7 Movements You Should Be Doing If You Want Your Lats To Look Like Barn Doors

Training your back is unlike any other body part that you do in the gym. No matter how many shiny mirrors that may be affixed to the walls, it is difficult to monitor what is really going on behind you.

So you have to rely on what it feels like, and that is also a problem.

When you are doing curls or flyes, you will feel the pump in your biceps and chest, respectively, as those muscles react very well in that area. But your lats are a bitch in that it is difficult to feel it when the blood is flowing into the muscles.

For you to get the most out of your back workout, you need to trust your instincts. If you are feeling it in your back, it’s working. But you also have to perform other exercises that may be a little more difficult to gauge their productivity.

Back training includes more trial and error than any other body part and doing it correctly comes with experience. But to get to that point, you need to be diverse in your approach. Mix up the different options available for back, which is pretty easy to do with the amount at your disposal.

Getting that width in your lats will not occur overnight but if you implement these movements into your regimen (at least four of them in each workout), then you should see vast improvements sooner than later.

1. PULL-UPS

The quintessential basic back exercise, pull-ups are a great warm-up and/or finisher. But they are extremely effective and are also a wise choice to add in for a super set after a row movement.

2. LAT PULL DOWNS

This is one exercise where people consistently perform it wrong and make it a rowing motion rather than a pull down. So keep that in mind because this is one of those movements that hits a different part of your back, but only when done properly, and that means keeping your back upright instead of bent backwards.

3. BENT OVER BARBELL ROWS

You can also perform these with dumbbells and that can extend your range of motion but most people prefer to use a barbell. Get a shoulder width grip, keep your back bent in a 45-degree angle and bring the bar up to just under your breastbone. Use either an overhand or underhand grip and feel free to switch on and off each time.

4. T-BAR ROWS

Another classic exercise like bent over rows, the position is very similar but works your back differently because of the close grip. A smart tip here is to use 25-pound plates instead of 45-pounders, since you can bring the weights up higher with the smaller ones.

5.  SEATED CABLE ROWS

Here are a few tips for this exercise: keep your back straight, don’t lean too far forward so that your ass comes off the bench seat and pause at the top of the rep (with the grip near your body). Most gyms have a ton of handles/grips that you can use with this, so take advantage of that and go from close to medium to wide every time you do back.

6. HAMMER STRENGTH MACHINES

Most decent gyms will have a whole row of these lined up and they are all worth using. But saying that, it’s still better to use the Hammers for one or two exercises at the most on back day, as the regular free weight movements are preferred. 

7. HYPEREXTENSIONS

Don’t ignore your lower back and hypers – performed either on the 45 or 90-degree bench – are also a basic core movement. These are great to do first thing in the gym if you train in the morning, to get that stiff back stretched out after a good night’s sleep.