# Help! I have no wings!



## EnglishWasp (Mar 19, 2013)

Ok, so i've been training around 3-4 years now.. Every muscle has developed well.. Apart from one.. The lats. I Have zero lats, they are barely visible.

I need advice on how to actually work them. i have followed some videos but don't really seem to be getting anywhere.. Unless I need to start going very light? As they may aswell be a newbie gym goer size lats.

Please help me get wings!


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## xpower (Jul 28, 2009)

What do you do now for lats?


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## EnglishWasp (Mar 19, 2013)

Dumbell pullovers 20-30 KG

Seated Rows - 50-65 KG

Lat Pull Downs (widegrip and close) - 50-65 KG

Assited Pull Ups - usually around 30Kg assist


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## Falc76 (Sep 28, 2014)

Get some red bull down ya neck


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## p.cullen (Jun 6, 2014)

EnglishWasp said:


> Dumbell pullovers 20-30 KG
> 
> Seated Rows - 50-65 KG
> 
> ...


 either s**t genetics (not likely)

or you are doing the exercise wrong and not activating your lats.

i found my lats the hardest muscle to actually work, make sure your not pulling with your arms and concentrate on using your lats to pull the weight


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## RexEverthing (Apr 4, 2014)

p.cullen said:


> either s**t genetics (not likely)
> 
> or you are doing the exercise wrong and not activating your lats.
> 
> i found my lats the hardest muscle to actually work, make sure your not pulling with your arms and concentrate on using your lats to pull the weight


 Same here - always found it tricky to actually activate and target lats. Just gotta think of cues like pull with elbows, think of hands as hooks etc. Read a funny one the other day about imagining squeezing an orange in your arm pit - tickled me that it was specifically an orange!


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## AestheticManlet (Jun 12, 2012)

Overhand pull-ups and bent over rows. :thumb


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## p.cullen (Jun 6, 2014)

RexEverthing said:


> Same here - always found it tricky to actually activate and target lats. Just gotta think of cues like pull with elbows, think of hands as hooks etc. Read a funny one the other day about imagining squeezing an orange in your arm pit - tickled me that it was specifically an orange!


 well it would be quite hard to squeeze and apple haha


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## RexEverthing (Apr 4, 2014)

p.cullen said:


> well it would be quite hard to squeeze and apple haha


 Might yield a better contraction?


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## 2o16 (Dec 19, 2015)

EnglishWasp said:


> Dumbell pullovers 20-30 KG
> 
> Seated Rows - 50-65 KG
> 
> ...


 I would apply more volume to your sessions. I know a lot would disagree with me but my sessions are considerably larger than that and my strongest feature in my physique is my back.

My session - all within the 12-20 rep range.

Cable pull downs

barbell bent over rows

seated cable rows

cable machine pulls

dumbbell rows

lower back raises

and if im feeling particularly energetic ill finish off with some v grip pull downs.


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## ausmaz (Jul 14, 2014)

Deadlifts


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## Sphinkter (Apr 10, 2015)

EnglishWasp said:


> Dumbell pullovers 20-30 KG
> 
> Seated Rows - 50-65 KG
> 
> ...


 Why don't you do non assisted pullups before any of that?

Do your verticals pulling exercises before rows if you want to focus on your lats.


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## EnglishWasp (Mar 19, 2013)

Sphinkter said:


> Why don't you do non assisted pullups before any of that?
> 
> Do your verticals pulling exercises before rows if you want to focus on your lats.


 Because I simply can't do more than 3 non-assisted pull ups.


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## superdrol (Aug 9, 2012)

Start with amrap then negatives on the wide grip pull ups, for 5x5 worked wonders when I tried it, got myself upto 1x5, then 1x2 plus 3 negatives, then 1 plus negatives for the last 3 sets... Don't give up, it'll come good with time... I could just about manage 3 full pull ups four weeks before the above session... Try it!


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## Pabloslabs (Feb 19, 2015)

@Falc76Just got the red bull joke


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## Pabloslabs (Feb 19, 2015)

It's the activation part isn't it? They're a fkr because obviously you can't see them in the excercise.

