Lats Workout at Home for Strength and Width

Lats Workout at Home

Are you looking for an effective lats workout at home?

If so, stick around because we are breaking down some of the best lat exercises you can do at home, even if you don’t have a pull-up bar.

Exercises You Can Do Without a Pull-Up Bar

1. Bent-Over Dumbbell Rows

  1. Grab a pair of dumbbells and bend over. Keep your back straight.
  2. Engage your abs and inhale.
  3. Pull both dumbbells up in one fluid motion.
  4. Pause briefly and extend your arms as you exhale.

Two Arm Dumbbell Rows

2. One-Arm Rows

  1. Grab a dumbbell, lean forward, and place one hand on a flat object.
  2. Bring your chest out and stagger your stance.
  3. Pull the dumbbell until your elbow is at torso level.
  4. Lower the weight to the starting position and exhale.
  5. Repeat for the same number of reps for your opposite side.

One-Arm Rows Home Back Workout

3. Kroc Rows

  1. Grab a heavier dumbbell, lean forward, and place one hand on a flat object.
  2. Bring your chest out and stagger your stance.
  3. Pull the dumbbell until your elbow is at torso level. Use some momentum and raise your torso several degrees as you pull.
  4. Lower the weight to the starting position and exhale.
  5. Repeat for the same number of reps for your opposite side.

One-Arm Dumbbell Rows

4. Supermans

  1. Lie face down on the floor with your legs straight, and arms extended forward.
  2. Take a breath and extend your body as much as possible, lifting your legs and upper body.
  3. Hold for a few seconds and relax.
  4. Repeat.

Lats Workout at Home - Supermans

Movements You Can do With a Pull-Up Bar

1. Pull-Ups

  1. Grab a pull-up bar with an overhand grip.
  2. Bring your chest out and engage your abs.
  3. Bend your knees to suspend yourself in the air.
  4. Inhale and pull yourself up in one fluid motion.
  5. Extend your arms and exhale.

Secondary Muscles Worked Pull Ups

2. Chin-Ups

The same as pull-ups, only instead of overhand, you use an underhand grip (palms facing back). You should also use a slightly narrower grip (hands shoulder-width apart).

Chin Up

3. Dead Hang

  1. Reach up and grab a pull-up bar with an overhand grip.
  2. Relax your body and simply hang for as long as possible.

Dead Hang

4. Scapular Pull-Ups

  1. Reach up and grab a pull-up bar with an overhand grip.
  2. Bend your knees to suspend yourself in the air.
  3. Inhale and retract your shoulder blades to elevate yourself several inches. Don’t bend your elbows.
  4. Hold briefly and relax.
  5. Repeat.

Scapular Pull-Ups

Lats Anatomy (And How to Train Them)

The lats are superficial muscles that make up a significant portion of the upper back. They are the largest muscle in the upper body, and their primary functions are to assist with movements at the shoulder joint and flex the torso laterally. (1)

One of the best ways to train the lats is through pulling exercises, such as those we discussed above. Pullovers, where the arms move from an overhead position to in front of the body, can also be effective––one way to do these is on a cable machine or with a resistance band.

And your back muscles are considered a larger muscle group (as opposed to biceps, triceps, or abs). So you will likely need a heavier dumbbell to achieve a solid workout at home with dumbbells. 

There’s always a balance you have to find between ensuring there’s enough weight to sufficiently challenge your muscles, but not too much to risk injury. Always err on the side of caution, and increase weight gradually.

The muscles that work well with the lats include the biceps, shoulders, and abs.

Safety Tips For a Lats Workout at Home

  • Prepare with light cardio, dynamic stretching, and less challenging warm-up sets. (2)
  • Do slow and controlled reps, never using more weight than you can handle.
  • Avoid using momentum and jerking motions. Perform reps through a full range of motion and squeeze your lats on every rep.
  • Stop doing a set if you feel intense pain in your lats, shoulders, or elbows. Review your technique or replace specific exercises that cause significant discomfort.

More home workouts:

Click for a full range of home workouts, and click to see our video library of home workouts.

Philip Stefanov

Philip Stefanov

Philip is a fitness writer, blogger, certified personal trainer, and the founder of ThinkingLifter.com. He has spent the last seven years writing fitness content and training men and women in the gym, as well as online. His passion is fitness and exercise, and helping others improve their fitness and wellness.

References

  1. Latissimus Dorsi Muscle. Physiopedia. (n.d.)
    https://www.physio-pedia.com/Latissimus_Dorsi_Muscle
  2. Elizabeth Quinn, M. S. (2020, March 13). Prevent injuries. Verywell Fit.
    https://www.verywellfit.com/how-to-warm-up-before-exercise-3119266 

Click to see our medical disclosure.