I'm having a hard time hitting lats with rows and pullups. Idk if it's because my form is fucked, but I also noticed that the mind-muscle connection tat I have with bis, tris, calves, quads, abs, etc... isn't there with lats. Could that be the problem?
I was considering rigging up a lat pulldown machine in my garage to try tat as well to see if it is any better for me, or maybe it'd help me build that mind-muscle connection.
A question thats less important to me: How to into stomach vacuums? Is it just flexing your abs as hard as possible, or is it that thing where you just suck in your belly as much as possible? I wanna learn how to do them properly so I can do them while at work.
Rows = bring the bar into your waste Pulls = only bring the bar down to your nose
Any other way and I feel it too much in my shoulders.
Carter Bell
I was having a problem with this when I first started. I added in straight arm lat pulls don't really know what they're called. You keep your arms out in front of you on a cable and bring the bar down to your waist. Anyways these really helped me develop that connection YMMV.
Gavin Gomez
Could you find me a visual representation of this? I THINK I understand what you're saying but I don't wanna be wrong and waste a bunch of time.
Tyler Wood
This is some dumb as shit advice
Joshua Hughes
It's pretty god damn simple. It's a dumbbell pullover but instead of propped on a bench you stand and use a cable machine. It's basically doing tricep extensions but for your lats.
Asher Rogers
Basically tricep push downs but instead of keeping your elbows in you keep your arms straight and rotate at your shoulders. Use a rope attachment for best results.
Nathaniel Reyes
Sweet, thanks. I guess I will rig up a cable machine then.
Wyatt King
>backlet
Kayden Edwards
this is gonna sound kinda cooked, but I was having trouble hitting my lats too and Rows didn't do much and I can't do many pull-ups so I started pulling the bar really low on Pulldowns. Like, instead of to my chest I was pulling it down as far as I could before I was pushing it down if that makes sense? Anyway, after doing a few sets of that it felt like my lats were cramping and I could feel they had been engaged after that workout. So far that's the only way I've been able to engage mine, so maybe try that?
Also what said, doing the straight arm pulldown things feels pretty good too. I'm still DYEL but hopefully it helps?
Austin Gomez
With lats you just have to focus on pulling with your elbows. By keeping the wrists straight you can limit the biceps involvement in rows, pullups, and even chinups. I highly recommend doing paused lat pulldowns and dumbbell rows if you want to feel your lats activate.
That being said, can anyone give me some chest tips? I struggle with activating mine while using my back comes easy to me.
Aaron Flores
Do supine grip and pause at the bottom. It's what I've been doing for the last few weeks and it really helps activating lats (I could never properly engage them with the normal wide grip). Just make sure you're pulling with your elbows otherwise it'll turn into a bicep dominant exercise. Also try to bring it down to your chest.
Carson Young
On pullups you have to lean back like in the video to hit lats more
weighted pull ups, especially with a backpack rather than a belt, work my lats a lot more
Ryder Cooper
I used to struggle with chest. Odd thing that helped me out on pretty much every chest exercise around the board was keeping my chest flexed throughout the duration of the movement. It kinda forced me to feel the stretch in my chest.
Juan Jackson
Your not protracting your shoulders when you perform pull ups or rows. Pretty simple fix.
Carson Thomas
Also to add to this hit the bar with your chest on pull ups don't try and hump the bar and don't grip the bar too hard have a medium grip
Leo Cook
Retract your scapula at the start of your pull and pull only with your elbow while thinking about the upper arms and forearms as only ropes.
Chase Adams
well you obviously weren't 'flexing' the entire time , because that implies it was constantly contracted; i.e. not moving. What you mean is you actually were able to isolate and target the muscle instead of using secondary ones, with shit form. your form improved that's all
Logan Martin
does your gym have an assisted pullup machine? Just do that
Jaxson Miller
Are you meant to hit the clavicle on lat pulldown?
Nathan Bailey
holy shit, was that khaled first appearance?
Jonathan Hughes
Make sure to emphasize the strength to help you feel the muscle extending. As far as form goes, when pulling down, think of bending the bar in half and pulling your elbows toward your butt. When rowing, keep in mind the stretch but visualize your forearm crossing your body like it does on bench press, remember that full range of motion to get the full squeeze as your pull your elbows as far back as possible while maintaining proper posture. Also try posing and flaring your lats to help you find the connection
Jacob Cooper
use semi light weights, something you can do for 15-20 reps then focus on using your arms like hooks, focus on them just there to hold the bar.
keep doing it until you feel your lats
I do this type of shit if i don't feel a workout in the places i want
you want to think about the movement that requires that muscle to activate
try flexing your lats before doing it to so you can a better sense when you're using them and how to
Jackson Bell
12-15 can work to you want something that isn't too heavy where your other muscles with compensate and try to help
Christian Price
dont forget to have an arch in your back, lats also have this function