My lats are probably my most developed muscle today whereas before, I used not be able to do 1 pull up. Now I can do 20.

Learn how to work the Lats instead of the biceps and the wings will pop over time. The hooks and orange armpit references are good.


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## Sphinkter (Apr 10, 2015)

EnglishWasp said:


> Because I simply can't do more than 3 non-assisted pull ups.


 keep doing them mate, hit them first on your back days and your reps will go up over time. I'm sure you'll find so will your lat development once you start getting better at pullups.


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## Pancake' (Aug 30, 2012)

Assisted Pull ups with 30kg? forget doing them with weight assisted, perform wide grip pull ups to a complete dead hang, slight 1 second pause then back up, with a slight pause and repeat. then perform single arm db rows and progressively improve form, weight and reps.


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## superdrol (Aug 9, 2012)

Starz said:


> Assisted Pull ups with 30kg? forget doing them with weight assisted, perform wide grip pull ups to a complete dead hang, slight 1 second pause then back up, with a slight pause and repeat. then perform single arm db rows and progressively improve form, weight and reps.


 Very helpful when you can't do a dead hang pull up in the first place??


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## Pancake' (Aug 30, 2012)

dumdum said:


> Very helpful when you can't do a dead hang pull up in the first place??


 Chin ups then. Their considerably easier, than pull ups.


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## mrwright (Oct 22, 2013)

Picsorhugelats


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## Quackerz (Dec 19, 2015)

ausmaz said:


> Deadlifts


 This.

Add some weighted pull-ups and your done. Problem solved.


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## Sphinkter (Apr 10, 2015)

Quackerz said:


> This.
> 
> Add some weighted pull-ups and your done. Problem solved.


 This is good if you do them right and use you're lats when staying tight and keeping the bar close to your body but most folk don't because they're gay and don't like scraping their wee shinnypoos.


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## EnglishWasp (Mar 19, 2013)

Sphinkter said:


> This is good if you do them right and use you're lats when staying tight and keeping the bar close to your body but most folk don't because they're gay and don't like scraping their wee shinnypoos.


 What the heck are shinypoos


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## EnglishWasp (Mar 19, 2013)

dumdum said:


> Start with amrap then negatives on the wide grip pull ups, for 5x5 worked wonders when I tried it, got myself upto 1x5, then 1x2 plus 3 negatives, then 1 plus negatives for the last 3 sets... Don't give up, it'll come good with time... I could just about manage 3 full pull ups four weeks before the above session... Try it!


 Will defo give this a try mate, but whats amrap?


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## Sphinkter (Apr 10, 2015)

EnglishWasp said:


> What the heck are shinypoos


 shinypoos are what you get after drinking pledge. Shinnypoos would be those things between your knees and your feet.


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## Sphinkter (Apr 10, 2015)

EnglishWasp said:


> Will defo give this a try mate, but whats amrap?


 as many reps as possible


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## EnglishWasp (Mar 19, 2013)

2o16 said:


> I would apply more volume to your sessions. I know a lot would disagree with me but my sessions are considerably larger than that and my strongest feature in my physique is my back.
> 
> My session - all within the 12-20 rep range.
> 
> ...


 This is one thing I haven't tried yet.. Add lots more volume, will give this a go, cheers bud


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## Quackerz (Dec 19, 2015)

EnglishWasp said:


> Will defo give this a try mate, but whats amrap?


 As many reps as possible.


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## andyboro (Oct 1, 2006)

Deads and rows (both wide and narrow grip).. keep form and concentrate on stretch and retraction.

dont be one of these people who row with seemingly every muscle but their lats because it means that they can go heavier.


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## Akuma (May 16, 2008)

As has been mentioned in various forms, just lat pulldowns do not automatically mean lats. Bent rows PROPPERLY ie bent over enough, not this practically standing up nonsense. Over hand will stop you using too much biceps and will actually hit more of your lats. Do these near the beginning as its a staple mass builder .Also wide grip seated pulls are good.


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