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Exercises

Lat activation exercises: learn to feel your lats before rows, pulldowns and deadlifts

Published October 24, 2026

To activate your lats, row easily for 3 minutes, do 10 kettlebell pullovers, then 2 sets of 12 straight-arm pulldowns and 1 set of 10 one-arm pulldowns per side, all stopping with 3 to 4 reps left. It takes about 7 minutes. Then do 2 to 3 lighter sets of your first back lift. The cue that ties them together is driving your elbow down toward your hip.

  1. Rowing Machine Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Lats
  2. Kettlebell Pullover Lats
  3. Straight-Arm Pulldown Lats
  4. Single-Arm Lat Pulldown Lats
  5. Band Bent-Over Row Lats, Upper Back
  6. Lat Pulldown Lats

Step 1: row to warm up (3 minutes)

The rowing machine is a pulling warm-up for the whole body, and each stroke finishes with the elbows driving back past the ribs, the same finish as a row.

Raise: pulling cardio

Rowing Machine

Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Lats

Warms the legs, back and arms together, and the finish of every stroke is a row.

How to do it

  1. Strap your feet in and sit tall with the handle at arm's length.
  2. Push with the legs first, then lean back slightly, then pull the handle to your lower ribs.
  3. Reverse the order on the way back and keep the stroke rate low and easy.

Cues

  • Legs, body, arms
  • Arms, body, legs on the return

Common mistakes

  • Pulling with the arms before the legs have pushed: drive the legs first.

Swap for: Ski Erg, Stationary Bike

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Step 2: reach overhead

Your lats are longest with your arms overhead. A light pullover takes them there with control, so you feel exactly which muscle is being stretched.

Mobility: lats at full length

Kettlebell Pullover

Lats

Lying on the floor keeps your back flat, so the stretch you feel along your sides is the lats, not your lower back.

How to do it

  1. Lie on your back with knees bent and hold a kettlebell by the horns over your chest.
  2. Lower it behind your head toward the floor with the elbows slightly bent.
  3. Pull it back over your chest, keeping your lower back flat.

Cues

  • Lower back stays down
  • Long arms

Common mistakes

  • Letting the ribs flare up: stop where your back starts to arch.

Swap for: Dumbbell Lat Pullover, Straight-Arm Pulldown

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Step 3: feel the lat working

If you struggle to feel your lats during rows, the reason is usually that your biceps and upper back take over. Straight-arm work removes the biceps, and one arm at a time lets you focus on one side.

Activation: the lat drill

Straight-Arm Pulldown

Lats

With the elbows straight, the biceps can't help, so this is the most direct way to feel your lats contract. It is the drill to use if you only do one.

How to do it

  1. Stand facing a high cable with a straight bar, arms long and a slight lean forward.
  2. Sweep the bar down in an arc to your thighs, keeping the elbows nearly straight.
  3. Let it rise slowly until you feel the stretch under your arms.

Cues

  • Arms stay long
  • Pull with the armpits

Common mistakes

  • Bending the elbows into a pushdown: lighten it until the arms stay straight.

Swap for: Dumbbell Lat Pullover, Kettlebell Pullover

Build a session with Straight-Arm Pulldown

Activation: one side at a time

Single-Arm Lat Pulldown

Lats

Pulling one elbow down toward your hip makes the lat on that side easy to feel, and shows you if one side lags.

How to do it

  1. Sit at a cable with one handle overhead, arm straight.
  2. Pull your elbow down toward your hip.
  3. Let the arm return all the way up and feel the side of your back stretch.

Cues

  • Elbow to hip
  • Full stretch at the top

Common mistakes

  • Leaning far to the side: stay tall.

Swap for: Lat Pulldown, Straight-Arm Pulldown

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Activation: band option

Band Bent-Over Row

Lats, Upper Back

When there is no cable, a band row with the elbows tucked to the hips does a similar job anywhere.

How to do it

  1. Stand on a band, hinge forward with a flat back and hold one handle per hand.
  2. Row both handles toward your hips.
  3. Lower slowly to straight arms.

Cues

  • Elbows toward hips
  • Flat back

Common mistakes

  • Standing up as you row: hold the hinge.

Swap for: One-Arm Dumbbell Row, TRX Row

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Step 4: ramp-up sets of the first lift

Finish with lighter sets of your first back exercise, or of the deadlift if that is today's main lift. Keep the elbow-to-hip feel from step 3 on every rep.

First main lift

Lat Pulldown

Lats

Two lighter pulldown sets after the drills, and the lats are already doing the work when the weight gets heavy.

How to do it

  1. Sit with your thighs under the pad and grip the bar just outside shoulder width.
  2. Pull the bar to your upper chest, driving your elbows down.
  3. Let it rise until your arms are straight.

Cues

  • Elbows down and in
  • Chest up to the bar

Common mistakes

  • Leaning way back to finish the rep: stay close to upright.

