9 Dumbbell Lat Exercises to Build a Wide Back

Bodybuilders have a saying, “It’s easy to get thick, but getting wide is the problem.” And this is, for the most part, quite true. The only problem is that even though rowing and pulldown movements are different and target different muscle fibers, they both still grow your lats.

So, with that said, let’s list the best dumbbell lat exercises. Some might be new, while others are tried and tested, but they’ll all help you grow.

9 Awesome Lat Exercises for a Wide Back

Grab your adjustable dumbbells, and get ready for nine lat exercises to widen your back!

1. Dumbbell Pull-Ups

Hey? We’re starting with something as hard as a pull-up? Of course, we are! There ain’t no rest for the wicked, and there sure ain’t no rest for those who can’t do pull-ups.

Pull-ups are some of the best lat exercises on the planet. You get a full range of motion, your starting position isn’t really dangerous, and the latissimus dorsi will be used. What’s more, it gives you a pretty good bicep pump as well.

When choosing which one of the many grips suits you best, you need to realize that the differences between them are very small. The only difference you should know is that palms facing toward you targets the biceps slightly more than the other grips.

Other things to keep in mind are form (obviously) and the fact that — if you can’t do pull-ups with a dumbbell — leave the weight or even use the assisted machine. That bad boy will ensure your form remains perfect.

Here’s how to perform dumbbell pull-ups:

1. Set the pull-up bar in the position that suits your height and shoulder width.
2. Hang from the bar with your arms straight and hands slightly wider than your shoulders.
3. Bend your legs to 90 degrees, and have someone put a dumbbell between your feet so that you’re suspending it in the air.
4. To perform the pull-up, pull your elbows to the base of your spine. Go as far as you can or until your chin reaches the bar.
5. Slowly lower yourself down and — before you do another rep — ensure you aren’t swinging your body.

The only difference that occurs with your grip is how wide you grip the bar. So if you have your palms facing toward you, you would have your arms straight above you.

2. Dumbbell Pullover

From the best movement for lat width to one of the most controversial ones! The pullover finds its origin years ago when scientists realized that the lats are important for bringing the humerus to the body.

From there, they theorized that pulling the arm towards the body (straight) from an overhead position could enhance muscle growth. This would target the similar muscle fibers that a pull-up would.

The problem is that this would also target the chest… and would also really stress the triceps. Thus, you’ll see people doing this movement on chest days and on back days.

Today, we’re putting it in the back workout routine because when done correctly and in conjunction with other lats exercises, you’re bound to get a good pump.

Here’s how to perform the dumbbell pullover:

1. Set a bench in a flat position and lay sideways on it, with only your upper back on it.
2. Set a dumbbell on your chest, and grab the insides of the weight plate of the dumbbell with both hands (like you would make a diamond shape with your hands). Press the dumbbell above your body. This step might be easier if someone handed you the dumbbell.
3. Slowly lower the dumbbell overhead without raising your back off the bench.
4. You’ll feel a stretch in your chest, back, and triceps. Once you can no longer lower the dumbbell any further, bring it back to its original position.

Whilst doing this exercise, try to focus on your back. This might increase the amount of back muscles doing the work. You’ll feel a stretch in the triceps due to them attaching at the upper lat and upper arm.

3. Dumbbell Rows

The one we all know and love! There will be a better version of this listed for number 4, but I thought it well we start here since this one doesn’t require you to have a very specific bench in your gym…

But I digress. The humble dumbbell row (or single-arm row) is one of the most tried and tested exercises on the planet. In fact, you probably saw your dad doing this every Saturday when he mowed the lawn.

Again, since we’re targeting the lats, the goal is to bring the elbows as close to the spine as possible. You also shouldn’t be rocking your shoulder blades (or shoulders) back and forth — this isn’t an upper-back exercise.

This is also the first back exercise that’ll target the “thickness” muscle fibers, but remember, all muscle mass will help you appear wider. So, as far as lats training goes, you need a good row!

