65x in Europe Find a store

Purchase securely fitness equipment

Your order is data protected and is encoded with 256-Bit-SSL

Sport-Tiedje offers you

Europe's No. 1 for home fitness
More than 3.000.000 satisfied customers
More than 7000 fitness products
65 specialist fitness stores on site
75 own service technicians

The latissimus – large back muscle

(Musculus latissimus dorsi)

The large back muscle - better known as latissimus or lat - is part of the group of back muscles. The latissimus is a flat and very strong muscle having its origin on the humerus. It is the biggest muscle of a human being - regarding its surface - and covers a large area of the back. It has multiple attachment points (origins) across the spine and stretches from the sacral and ilium bone across the spinous processes of the vertebrae of the loin and the chest. From there it runs through the axilla to the upper arm.

It is located near the surface of the skinand has four parts which are the following: Pars vertebralis (vertebrae part), Pars costalis (rib part), Pars iliaca (pelvis part), Pars scapularis (shoulder blade part).

These 4 muscle groups together take full effect either when the arms are raised and lowered against a weight (lat pulldown) or the arms are bent and pull the body upwards (pull-ups). The latissimus acts as antagonistic muscle of the delta muscle, which is responsible for the raining of the arms.

Furthermore, it is part of the respiratory muscles and supports the lungs when breathing out.

In regard to physical exercise the M. Latissimus dorsi is involved in the haul off motion of athletic throws and strikes. Tis is the reason why a highly developed latissimus is very important for athletes.

Origin:	Thoracic vertebrae (dendritic spine of the 7th-12th vertebrae) 9th-12th rib Crista iliaca (ilium bone) Angulus inferior scapulae (lower shoulder blade angle)
Base:	Front of humerus
Functions:	Lower the lifted arm Draw back the arm Internal rotation of the arm

back to overview

Exercise examples

Lat pull

Course of motion:

Legs are below the support roll (knee angle is approximately 90 degree)
Torso is slightly leaning forwards on the padding
Back is straight
Hands in overhand grip (thumbs show to each other) and a bit more than shoulder-width apart
Pull shoulder blades downwards and together
Bring elbows down on the side of the body
Head is slightly bent forwards to pull the bar along the neck
Finish exercise accomplishment as soon as the lat pull bar is on height of the back of the head
Then bring arms completely upwards (muscles keep tension)
Abdominal is kept tensed during whole motion

Breathing:

Exhale while bending arms
Inhale while stretching arms

Advices of proof:

Mind distance of motion (not too short or too long)
Adjust training weight according to condition/fitness
Do not bend wrists
Avoid a distance too great of the hands

Alternatives:

Pull lat pull bar to the chest
In underhand grip (thumbs show apart from each other)
Narrow grip
Use of different grips

Chin-ups

Course of motion:

Chin-up bar is hanging in horizontal position
Hands in overhand grip (thumbs show to each other) and a bit more than shoulder-width apart
Legs hang loosely downwards or are crossed behind
Slight knee bending is possible
Pull body upwards in a slow and controlled way
Bring collarbone/chest near the bar
Bend torso slightly backwards

Breathing:

Exhale while lifting the body
Inhale while lowering the body

Advices of proof:

Mind speed of accomplishment (not too fast !)
Avoid distances of motion which are too short
Do not take a swing
Avoid a grip which is too wide open
Do not extend arms while lowering the body
Tip: use training gloves for protecting hands and bar

Alternatives:

Behind the neck
In underhand grip (thumbs show apart from each other)
On the low bar (feet are leant on)
For advanced: use of additional weight, i.e. weighted vest

Pull-over with a dumbbell

Courses of motion:

Lay down on your back
Head is on the edge
Hold dumbbells upright with both hands
Palms touch the inside of the upper weight plate
Lower dumbbell slowly backwards over the head and lift it in a controlled way
Flexion of elbows remains the same during the whole motion
Keep body tension during the whole motion

Breathing:

Inhale while lowering the dumbbell
Exhale while lifting the dumbbell

Advices of proof:

Elbows are always slightly bent – even while lowering the dumbbell over the head
Mind speed of accomplishment (not too fast !)
Adjust training weight according to condition/fitness
Mind breathing
Avoid distances of motion which are too short or too long
No outside rotation of the arm

Alternatives:

With two dumbbells alternately
With barbell
With curl bar

Advice: Back muscles tend to shortening. In contrast, abdominal muscles tend to weakening. Shortened back (and abdominal muscles) as well as abdominal muscles which are too short have negative effects on the structure of the vertebral column. Strengthen, stretch, mobilise, and relax your trunc muscles in a holistic way. The body forms a unity and that's how it should be exercised !

You can use many training devices for a varied and motivating workout of back muscles, especially the large back muscle (latissimus):

back to muscle guide overview

Back to the top of the page Print print