Thanks for checking out Down with the Fitness, a daily guide to help you improve your health, and your life, in manageable steps!
Today's #WeightRoomWednesday post comes from the great Jordan Syatt. He's got an IMPRESSIVE resume as a strength coach and competitor, he's Gary Vee's trainer, and most importantly for you, he's one of the best follows on Instagram. (And YouTube if you want longer-form videos!)
Last week he did a bang-up job explaining how to engage the Latissimus Dorsi. (Pardon my Latin.) These are the biggest muscles of your upper body, spanning across most of back, so obviously this is a super important concept.
Being able to properly use and feel the "lats", as they're usually called, is CRUCIAL to maximizing the benefits of your rows, pull downs, and/or pull ups. These benefits include a jacked back and healthy shoulders. Check it out:
His examples involve overhead pulling movements, but the same thing applies to row variations. Try it out next time you're working on any of these and let me know what you think!
As always, if you ever have any questions or comments, you're invited to join the Down With The Fitness Facebook Group. It's also the best place to make sure you see future posts!
P.S. Fun fact about the Latissimus Dorsi: One time I was going on 40 hours without sleep, so I was a little loopy, and I thought it'd be cool if I had a son and named him Latissimus. I just think it sounds regalAF, like some old-timey king. But people would probably call him Lat for short. Then we'd be Lat and Matt. We'd crush pull-ups together. I don't want kids, but if I did, that'd be dope.
