Latissimus dorsi exercise without equipment

Exercising the back muscles can give the whole person a better image and greatly enhance personal temperament. Many people may think that they must go to the gym to exercise their back muscles. In fact, you don’t need to go to the gym or use some equipment to exercise your back muscles. You can exercise your back muscles without any equipment, and it can still achieve good results. Here is an introduction to the latissimus dorsi exercises without equipment.

1. Wide-grip pull-ups

Grab the horizontal bar with both hands, relax the lower back, fully stretch the latissimus dorsi, and bend and lift the two calves. Inhale, concentrate on the contraction of the latissimus dorsi, and pause for 2-3 seconds at the highest point of the pull-up. Then exhale, use the contraction strength of the latissimus dorsi to control the body and slowly lower it to the original position. Wide grip pull-ups target the upper and outer parts of the latissimus dorsi, effectively increasing the width of the latissimus dorsi

2. Close-grip pull-ups

Narrow grip pull-ups target the lower side of the latissimus dorsi and help increase the thickness of the latissimus dorsi.

3. Prone two-end rise:

Lie flat on your back with your legs and arms straight; lift your arms and legs for 2-3 seconds; slowly return to normal.

Tip: Because it is bodyweight training, the intensity is not very high. You should try your best to exhaust yourself in each set of movements to achieve good results.

Back training essentials

1. Chin-ups are done with your palms facing toward your body, while chin-ups are done with your palms facing outward.

2. In vertical pulling movements, the latissimus dorsi is more involved; in horizontal pulling movements, the rhomboids and mid-trapezius are more involved. Generally speaking, the closer the torso is to vertical when doing an exercise, the more the latissimus dorsi is involved; the closer the torso is to horizontal, the more the rhomboids and mid-back muscles are involved. This knowledge is important for comprehensive and balanced development of the back.

3. Stretch at the bottom and squeeze at the midpoint (top), thinking of pulling the weight with your elbows. This sounds simple, but I bet 95% of lifters don't use enough range of motion when training their back. This is like some people using half squats instead of deep squats, they want to show off by using heavy weights and don't care about doing it correctly.

To fully develop the muscle from its origin to its insertion, a full range of motion is necessary. Keep your back tight and stretched at the start and end of the movement, squeezing at the midpoint (top) to ensure the pull is completed correctly.

Thinking about pulling the weight with our elbows can help us focus on using our back muscles rather than our arm muscles. Imagine your arms as hooks to reduce arm involvement and effectively stimulate the back muscles.

4. Always keep your chest up while doing the exercise. This is very important in all exercises if you care about the health of your lower back. As you do the movement, lift your chest and keep it upright. This will keep the spine in its natural curve. Arching the back when carrying weight is the number one cause of low back injuries, so keep the natural curve of the spine when performing the exercise.

If you're having trouble understanding this, think of yourself at the beach. Men (and some women) want to show off their muscles, so they naturally lift their rib cage or puff out their chest. When training with heavy weights, think of this “muscle beach” response as it maintains a natural spinal alignment.

5. Use heavy basic back training movements to achieve balanced muscle development. The back is not only important for the balanced development and strength of muscles throughout the body, but it also helps you avoid injuries. You must have seen many trainees with collapsed shoulders, shoulder impingement syndrome, and tendinitis. If they would train their back as seriously as they train their chest and shoulders, many people would heal. Strong scapula retractors and depressors are important for maintaining healthy shoulders and upper body posture.

6. Focus on the action. A well-developed back belongs to a person who is good at thinking. You have to focus on the movement because you can't see the back muscles.