Jeff Cavaliere is a YouTuber who has taken to the video platform to help people train smarter through the most essential and effective workout tips and tricks. In his recent video, he elaborates on two moves that work in tandem to grow lats efficiently.
Kneeling Single-Arm Pulldown
Cavaliere starts by demonstrating a variation move that enables the muscles to stretch to their limits, thereby providing a full motion range. “By kneeling, I’m able to get my arm not just overhead, but also taking the attachment point specifically of the arm and the hip as far away from each other as I possibly can … When trying to build the upper, outer portion of the lats, the vertical pulling exercises are going to be your best bet.” In addition to this move, the former coach advises the use of a pronated grip so that the bicep contribution to the movement is reduced. Further, the elbow should be kept in place so that it does not turn into a curling movement.
Barbell Row
To develop the inner lats, the fitness expert suggests a rowing motion, pulling the arm back towards your body. “I don’t know many exercises that do a better job of building the lats than a row … The one limitation is that you don’t have the full range of motion that you did on the pulldown, but these are meant to complement each other perfectly. What you are getting is that all-important secondary function of the lats.”
Selective Precautions
For those who have back pain, it is very difficult to do a barbell row. So, Cavaliere suggested opting for alternatives like a chest-supported row, stating that it allows the person to actually reap the benefit of the exercises you need to do instead of missing out on one exercise altogether due to the pain.