I literally don't even feel the lats most of the time. My form is right it just doesn't work for me...

I feel them when i do one arm rows and chest supported raws...mostly one arm rows really work

>does not feel abs on sit ups
are you fat?

Your form is probably shit then. Try to do a monkey grip/suicide grip on the bar. This can help emphasize the biceps even more and helps some people target the lats better.

Attached: CrossFit-Fibre-Monkey-Grip.png (1046x862, 1.43M)

Same here. Pullups, chinups, BB rows, DB rows, machine rows. Everything is a bicep exercise for me

lower the weight and really focus on finding/activating the lats. Also, elbows go into back pockets

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I did some bent over db rows, did't feel the lats at all, just the arms. Diagnosis?

DO T BAR ROWS

Push your shoulderblades together.

Something that helped me was starting my workout with some meme pre-activation exercise for the lats such as lat pull ins with low weight. A couple sets. And then when doing lat exercises try to almost maintain a constant lat spread :)

bad form

This

OP I recently found out how to activate the lat and it's been a blessing

>pullups
>before pulling up, only squeeze your scapula together
>your chest should rise a little and your back should tighten up
>from this position, continue squeezing and use those muscles primarily
>once you've fully contracted your lats and can't use them finish with your arms
>DO NOT DROP, descend slowly with the same tightness
Voila!

Go wider grip and let the weight pull you up some stretching your lats
Focus your brain on the feeling in your lats as the stretch then pull with them

I only feel my right lat when I do this one

Your form is not good even if you think it is

You could try doing these with one arm. I just started doing them because I'm working towards one arm pullup.

I had that same issue. Guarantee it's a form issue. Try to visualize putting your elbows into the sides of your glutes. It worked for me.

youtube.com/watch?v=pYcpY20QaE8 Here you go friend

oh thats the correct form? im doing the chinup grip... whats better?

thumbless grip + stretch at the top squeeze at the bottom

Someone told me to do this when I started lifting and it really helped me.

Why the hell does anyone bother showing exercises with fucking baby weights? Show how to move the fucking exercise with your real working weights.

This fucking irks me so much. The way 10 lbs moves is totally different from 90 lbs

well try doing one arm pulldowns then

They're all fine so long as you're progressing. That said they do work different muscles slightly more. The wider the grip the less lats and more small upper back muscles. The more pronated the grip the more brachioradialis and less biceps.

That 40 kgs DB is a decent weight for, say, 15-20 reps per side, user

if you don't feel your lats there are 2 main reasons likely to be the cause:
1. you lack proper external rotation mobility of the scapula
2. you don't even mass in your lats yet to feel them squeezing.

the first issue is correctable, the second will correct itself over time provided you keep training and eating properly.
try the exercise in this photo, as well as an elastic band exercise called band pull-aparts. after several weeks you should have significantly improved your scapular mobility.
Now, when you go to do any exercise involving your lats (pull-ups, lat pull, rows, etc.) make sure your pelvis is neutral (ass isn't sticking out, nor rolled under), and your chest upright (don't let your shoulders round/chest collapse). As another poster said, treat your hands like hooks and pull elbows in toward your waist and slightly behind you. One cue I use is to imagine that my scapula are the wings of a butterfly and my spine is the body of the butterfly, and each rep I'm flapping those wings. I also HIGHLY suggest unilateral work for the lats, you will be able to contract your lat more deeply if you rotate your torso very slightly toward the arm you're using at the peak contraction of the movement. You'll never be able to contract your lat this deeply when pulling from both arms.
Hope that helps.
For the record I'm a NASM certified trainer, not just pulling this shit out of my ass.

Attached: tatercuff.jpg (480x355, 18K)

I had this exact problem. My biceps and grip were holding me back. That and getting discouraged from not feeling it in my lats.

Deadlifts with hexbar improved my grip tremendously and I did a shitload of incline hammer curls with made my biceps explode. I picked up the lat pulldowns again and stuck with it and I've been making great progress. I can now activate my lats when doing them. That may not seem like a big deal to some people but I didn't even know i had flexable muscle back there.

I also did assisted pullups for a while.

Anyway, see if your biceps and grip are your limiting factors and work on those.

And if you use correct form, it is working your lats whether you feel it or not because otherwise you couldn't complete the movement. Just stick with it.

I do lightweight set of 30 reps, a little heavier for 20 reps, heavier for 15, heavier for 10, and then heaviest I can do for 5 reps. That has worked well for me so far.

During my pull up workout on Tuesday, I found if I focused on trying to bend the pull up bar while pulling myself up, I get a better lat contraction.

Try it with lat pull downs, imagine trying to bend the bar as you pull down.

