What if I told you that there are only 2 dumbbell lat exercises you need to grow wider, thicker lats, would you believe me? In this video, I am going to show you how only two dumbbell lat exercises are that is required to build big lats. Remember, it comes down not only the choice of exercise you make, but how you do them that makes all the difference.
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The first thing you are going to do is a grab a heavy dumbbell and a lighter dumbbell. The lighter dumbbell should should be about 20% lighter than the heavier dumbbell and will serve it’s purpose on the second lat exercise of the 2 dumbbell lat exercises that you need for wider, thicker lats.
The first exercises out of the only 2 dumbbell lat exercises you need to build wider lats is the 1-arm dumbbell row, but done in a specific way. Traditionally, you would think that performing the 1-arm dumbbell row would require you to put your knee and hand on the bench to do so. I want you to avoid doing this, as a matter of fact.
This is because by creating an asymmetrical loaded stance, you are increasing your risk for suffering an inguinal hernia. By having one knee on the bench, you are creating a scenario where the load is offset and weakening an already vulnerable inguinal canal by which you are increasing the risk for said hernia.
Instead, I want you to keep both feet on the ground. Do this by propping the adjustable bench up to a 45 degree incline and supporting yourself by placing one hand on the top of the bench. This will allow you to keep the dumbbell centered between your legs when at the bottom of each rep and keep symmetrical loading and removing that hernia risk.
When you row the dumbbell, keep your elbow tight to your side as you row and drive the elbow back to follow the fiber orientation of the lats. Remember, keeping your elbows tight is better for hitting the lats while having your elbow flared is the option you want to take if you want to shift the focus of the exercise from the lats to the upper back.
The 1-arm dumbbell row is a great option for building bigger, wider lats and should be included in any back workout if you are trying to build bigger lats and create that coveted v-taper look.
But what about that second dumbbell lat exercise and the lighter dumbbell?
Here you are going to drop the incline bench back to flat and you are going to perform a dumbbell pullover.
Now the dumbbell pullover often gets a bad rap for being hard on the shoulders. However, this comes down to not understanding how the exercise is supposed to be performed. When you grip the dumbbell, you need to keep your elbows flared as this will promote shoulder external rotation, a healthier position for the shoulders, especially under load.
When you perform the lat pullover, you also need to understand that this is a stretch based exercise. To get maximum stretch on the lats, drop your hips down as the dumbbell goes back over your head. This is because the attachment of the lats is on the pelvis and the further you can get your hips from your upper arm, the greater the stretch you are going to experience.
Since we know that loaded stretch is a great driver of hypertrophy, we want to take advantage of the stretch position of the exercise. The lighter dumbbell will also be the right weight here for failing in the 10-12 rep range.
The combination of the high tension stimulus from moving heavy weight on the one arm dumbbell row added with the stretch focused hypertrophy from the pullover makes this a powerful 1-2 punch that should be included in every dumbbell back workout that you are going to do. It’s not always about focusing on one or the other, but often how they can complement each other that makes all the difference in the world when it comes to getting big lats.
You’d be hard press to find a better exercise combination that will grow your back and lats as ideally as this one does.
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