Tight lats are fairly common as many daily activities can contribute to it. If you find any of these movements difficult, it is essential to start a regimen that emphasizes the best stretches for latissimus dorsi. Moving your head toward one of your shoulders or exercises that require bending your body sideways. Spinal extension, lateral flexion, and ipsilateral rotation: i.e.Scapular depression, downward rotation, and retraction: i.e.

Reaching laterally to grab something or performing a chin up. Shoulder adduction, extension, and internal rotation: i.e.Since it is so integral to movement and takes up a large portion of the upper back, tight lats can impair the following movements (which are also the lat's main functions): This large back muscle works with the teres major and pectoral major to perform most major upper-body actions.

The various origin points all meet in one narrow insertion area that forms the triangle, or fan-like, shape the lats are so well known for. The muscle fibers extend from these origin points to the insertion point, the floor of the intertubercular groove of the humerus. Also included as part of the origin is the thoracolumbar fascia at the lumbar and sacral vertebrae level, as is a small portion of the inferior angle of the shoulder blade. The muscle ’ s origin is the sinuous processes and supraspinous ligament of the bottom six thoracic vertebrae and the inferior end of the fibers that attach to the last three or four ribs.

How to do lat myofascial release and foam rollingĪll in all, you are going to walk away understanding how to ensure your lats feel and perform their best.Ī broad, triangularly-shaped, superficial muscle that covers most of the lower thorax, the latissimus dorsi is the largest upper body muscle and is responsible for many shoulder and spinal movements.

10 of the best latissimus dorsi stretches.

The best time to perform stretches for lats.

How to determine whether you have tight lats.

The anatomy and functions of the latissimus dorsi.

Whether your lats are tight and sore from a rigorous workout or your overhead shoulder mobility is limited, it's time for some lat stretches. However, with training your lats comes the potential for tension and tightness in the muscle. The lats are a crucial muscle to focus on when strength training, because first and foremost, who doesn ’ t love a well-sculpted, v-tapered back? And superficial reasons aside, there are many benefits to training the latissimus dorsi, including spinal stability, good posture, and back and shoulder strength.

Latissimus dorsi stretch