high school drama early this morning I see...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tenny]

funny you say that....LOLOL

this whole forum reminds me of high school...

::ction-sm

especially with ALLLLLLLL the times this saaaammmmeeee question has been addressed....100s of times...

simple search would have saved weeks worth of time and nonsense.....

but yes I agree

 

[Markyy]

Start with a pullover movement, preferably machine to really warm them up and feel them activate. Then go on to lat pulldown.

That’s how I started to feel mine more.

 

[heavyhitter]

Honestly I think feeling the lats activating is a bit overrated. Just focus on using good form and work at it until your using some heavy weights. If you can row three or four plates per side with good form and do heavy pulldowns or weighted chins.......I don't care if you "feel" your lats activating or not....you're going to have a pretty damn good back

 

[rcorchid]

Honestly I think feeling the lats activating is a bit overrated. Just focus on using good form and work at it until your using some heavy weights. If you can row three or four plates per side with good form and do heavy pulldowns or weighted chins.......I don't care if you "feel" your lats activating or not....you're going to have a pretty damn good back

I agree with this. I'm not even sure what "activating" is supposed to mean. Pull, stretch, control, get the pump, it's pretty simple.

 

[malcom young]

I can't, and really have never been able to, properly engage my lats. I really don't know what I'm doing wrong. Please help me guys.

I can never tell if I'm actually contracting my lats or not and it sucks.

I agree with this. I'm not even sure what "activating" is supposed to mean. Pull, stretch, control, get the pump, it's pretty simple.

I assume he’s using too much weight and just rocking the weight, vs lifting in a slow controlled manner; no pump.

 

[concreter]

Takes Time to develop A mind muscle connection.

I can Flare my Lats at will, but not nearly as good as my Pec dance though!
I got Iron Maidens Drum Solo down!
Plus its better than a Wink for the Ladies!!!

 

[Anubis]

https://youtu.be/nNn-49MHCb4

this is a really good video to help you find out how to hit your lats. I think JP works some or knows of at least the hypertrophy coach cause he has a bunch of these activation videos too and he does the exact same thing for back and it helped me a ton in getting a feel for lat exercises

here's the one the hypertrophy coach did with JM

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5osIi_MH0SU"]Lat Activation | Phase 1 Of Any Back Workout - YouTube[/ame]

really helpful stuff for lats.

 

[DetroitDawg]

Takes Time to develop A mind muscle connection.

I can Flare my Lats at will, but not nearly as good as my Pec dance though!
I got Iron Maidens Drum Solo down!
Plus its better than a Wink for the Ladies!!!

Exactly. I'd say almost more than any other muscle, the lats truly take a mind/muscle connection

 

[Marvin Martian]

I call my late the “Wonder Twins” and when I am doing pull-downs I just yell out “shape of a cobra - ACTIVATE”

If you were a kid in 70’s hopefully that one made sense.

Either way - it was funny in my head.