How do you do a lat spread?

[Maximum6]

now that i realized i have put a slab of meat on my lats....i was trying to do a lat spread..

Do you put your fist right above your side of your pelvic bone?

How is your fist positioned?

[sockrocker]

well, do you mean front or rear? here're a few pics

[sockrocker]

as you can see, hands are right around belly button area, with knuckles in between the obliques and the abs...

***i know that his hands are uneven, but generally just put them at the same level***

[sockrocker]

here's another front lat example...1985 olympia

[sockrocker]

johnny jackson rear lat spread...rear spreads are a little bit different, obviously, so here are a few pics to tide you over until gerry can get here to post his article

[sockrocker]

[sockrocker]

[GerryT]

Idea is to flare out as much as you can on front lat. Flex legs first (all poses should be done from legs up) and inhale deep to raise chest cavity when hitting it. Take
short breaths while in postion. Raising chest cavity makes lats more prominent and maximizes v taper and also gives illusion of longer torso.

Elbows should be out at 180 plane. For beginners, I use a yardstick centered across the abs and good position is when inside of elbows hit the sides of the yardstick.

[1705total]

Excellant advice guys. I would try strecthing the lats by grabbing something (bar ect) with a close grip. Keep the elbows straight and stretch your lats. Then rotate the scapula to get the "feel" of the muscle. Once you start learning the feel, the pose will come natural. Follow sockrocker and Gerry's advice and you be spreading those wings in no time.

[Maximum6]

i don't understand when you say elbows should be at 180 degree plane.


so your fist is suppose to sort of be punched against the side of the front abs?

Another question is...is your lats suppose to be hard when you spread them?

[GerryT]

Great idea, Steve. By 180, elbows should be straight out
and in same plane as your torso. Elbows too far forward or back will kill the flare.

[sockrocker]

maximum6 said:

i don't understand when you say elbows should be at 180 degree plane.


so your fist is suppose to sort of be punched against the side of the front abs?

Another question is...is your lats suppose to be hard when you spread them?

i believe that he means that your elbows shouldn't be pointing out in front of you at all...they should be pointing straight out to the sides

[Maximum6]

Now how do you do a back lat spread? I hear you sort of have to pinch your pelvic area....with a thumb..but you still keep a fist with the other fingers....

[GerryT]

Differences in front and back lat: for back, elbows should point somewhat inward to maximize back flare.

Also flex one leg to show hams and calf. Judges are always looking at the whole physique in every pose.

[motocross]

remember .. you wanna feel the strech around you shoulderblades that you feel at the bottom of a wide chin

[Maximum6]

for the rear lat spread...i read on gerry's tip that you have the same position as the front lat spread...

however when i look at the pics of some bodybuilders...it looks like a concaved back..

how is that done?

in contest...is it better to do concaved back or the regular front lat spread position except turned around and have flexed leg back...

or it really is a matter of choice?

anyway how do you concave it like that?

[Mrbig7]

Max, the "concavity" you are referring to is merely "rounding" your back instead of arching it or keeping it straight. I think the way you do this pose depends on your individual physique. Experiment and take pics both ways & decide for yourself which looks better. One thing I see WAY too many people do is lean too far forward in an effort to "spread" your lats more and it ends up making the person looking awkward and hunched over. Remember, most judges are sitting at a "worms eye view" and are lower than the bodybuilders they are judging, so the more one leans forward, the less their actual back is seen.

[Maximum6]

i was wondeirng if you fully squeeze the glutes and raise your calf also.

cause squeezing the glutes doesn't feel natural for some reason...

same thing for fully raising the calf...