Swap for: Single-Arm Lat Pulldown, Assisted Pull-Up

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First main lift

Barbell Row

Upper Back, Lats

On row days, ramp up in two or three sets. Keep the elbows closer to your sides to bias the lats.

How to do it

  1. Grip a barbell overhand and hinge until your torso is near parallel.
  2. Row the bar to your lower ribs.
  3. Lower it to straight arms without standing up.

Cues

  • Bar to lower ribs
  • Hold the hinge

Common mistakes

  • Heaving with the hips: lighten the bar.

Swap for: Pendlay Row, One-Arm Dumbbell Row

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First main lift (deadlift)

Trap Bar Deadlift

Quads, Glutes

Tight lats keep the bar close to your body in a deadlift. After the straight-arm drill, take the slack out of the bar by squeezing your armpits down, and ramp up from there.

How to do it

  1. Step inside the trap bar and grip the handles.
  2. Pull your shoulders down and back so your lats are tight, and take the slack out of the bar.
  3. Push the floor away and stand tall, then lower the same path.

Cues

  • Armpits squeeze down
  • Push the floor

Common mistakes

  • Yanking the bar off the floor: take the slack out first.

Swap for: Romanian Deadlift, Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift

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Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

Back day that starts with pulldowns

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets20 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentRowing Machine, Kettlebells, Lat Pulldown

You train back at the gym and want to feel your lats instead of only your arms.

The straight-arm pulldown goes first because it is the clearest lat signal, the one-arm pulldown second, and the pulldown itself last with two ramp-up sets. All drills stop with 3 to 4 reps left, and working sets end at 1 to 2.

Back day
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Rowing MachineSeconds. 3 × 60 5 0 s
Kettlebell Pullover 1 × 10 4 0 s
Straight-Arm Pulldown 2 × 12 4 30 s
Single-Arm Lat PulldownPer arm. 1 × 10 3 0 s
Lat Pulldown2 warm-up sets first 3 × 8–12 1 90 s
How to run it
Do the warm-up blocks, then two light pulldown sets, then your working sets.
How to progress
Add reps on the pulldown up to 12 at the target RIR, then raise the weight one step.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Before deadlifts

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts1× a week
  • Working sets10 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentRowing Machine, Kettlebells, Lat Pulldown, Resistance Bands +1

You deadlift and want the bar to stay close and your back to stay set.

Lats hold the bar against your legs, so this version uses the straight-arm drill as a lat-tightness rehearsal, adds band rows, then ramps up the trap bar deadlift in three steps. Working sets stop at 2 reps in reserve.

Deadlift day
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Rowing MachineSeconds. 3 × 60 5 0 s
Kettlebell Pullover 1 × 8 4 0 s
Straight-Arm PulldownHold 1 s at the hips. 2 × 10 4 30 s
Band Bent-Over Row 1 × 15 4 0 s
Trap Bar Deadlift3 warm-up sets first 3 × 4–6 2 3 min
How to run it
Warm-up blocks in order, then the deadlift ramp-up. On each ramp-up rep, squeeze your armpits down before the bar leaves the floor.
How to progress
Add weight when all sets reach 6 reps at 2 reps in reserve.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Row day with free weights

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets18 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentRowing Machine, Lat Pulldown, Resistance Bands, Barbells

You open with barbell rows and the lats never seem to join in.

One-arm pulldowns and band rows teach the elbow-to-hip path, then the barbell row ramps up in two sets. Keep the warm-up sets slow so the feel carries into the working sets.

Row day
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Rowing MachineSeconds. 2 × 60 5 0 s
Single-Arm Lat PulldownPer arm. 2 × 10 4 20 s
Band Bent-Over Row 2 × 15 4 20 s
Barbell Row2 warm-up sets first 3 × 8–10 2 2 min
How to run it
Warm-up blocks, then two light barbell row sets, then working sets.
How to progress
Add weight when you reach 10 reps on all sets at 2 reps in reserve.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

How do you actually activate your lats?

Pull your elbows toward your hips, not just your hands. Straight-arm pulldowns are the best drill to learn it, because your arms can't bend to help.

Why are my lats not activating?

Usually because the arms and upper back are doing the pulling. Slow down, use less weight, and practice with straight-arm and one-arm pulldowns before your main sets.

What are the 3 best exercises for lats?

For building them: pull-ups or pulldowns, a row with elbows tucked, and a straight-arm pulldown or pullover. The last one doubles as the best activation drill.

Should I activate my lats before deadlifts?

It helps many lifters keep the bar close. One or two sets of straight-arm pulldowns and the cue to squeeze your armpits down are enough.

How many sets of lat activation should I do?

One to two light sets of one or two drills, with 3 or more reps left in each. More than that starts to tire the muscle you want fresh.