Your back is made up of several different muscle groups, the largest of which is known as the latissimus dorsi muscle. Also referred to as “lats” by medical professionals and gym-goers, these muscles are large — running from the lower back to the upper arm. As you might have suspected, the “lower lats” refers to the bottom or lower portion of your latissimus dorsi muscle. When crafting your back workout, you’ll want to diversify the types of back exercises you do to ensure you hit every part of the lats, including the lower lats.
Why you should target the lower lats
What’s so special about the lower lat muscles anyway? Well, even though the upper lats tend to get more of the spotlight in terms of aesthetics, neglecting training your lower lats is a mistake. Your lower lat muscles play an important role in developing your overall strength and balancing your physique. If you’re looking to get an overall larger, more muscular look from behind — don’t skip out on these three best lower lat exercises.
3 best lower lat exercises
Bent-over barbell rows
The bent-over barbell row is a classic gym exercise that helps enhance your posture, increase strength, and work those lower lat muscles. This functional, compound movement mimics a real-life “pulling” motion, which can also help you in your day-to-day activities. Here’s how to perform a bent-over barbell row:
- Begin by standing upright with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Bend your knees slightly, hinging at the hips. Your torso should be almost parallel to the floor, but remember to maintain a neutral spine position throughout (to avoid any back injuries).
- Grab the barbell with an overhand grip. The barbell can be used on its own, or weight can be added, depending on your fitness level. Keep your arms fully extended as you grab the barbell.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together and engage your core as you pull the barbell up towards your lower chest. Mind-muscle connection is important here, ensuring you are using your lat muscles instead of your arms to perform the movement.
- Pause for a moment when you reach the top, squeeze your lat muscles, then slowly return to the starting position.
- Repeat this movement for as many reps/sets as you wish.
Pullups
Pullups are a great bodyweight exercise you can use to target your lower lat muscles even when you’re not in the gym. Simply grab a home pull-up bar and add it to any door frame to get a great workout in anywhere. Pull-ups can be done with your body weight alone but can also be made harder by wearing weights via a weight belt. Using a wider grip during a pull-up can help you effectively target your lat muscles, including the lower lats.
Here’s how to do a pull-up to target your lower lats:
- Stand directly below a pull-up bar, placing your hands on the bar with an overhand grip. Your hands should be placed slightly further than shoulder-width apart.
- Hang from the bar and engage your core.
- Use your back muscles and arm muscles to pull your body above the bar until the bar is near your collarbone. Avoid swinging your legs or making any movements that are too fast.
- Slowly return to the starting position, bringing your body down to the hanging position.
- Repeat for as many reps/sets as desired/as you can.
Low pulley row
Using a cable machine, you can find at nearly any gym, the low pulley row is another great lower lat exercise. This exercise engages your lower lats to pull the cable, helping to promote strength gains while also enhancing stability and posture. The low pulley row is a great exercise for people of any skill level because the weight stack on the cable can be adjusted to make the exercise easier or harder, as needed. Here’s how to perform a low pulley row:
- Add a straight bar attachment to a cable machine. Sit on the floor, facing the machine with your knees slightly bent and your feet placed on the footrests.
- Adjust the weight to your desired weight. Grab the bar with an overhand grip, keeping your back straight throughout the entire duration of the movement.
- Pull the bar towards your abdomen, retracting your shoulder blades through the motion. Focus on your using your lat muscles here instead of relying on arm strength. Squeeze gently when you get to the end of the motion.
- Slowly return to the starting position (while keeping your back straight) and repeat for as many reps/sets as desired.