These pull machines are shit because they work your arms too much, and 99% of the times, what fails first ? Your arms.
Never got my lats to failure until i started using this shit in my gym :
youtu.be/Ndyrwfhr54k

could be your shoulder position if you're pulling them back too much.

buy lifting straps, wrap them around the lat pull bar. your grip will always fail before your back, common knowledge for deadlifts/rack pulls but vastly overlooked for lat pulls and rows

Good idea i will give this a try

You must have a pathetic grip.

I have never had to stop a pull up or row prematurely due to grip failure.

Just do regular pullups. Lat pulldown is literally the biggest meme machine in the gym, almost everyone I see uses it but it does next to nothing. Most people put on way too much weight too and do like a half a pulldown using their whole body to slam the weight down.

lmao I didn't realize this was a dick measuring thread. for the record I only use straps on lat pulls when I do strength work, since 5x5 with 230 tends to make my hands tired considering I weigh 153. but regardless of your trolling/insecurities, you should ask yourself "what am I training? grip, or back?"
You can train heavy without straps, goes for deadlift and rackpulls as well, but you'll just be training grip. your back won't grow. So if you're gonna train grip by all means train grip. if you're training your back use straps. Example: I've hit 8 reps with 400 lbs. raw for rackpull/powershrug combos, but at that point my hands open. My back is not even close to failure. Either you see my point, or you're a troll who doesn't understand basic training principles.
Straps.
Use them.

I kind of agree with this and kind of don't. Weighted pull ups are my go-to for building pulling strength, which is where I agree with you. however, for bodybuilding/hypertrophy I think lat pulls can be good for accessory work. I don't really like standard lat pull machines since I think they allow too much lordosis to occur and limit lat engagement, but my gym has a chest supported lat pull machine which keeps your pelvis neutral. The contraction I get from this thing is absolutely nasty, I always hit it after pull ups.

Attached: chestlat.jpg (1000x1000, 76K)

When you sit down, bend your back backwards as if you're doing a limbo.
Now pull and pull it all the way down and you will feel your lats

To add to that try and hold it at the bottom for 1 second to feel the tension. My God you will feel your lats

no, no and no.
your lats insert halfway down your back, there is absolutely no reason to "bend backward" as sticking your ass out will actually limit lat engagement. you need to extend your UPPER back backward, keep your lower back straight. same goes for rows, deadlifts, and pull ups.

Clearly I have touched a nerve.

> You need to use straps for pull downs because you have a weak grip.

> You have a weak grip because you use straps for pull downs.

Who on earth does 5x5 on pull downs? Do pull ups with added weight on a belt.

Google 'closed chain vs open chain exercise selection' on why you should be doing pull ups vs pull downs.

Educate yourself.

You must have shit lats if they fail before your grip, lats are one of the largest and most powerful muscle on the human body

simply do a pre-activation set for lats like 1 arm lat pull ins and focus on your mind muscle connection , lats are usually hard to feel

hold it and dont have it as first set you do at the gym

I do 5x5 pull ups with a weight belt....
and then I do 5x5 lat pulls, with straps.
If you're actually curious, I've been running a 3 month program I developed that involves reducing reps while increasing weight on a weekly basis. so I have a week where every lift is performed as a 5x5 and the weight is adjusted to maintain 90% failure for each lift. sets and rest times are adjusted accordingly, blah blah blah. deload, rinse, repeat.
oh come on, don't give me that bs that you "touched a nerve." Dude said his grip was giving out before his back, I said try straps. pretty obvious fix. then you accused me of having a weak grip? lmao come on dude, if you're gonna troll at leasts own it. I ain't even mad but there was nothing constructive in your initial comment.
people make mistakes man, its cool, just own it.
My point was: this thread is about helping this dude fire up his lats... not your concerns about my grip.
for the record I train people for a living, so yeah I'm aware of open vs. closed chain exercises and that they both have their place in a program. one is not superior to the other. that's not really my opinion; it's the general consensus.
Anway, i'm about to eat some salmon/rice/vegetables.. you can grow your lats however you like homie, makes no difference to me.

i think he just worded that poorly, i.e. sit ups are an example of an exercise where the muscles DO feel instantly sore

Largest not strongest, your grip should be far stronger. Most people can easily hold themselves with one hand hanging from a bar but ver few people can perform a one handed pull up.

Because of their biceps being shit, not their lats

um.. what? most people can't do a 1 arm pullup because they don't train to do 1 arm pullups, which is the only way anyone gets a 1 arm pullup.
don't believe me? find the 5 dudes in your gym with the biggest lats and strongest grip you can find and ask them to do a one arm pullup. They'll either laugh at you or look at you like you're crazy.

I use wraps because the exercise is for oats not forearms. Also the thing I learned about pull downs was to pull down behind your head which really works your last all the way down to the bottom. Pull ups and rows are for upper back.

Fucking autocorrect strikes again.

use the v bar attachment

>Who on earth does 5x5 on pull downs?

I do. With one arm at a time.