not many people know how to actually train their lats which is why their lats dont seem to exist.
i mean its all fair and well to do deadlifts, chins, rows etc but if you do them the way the majority of people in the gym to them then you will be hardly activating your lats.
Firstly, here are some misconceptions people have about lats:
1) wide grip stuff hits width of the back more and close grip stuff hits the middle of the back more
2) wide grip pulldowns hit your lats
3) underhand grip stuff hits your biceps and not your back
Now, lets talk about factual biomechanics of the body:
In order for the lats to contract, your spine must be fully arched in an S shape. The minute you round your upper back your lats get taken out of the equation. That is simple biomechanics that many people dont even know about.
Next, there is a lot more to just doing rows and chins:
Underhand grip chins with the spine perfectly arched will hit your lats more than any other back muscle.
Wide grip chins will focus more on your rhomboids and teres muscles and hardly activate your lat fibres.
Rows with your spine perfectly arched, elbows tucked in tight and pulling the bar to your belly button region will hit your lats more.
Rows with a wide grip and pulling the bar to your upper abs and/or chest will hit your upper back more and hardly activate your lat fibres.
You see, you need to mentally get that connection with contracting your lats. Many people thing that the lats start under your armpit. They dont, they start a lot lower down your back.
Im no expert to back training. I dont have the biggest back in the world, but im just preaching what the bodybuilder with the best back ever, Dorian Yates, says.
Hope this helps.