Here’s how to perform dumbbell rows:

1. Grab a dumbbell in one hand, and bend over (at the hip) to rest your other straight arm on a platform (like an incline bench or the dumbbell rack). You should be looking like you want to start a generator or a lawn mower.
2. With a stable and strong core, simply pull the dumbbell up to your body. Your elbow should be heading toward the base of your spine, and your upper back shouldn’t twist (a lot).
3. When you can no longer row any further, simply lower the dumbbell to the starting position.
4. Before starting your second rep, make sure that the weight is completely stationary. Throwing or rocking a weight around can only lead to injuries.

You can perform the single-arm row on a cable machine or even on a barbell planted in the corner of a room. Dumbbells slightly worsen your form if you’re super tall, so choose the correct option for you. As long as you keep a neutral spine position, you’re good.

4. Seal Row

The seal row is (massive claim alert!) perhaps one of the most effective rowing exercises on the planet. When considering how “good” an exercise is, stability is something that’s incredibly important.

If you aren’t able to complete an exercise with good form and without targeting God knows what other muscles, how good is it really at growing the target tissue?

A pulling motion will naturally target various muscles, but we can still isolate them. So, in a lat workout, you want to only target the lats — not the lower back or upper back, if possible.

Hence, the seal row. Invented by a powerlifter (probably) and a spin on a normal dumbbell or barbell row.

The difference? It’s way f*cken harder.

Here’s how to perform seal rows:

1. Set up a seal-row bench. (I realize not many gyms have these, so you can try to MacGyver a bench by raising a normal bench off the ground using boxes or other benches. As long as it is stable and you can have your arms straight down without touching the floor, it’s fine!)
2. Lay on the bench — on your tummy — and have someone pass you two dumbbells. You might need to use lighter weights than you would with normal rows.
3. The grip doesn’t matter as much. You can choose between a neutral grip or an underhand grip. Even an overhand grip could work, but the former two are better.
4. With a stable and strong core, simply pull the dumbbells up to your body. Your elbow should be heading toward the base of your spine, and your upper back shouldn’t twist (a lot). Your body also shouldn’t rise off the bench.
5. When you can no longer row any further, simply lower the dumbbell to the starting position.
6. Before starting your second rep, make sure that the weight is completely stationary. Throwing or rocking a weight around can only lead to injuries.

The beautiful thing about this type of row is that you can simply point your elbows to your chest … and boom, It’s an upper-back movement! This remains one of the best lat exercises with dumbbells.

5. Incline Row

You may have noticed that most of the movements are rowing exercises, and that’s because dumbbells aren’t really great for vertical-pulling movements. Once you rock out your pull-ups, that’s all there is to it before you need other equipment. But we can row!

The incline row is the bastard child between numbers 4 and 5 and the one most people will end up doing… that sounds incredibly wrong, but you get the point!

As with the previous rowing movements, the idea is to bring the elbows toward the base of the spine. Yet again, you’ll need to refrain from twisting the upper body or shrugging the shoulder blades. This is a lat movement.

With the added chest support, it certainly is more effective than a regular bent-over dumbbell row. However, it’s also not nearly as hard (or effective) as a dumbbell seal row.

Here’s how to perform incline rows:

1. Set up the bench on an incline position, around 45 degrees. If you can, it might be beneficial to lift the seat of the bench to form a 90-degree angle with the backrest.
2. Lie face down on the bench, with your arms straight (hanging perpendicular to the floor).
3. Have someone pass you two dumbbells and grip them firmly.
4. With a stable and strong core, simply pull the dumbbells up to your body. Your elbow should be heading toward the base of your spine, and your upper back shouldn’t twist (a lot). Your body also shouldn’t rise off the bench.
5. When you can no longer row any further, simply lower the dumbbell to the starting position.
6. Before starting your second rep, make sure that the weight is completely stationary.

6. Dual Dumbbell Rows

Remember how we mentioned that we don’t want to train other muscles? Yeah, well, what if we did? What if you wanted to train as many muscles as you possibly could in a short amount of time because you have a busy job or a loving family? (Lucky bastard.)

