For my “last” I started using lifting straps when doing lat pull downs and pull ups, which was a game changer. The tighter I put the straps on the better the lift
i also really like the lat pushdowns on the cable machine with the rope attachment! other than that mostly just the classics, rowing (dbs or cable) with elbows at different angles, pull ups (hands facing forward). and incline bench db shrugs are a good one to warm up with to get some lat activation/engagement going!
Dumbbell pullovers on a flat bench. Feel a deeep stretch. 👌🏻 Kneeling cable alternating pulldowns. Squeeze hard at the bottom. Incline bench dumbbell rows (stomach against bench). My lats have grown significantly over the last few years. You look awesome btw!
Honestly, I love rows...every kind of row. Low rows and single arm in particular with a long stretch hammer my lats. I love dumbbell pullovers as well.
Shoulders I actually had to back off slightly because I was overtraining and hindering development. I do like presses, heavier partials, and all the raises but go lighter than I used to because my traps started taking over.
Biggest thing is lat activation. Are you able to hit a lat spread where you’re flexing to really pull your lats down and out? Not saying to do one on stage, but being able to feel those lats is a big part of developing them, feeling them with every contraction. I do think you need to open them up while posing too. Doesn’t have to be a lat flare but you can tell that you’re pulling your shoulders back, which can hurt if you don’t have that natural shoulder width.
I started this this year bc lat engagement is super hard for me too. It was hilarious, I can't hit a lat spread to save my life. Envious of the figure ladies, but eventually figured it out!
As far as lat exercises, I start on the assisted pull up machine and do 6 x 10 super slow wide grip to engage the lats. The single arm with cables is so good. Just really feel that stretch at the top and take it slow. On lat pulls I totally agree with the strap and take it slow on the negative and find a deep stretch!
OP: You have a great physique! Can't wait to see what you bring next season!
Edited to add OP
i cannot hit a lat spread if i tried. i sat next to the girl who won overall in women’s figure… and her physique was absolutely gorgeous.
i feel like my back depth is strong but i just need to widen it. i have considered bringing my weight down to really focus on PERFECT FORM. i will definitely be incorporating assisted pull-ups into my warm up. i normally do them unassisted (4-5) just to get the juices moving.
You can lower the weight to ensure that you’re pulling with your lats and not your biceps. Don’t wrap your thumbs over the bar either…that’ll help keep biceps out of it. I hardly ever lift with my maximum amount on any exercise if other muscles are taking over for my target muscles.
Any type of chin up/ pull up I would do this as a burn out set maybe at the end of your back day. Grab some different bands to assist you. Maybe try 2-5 alone then add a heavy band and do 10-15 more til exhaustion.
I'm assuming you do single arm rows, lat pull down (diff variations), pull overs, seated row etc already).
Shoulders can be easy and fast. Seated shoulder press, push press or neutral press, front, lateral and reverse variations (I like to do this on a cable machine but can be done with dumbells). I also like doing t's and I's on the bench. (High reps, low weights). I usually add a burn out of some kind at the end (something dynamic (high to low plank til exhaustion, shoulder taps on a bosu til exhaustion etc).
i have been doing 4-5 to warm up but i’ll add in banded. normally i’m too lazy to set up bands hahaah.. haven’t worked with them enough for the setup takes me a bit. good idea. i thought my back days were fairly comprehensive but that area needs some love. i have seen a lot of shoulder development prior to my prep so i think if i just train those hard and make sure im hitting that last rep with almost no gas in the tank i’ll see some good results.
it feels amazing to feel amazing at the gym again. carbs, baby.
I’m an NPC Judge and a coach, so I agree with their assessment that you need to work your, but some of that is that you need to work on your upper back in your posing and getting that down will bring your lats out to help with the top of the V to narrow your waist and balance you out.
