Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the bottom of the movement.Pull until the bar is below your chin or touches your upper chest. Pull the bar down towards your chest, leading with your elbows.

Sit with your thighs under the thigh pad, keep your chest up, and look at the bar.Grasp the bar with an overhand (pronated) grip, with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.Adjust the thigh pad to fit snugly against your thighs to prevent your body from lifting off the seat.1Ī great benefit of the lat pulldown compared to the classic pull-up, is that you can easily adjust the resistance level so that you are able to perform the lat pulldown with good form and focus on the muscles worked.īeing able to start from a low resistance makes the lat pulldown an excellent lat exercise, even for beginner bodybuilders. In addition to your lats, the pulldown also works your biceps. Vertical pulls like the pulldown work a majority of the lats’ muscle fibers, and with just a slight lean backward, you will target even more. If you only were to pick a single lat exercise, the lat pulldown would be a great choice. The lats are fairly thin muscles, but they are stretched out over a large area, which means that they can still make a strong visual impression when well-developed.įirst on our list is the lat pulldown. They originate in your lower back and insert on the inside of your upper arm bones. Your lats, or latissimus dorsi, are wide, fan-shaped muscles that run along the entire sides of your back. In order to pick the right lat exercises to include in your workout routine, you must first understand the lat muscles. We’ll cover both horizontal and vertical pulling exercises to work all regions of your lats for maximum strength and muscle growth.

In this article, we’ll review ten of the best lat exercises you can do in or out of the gym. Strong lat muscles increase your pulling strength and create that wide, v-shaped back that exudes power and capability through your shirt everywhere you go. For a total abs burnout, complete all 18 moves on the list.Your lat muscles are among the largest muscles of your back, responsible for pulling your arms closer to your body, like in a row or a pull-up. Rest for 2 minutes, then, repeat the entire circuit again for a total of 2-3 rounds. Instructions: Select five or six moves from the list, and do as many reps as possible (AMRAP) of each exercise in 40 seconds, rest for 20 seconds then continue immediately to the next. Time:10-18 minutes | Equipment: Kettlebell, dumbbell, medicine ball, or slam ball | Good for: Abs, core

So, when you pick up a weight and lift it overhead, for example, or move it from the floor toward the ceiling, all of that coordination comes from your core engaging and supporting your other muscles as they move. The extra pounds make your whole system work that much harder, and that's especially true of the muscles in your middle, because that's your center of gravity. Some of the moves may surprise you, squats, kettlebell swings, and others you think of for lower body actually work the core effectively, too. Performing exercises with a load that's heavy enough to make you struggle by the last couple of reps is key to ultimate definition success. If your main goal is adding muscle definition to your midsection the best and fastest way to get visible abs is via weighted ab workouts. Meet the expert: Kristen McParland, CPT, is a NASM-certified fitness and nutrition coach with 10 years of experience. So, using a kettlebell, dumbbell, or any form of weight for 6 to 15 reps of each exercise in your core training program focuses on building muscle while keeping your reps to a minimum, says McParland. Here's why: Repetitions over 20 tend to focus more on muscular endurance and less on strength and hypertrophy. “If bodyweight abdominal or core exercises are no longer challenging for you, add weights,” says Kristen McParland, CPT, a strength-focused personal trainer.ĭoing an ab workout with weights will help you gain strength and definition while maintaining a low rep range. But when I'm ready for more challenge and more results, I simply grab some weights. Plank variations, scissor kicks, and hollow holds are just a few of the bodyweight abs exercises in my routine. There are many awesome ways to work the core without any equipment.

Bent arm dumbell pullover