Well, in that case, you would opt for compound movements — exercises that will target multiple muscles. Are these more dangerous? Sure, in the same way, it’s dangerous to date someone with a bunch of red flags.

As long as you know what you’re getting into, you’re great!

If you suffer from lower back or hip issues, skip this exercise. Choose one of the options that give back support.

Unlike the others, your lower back will be active throughout the entire exercise as well as your traps. Also, this should ideally not be your first exercise because you’ll be knackered afterward.

Here’s how to perform dual dumbbell rows:

1. Grab a pair of dumbbells and position yourself with your feet shoulder-width apart and pointing out ever-so-slightly.
2. From there, hinge at the hips as you would do when doing an RDL (Romanian deadlift). Your knees can be slightly bent.
3. Row both dumbbells toward your body. Your elbows should be heading toward the base of your spine.
4. Some upper back movement is normal and perfectly okay. Just try not to throw the dumbbells around. Control them!
5. Slowly lower them to the starting position and repeat.

Being a massive compound movement, it’d also be wise to warm up the entire body prior to doing this exercise. And unlike any of the other dumbbell exercises, this one has a pretty big risk of injury… so be extremely careful!

This movement is often compared to the Pendlay row (done with a barbell), but — in this case — you don’t set the weights down after each rep.

7. Dual Dumbbell Lat Flyes

In an attempt to get a vertical movement, we’ll be doing reverse flyes of a sort… But this time, we won’t be doing them on a bench or in an upright position we’d use when training the upper back or shoulders.

Because of the elbow “row, you grow” rule, your elbows will be swinging toward the base of your spine or just slightly above. Your upper back will hitch a free ride and get some stimulation, but that’s not why we’re here. So, yet again, focus on your lats.

Imagine your lats pulling your arms out and toward the base of your spine. The more you focus and imagine this, the more of a reality it’ll be — just like a parent’s love.

Here’s how to perform dual dumbbell lat flyes:

1. Grab a pair of dumbbells, and position yourself with your feet shoulder-width apart and pointing out ever-so-slightly.
2. From there, hinge at the hips, just like you do when doing an RDL (Romanian deadlift). Your knees can be slightly bent.
3. With your arms slightly bent, slowly move your elbows toward the base of your spine without bending your arms further. You should feel your shoulder blades squeezed together but also your back pinching on the sides — where the lats are.
4. Once your lats are fully contracted, simply lower the dumbbells to the starting position and go again.

8. Kroc Row

This is a doozy… The Kroc row is a movement that catches a lot of hate from the online community, and some people have a good point. It isn’t really the most optimized of movements, but it will train the latissimus dorsi well enough.

Unlike the normal dumbbell row, this time, upper body movement is somewhat encouraged. You’re supposed to use a heavier weight and — therefore — some scapula movement is necessary. The set-up is virtually identical to a normal dumbbell row, but you can move your scapula.

This doesn’t mean you can meet around 100 lbs and think you’re strong. It simply means this lat movement isn’t a full-back movement.

Here’s how to perform a Kroc row:

1. Grab a dumbbell in one hand and bend over (at the hip) to rest your other straight arm on a platform (like an incline bench or the dumbbell rack). You should be looking like you want to start a generator or a lawn mower.
2. With a stable and strong core, simply pull the dumbbell up to your body. Your elbow should be heading toward the base of your spine.
3. Rocking the upper back is okay with a Kroc row.
4. When you can no longer row any further, simply lower the dumbbell to the starting position.
5. Before starting your second rep, make sure that the weight is completely stationary.

Keep in mind that any movement in a bent-over position is somewhat dangerous. So just make sure you don’t do anything stupid. Even if this movement is stupid, according to some…

9. Dumbbell Deadlift

The one we all know works every muscle in the body, including the lats. Now, this won’t be putting your lats through an active range of motion, so it’s certainly not the best. That said, I’ve never met anyone who has a small back and a good deadlift, so…

The deadlift is obviously a dangerous movement. That said, ensure you’re properly warmed up and ready. This exercise will target every muscle on the body, legs, neck, arms, chest, everything. Yes, even that.

