Lat exercises

About lats

The latissimus dorsi is the large, wing-shaped muscle that spans the mid and lower back. It pulls the arm down and back toward the torso, which makes it the main driver of pulldowns, pull-ups and rows.

Choosing between these exercises

Pulling comes in two directions. Vertical pulls such as pulldowns, pull-ups and chin-ups bring the arm down from overhead, while horizontal pulls such as rows bring it back from in front of you. Straight-arm pulldowns and pullovers keep the elbows long so the lats do more of the work. A balanced selection usually includes both directions, and the machine and cable versions are a gentle way to learn the feel of the movement before you move to free weights.

At a glance

Where to start

These guides are rated beginner level: Seated cable row, Wide-grip cable lat pulldown, One-arm dumbbell row, Neutral-grip cable pulldown, Seated one-arm cable row and Straight-arm cable pulldown.

All 23 guides

Grouped by movement pattern. Each line shows the equipment, the level and the supporting muscles from that guide.

Horizontal pull (13)

• High row machine — Machines, beginner; also works rhomboids and biceps
• Inverted row — Bodyweight / calisthenics, beginner; also works rhomboids and biceps
• Machine seated row horizontal grip — Machines, beginner; also works rhomboids and biceps
• Machine seated row neutral grip — Machines, beginner; also works rhomboids and biceps
• Machine smith bentover rows — Machines, beginner; also works biceps, lower back and traps
• One-arm dumbbell row — Dumbbell, beginner; also works rhomboids, traps, rear deltoids and biceps
• Seated cable row — Cable, beginner; also works rhomboids, traps, rear deltoids and biceps
• Seated one-arm cable row — Cable, beginner; also works rhomboids, rear deltoids, biceps and obliques
• Barbell pendlay row — Barbell, intermediate; also works biceps, lower back and rear deltoids
• Bent-over barbell row — Barbell, intermediate; also works rhomboids, traps, rear deltoids, biceps and lower back
• Cable reverse grip seated row — Cable, intermediate; also works rhomboids and biceps
• Cable wide grip seated row — Cable, intermediate; also works biceps and rear deltoids
• Dumbbell bent-over row — Dumbbell, intermediate; also works biceps, rear deltoids and traps

Vertical pull (6)

• Machine assisted pull-up — Machines, beginner; also works biceps, forearm flexors, rear deltoids and rhomboids
• Neutral-grip cable pulldown — Cable, beginner; also works biceps, brachialis and rhomboids
• Wide-grip cable lat pulldown — Cable, beginner; also works biceps, brachialis, traps and rhomboids
• Cable neutral grip lat pulldown — Cable, intermediate; also works biceps, rhomboids and traps
• Chin-up — Bodyweight / calisthenics, intermediate; also works biceps and rhomboids
• Pull-up — Bodyweight / calisthenics, intermediate; also works biceps and rhomboids

Shoulder extension (3)

• Straight-arm cable pulldown — Cable, beginner; also works triceps and serratus
• Barbell pullover — Barbell, intermediate; also works triceps
• Dumbbell pullover — Dumbbell, intermediate; also works chest, triceps and serratus

General movement (1)

• Rowing — Cardio / conditioning, beginner; also works biceps, lower back, glutes, hamstrings, rhomboids and traps

Common questions

More exercise guides by muscle and equipment

Browse every guide in the Workout Explorer. Search all 178 guides, watch the demonstrations and compare two exercises side by side.

By muscle

• Chest exercises
• Front delt exercises
• Lat exercises
• Quad exercises
• Glute exercises
• Hamstring exercises
• Biceps exercises
• Triceps exercises
• Calf exercises
• Rear delt exercises
• Ab exercises
• Oblique exercises

By equipment

• Barbell exercises
• Dumbbell exercises
• Cable exercises
• Bodyweight exercises
• Gym machine exercises
• Cardio exercises
• Mobility exercises

Educational guidance, not an individual training prescription. Start with a manageable load, work within a comfortable range, and stop if a movement causes pain. Ask a qualified coach for help with an unfamiliar setup. Practice the technique before increasing load. Repetitions and working weight depend on your goals, experience, and individual needs.