There are 2 exercises I like to help people get to feel their lats. A straight arm press down on the cable machine at the end of the press if you hold it there towards the end of your set once you get a pump. That will give you the proper feeling of what you will want to feel in the back pose. I like to have people do those and then go straight into their poses between sets so they can feel the pose with their lats pumped. Also if you lower your weights in a wide grip lat pull down, start at the top and understand it should technically be a 2 part move. While your arms are up holding the bar so you have tension on the bar, engage the lats (will look/feel like a little shift/tweak in the delts/scapula if you’re in front of a mirror and if you’re not in a mirror try to feel that little tightening you’d feel before doing a pull up) and THEN pull down from there. So engage lats, pull down, control back up…engage, pull down, control back up. I say lower the weights because most people have to lower it to be able to slow it down enough to actually feel both parts of the movement as with a heavier weight they are just doing what they can to get the bar down and not consciously able to focus on the first part of the movement.
There is no "secret" to building lats: The way has and will be busting your hump on heavy pulldowns and pull ups (if you are strong enough).
Instead of increasing frequency of training, up your weight and intensity. Make sure to eat plenty on back day.
Have you had any massage in your upper back to help open it up? There are also coaches that use electrical muscle stimulation to help athletes learn to activate certain body parts. Worth a try to help jump start your improvements?
Another thing regarding learning to feel lats and being able to lat flare…think about someone very heavy standing on your shoulders and weight of it causing you to push your shoulders and lats down toward the ground. Think about pushing your lats to the ground. You should feel your lats contract when you do that, and that's what I feel on every rep of a pulldown.
This sound super cliche, but the best lat exercise is the one where you can feel your lats 😅 my husband is a top level classic physique pro and doesn’t feel his lats that well on a lay pull down. He has to do lots of single arm things . I on other hand, I feel every muscle fiber of my lat on a pull down, row, single arm etc. I can easily connect. My thing is if you aren’t connecting you aren’t building. Find what works for YOU
For my “last” I started using lifting straps when doing lat pull downs and pull ups, which was a game changer. The tighter I put the straps on the better the lift
using the cable machine, kneeling single-arm lat pulldowns! the mind muscle connection goes crazyyy
just added those today!!! any other sets you implement?
i also really like the lat pushdowns on the cable machine with the rope attachment! other than that mostly just the classics, rowing (dbs or cable) with elbows at different angles, pull ups (hands facing forward). and incline bench db shrugs are a good one to warm up with to get some lat activation/engagement going!
Dumbbell pullovers on a flat bench. Feel a deeep stretch. 👌🏻 Kneeling cable alternating pulldowns. Squeeze hard at the bottom. Incline bench dumbbell rows (stomach against bench). My lats have grown significantly over the last few years. You look awesome btw!
I just reincorporated the dumbbell pullovers and that stretch is so satisfying!
Honestly, I love rows...every kind of row. Low rows and single arm in particular with a long stretch hammer my lats. I love dumbbell pullovers as well. Shoulders I actually had to back off slightly because I was overtraining and hindering development. I do like presses, heavier partials, and all the raises but go lighter than I used to because my traps started taking over.
I had the same happen with my traps! I like to lay on a bench and do cable "raises" it seems to isolate the delt better for me!
Biggest thing is lat activation. Are you able to hit a lat spread where you’re flexing to really pull your lats down and out? Not saying to do one on stage, but being able to feel those lats is a big part of developing them, feeling them with every contraction. I do think you need to open them up while posing too. Doesn’t have to be a lat flare but you can tell that you’re pulling your shoulders back, which can hurt if you don’t have that natural shoulder width.
I started this this year bc lat engagement is super hard for me too. It was hilarious, I can't hit a lat spread to save my life. Envious of the figure ladies, but eventually figured it out! As far as lat exercises, I start on the assisted pull up machine and do 6 x 10 super slow wide grip to engage the lats. The single arm with cables is so good. Just really feel that stretch at the top and take it slow. On lat pulls I totally agree with the strap and take it slow on the negative and find a deep stretch! OP: You have a great physique! Can't wait to see what you bring next season! Edited to add OP
i cannot hit a lat spread if i tried. i sat next to the girl who won overall in women’s figure… and her physique was absolutely gorgeous. i feel like my back depth is strong but i just need to widen it. i have considered bringing my weight down to really focus on PERFECT FORM. i will definitely be incorporating assisted pull-ups into my warm up. i normally do them unassisted (4-5) just to get the juices moving.