Here’s how to perform the dumbbell deadlift:

1. With your feet shoulder-width apart, grab two dumbbells on either side of you, and grip them tightly.
2. Bend your knees and hips at the same time to set the dumbbells down on the floor.
3. With your back straight and your neck in a neutral position, simply stand up.
4. You might find it beneficial to squeeze your stomach to build pressure around the core.
5. Repeat this. You don’t have to set the dumbbells down each time, but it does make the process a lot safer.

Our Wide Back Lat Workout

When designing a workout, you have to make sure you hit all of the muscles in that area from each angle. Thus, in order to target the back, we need a really crafty plan.

Here is an idea of how a workout can look, but keep in mind your needs might be different:

• Seal Rows, 3 sets x 10 – 15 reps
• Dumbbell Pull-Ups, 4 sets x AMRAP
• Dual Dumbbell Row, 2 sets x 6 – 10 reps
• Dumbbell Deadlift, 3 sets x 5 – 10 reps

You don’t need to do every single exercise on the list every time you train. Just choose the ones that work best for you.

Other things you should consider when training the lats are:

• Leave your pride at the door and ensure that you always use good form. The crappy form will only lead you to injuries, a fake sense of accomplishment, and less muscle. So, ensure your form is always spot-on.
• But do keep your sense of self-preservation, seeing as doing dumbbell bent-over rows can lead to injury if you try and brag. This goes hand-in-hand with the first part, but here, I’m asking you to use less load if you aren’t ready for more yet.
• Progressive overload is still the name of the game. A single dumbbell might not be great for this because the resistance never changes, so why would your body? You have to add load and volume as time progresses.
• Warm-ups are there for a reason, and that reason is to ensure you don’t tear any of your back muscles while making sure those muscles are full of blood and ready to rock.

And the last thing I want you to remember when it comes to back training is “Where your elbows go, you grow.” This might seem like some pre-workout haiku, but it is true.

When looking at the back muscles and their anatomy, your hands don’t dictate which muscles are working. Neither does the weight.

What dictates muscle growth (area) is where your elbows go. To the base of your spine? Lats. To your chest? Upper back. To your shoulders? Rear delts.

Your hands are simply meat hooks, which reminds me, to invest in some lifting straps. They make any pull-up or bent-over row a lot easier.

Okay, seriously, last thing! Yes, rowing exercises are more geared towards creating a thicker back and not a wider back, but both will help with either aspect.

Anatomy of the Lats

The lats are two massive slabs of meat on either side of your body. In my native language, we call them “blaaie” which translates to pages. Fitting, seeing as they’re long and can be hard to make thicker.

The lats attach from your shoulder joint all the way down to the base of your spine. They’re also vital for all movement of the arm and upper back.

The lats consist of one big muscle: the latissimus dorsi. Just under your arm sits the teres minor and major, both of which will be trained with every single lat movement you do. They work in tandem with the lats.

The lats are also vital in keeping your upper body safe, stable, and rigid. This happens thanks to the interaction between the lats with the core.

4 Lat Training Benefits

1. The reduced risk of injury is the biggest benefit. Lats are some of the biggest muscles in the body. And when looking at how well they can protect the joints, lower back, and shoulders, it’s a no-brainer that training them is one of the best things you can do to reduce the risk of injuries.
2. Stronger bones are a benefit of all resistance training. Once you train with weight, your body releases a hormone called IGF-1, which will bind to muscle and bone tissue and cause them to grow. Better bone health means a better overall life experience.
3. Exercise is healthy simply when looking at how it can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Better insulin sensitivity and better mental health are also great benefits most people forget about. While these may seem small, the benefits multiply and can change your entire life.
4. You’re more attractive with a wider back. Does that seem biased? Perhaps, but I’ve got studies to support my claim. Women claim that men who are wider and have more muscle up top seem to be more attractive.

* Oh, and one final note! If you’re really keen on looking wider with wider lats, just remember that a smaller waist will also make you look wider…

Ever notice that CBum isn’t wider than other guys but looks wider? He has a minute waist. So, if you want to appear bigger, appear smaller in some areas…