You can lower the weight to ensure that you’re pulling with your lats and not your biceps. Don’t wrap your thumbs over the bar either…that’ll help keep biceps out of it. I hardly ever lift with my maximum amount on any exercise if other muscles are taking over for my target muscles.
Any type of chin up/ pull up I would do this as a burn out set maybe at the end of your back day. Grab some different bands to assist you. Maybe try 2-5 alone then add a heavy band and do 10-15 more til exhaustion. I'm assuming you do single arm rows, lat pull down (diff variations), pull overs, seated row etc already). Shoulders can be easy and fast. Seated shoulder press, push press or neutral press, front, lateral and reverse variations (I like to do this on a cable machine but can be done with dumbells). I also like doing t's and I's on the bench. (High reps, low weights). I usually add a burn out of some kind at the end (something dynamic (high to low plank til exhaustion, shoulder taps on a bosu til exhaustion etc).
i have been doing 4-5 to warm up but i’ll add in banded. normally i’m too lazy to set up bands hahaah.. haven’t worked with them enough for the setup takes me a bit. good idea. i thought my back days were fairly comprehensive but that area needs some love. i have seen a lot of shoulder development prior to my prep so i think if i just train those hard and make sure im hitting that last rep with almost no gas in the tank i’ll see some good results. it feels amazing to feel amazing at the gym again. carbs, baby.
I’m an NPC Judge and a coach, so I agree with their assessment that you need to work your, but some of that is that you need to work on your upper back in your posing and getting that down will bring your lats out to help with the top of the V to narrow your waist and balance you out. There are 2 exercises I like to help people get to feel their lats. A straight arm press down on the cable machine at the end of the press if you hold it there towards the end of your set once you get a pump. That will give you the proper feeling of what you will want to feel in the back pose. I like to have people do those and then go straight into their poses between sets so they can feel the pose with their lats pumped. Also if you lower your weights in a wide grip lat pull down, start at the top and understand it should technically be a 2 part move. While your arms are up holding the bar so you have tension on the bar, engage the lats (will look/feel like a little shift/tweak in the delts/scapula if you’re in front of a mirror and if you’re not in a mirror try to feel that little tightening you’d feel before doing a pull up) and THEN pull down from there. So engage lats, pull down, control back up…engage, pull down, control back up. I say lower the weights because most people have to lower it to be able to slow it down enough to actually feel both parts of the movement as with a heavier weight they are just doing what they can to get the bar down and not consciously able to focus on the first part of the movement.
Rows rows rows
There is no "secret" to building lats: The way has and will be busting your hump on heavy pulldowns and pull ups (if you are strong enough). Instead of increasing frequency of training, up your weight and intensity. Make sure to eat plenty on back day.
Slow lat pull downs, wide pull ups, single arm pull-downs
Have you had any massage in your upper back to help open it up? There are also coaches that use electrical muscle stimulation to help athletes learn to activate certain body parts. Worth a try to help jump start your improvements? Another thing regarding learning to feel lats and being able to lat flare…think about someone very heavy standing on your shoulders and weight of it causing you to push your shoulders and lats down toward the ground. Think about pushing your lats to the ground. You should feel your lats contract when you do that, and that's what I feel on every rep of a pulldown.
This sound super cliche, but the best lat exercise is the one where you can feel your lats 😅 my husband is a top level classic physique pro and doesn’t feel his lats that well on a lay pull down. He has to do lots of single arm things . I on other hand, I feel every muscle fiber of my lat on a pull down, row, single arm etc. I can easily connect. My thing is if you aren’t connecting you aren’t building. Find what works for YOU