8 Dumbbell Lat Exercises for a Broad and Muscular Back

There is a lot of information on building a broad back with recommendations for all sorts of exercises. 

One muscle group arguably has the most significant impact on how your back looks: the latissimus dorsi, commonly known as the lats.

This article covers lats functions and anatomy, how to activate them, and 8 of the best dumbbell lat exercises to experiment with in your training.

What are the ‘Lats’?

The lats, also known as the latissimus dorsi, refer to a pair of large, triangular muscles in the upper body (1). 

The latissimus dorsi muscles cover a significant portion of the middle and upper back and are responsible for many motions.

Your lats run from below the shoulder blades, along both sides of the spine, and connect to the pelvis (1). The muscle originates from several points, including the ilium (uppermost part of the hip bone) and scapula, and inserts into the humerus (large upper arm bone). 

The muscle’s primary functions relate to the following (1): 

• Shoulder extension (bringing your arms from any position to behind your body)
• Arm adduction (bringing your arms from your sides toward your midlines)
• Internal arm rotation (inward rotation at the shoulder joint when the elbow is at a 90° angle)

In gym training, one of the best ways to target and activate the lats is by performing rowing/pulling exercises. Examples include pull-ups, pulldowns, and bent-over rows (2, 3). 

Developing the lats is necessary for maximizing your back and pulling strength, improving your posture, and attaining the desired V-taper back. 

Why Use Dumbbells For Lat Exercises?

Using dumbbells for lat exercises offers some distinct advantages. 

1. More Even Growth

Dumbbells force both sides of your body to work independently, allowing for more balanced development. In contrast, barbell exercises train both sides simultaneously, which can cause your dominant side to take over and magnify any existing imbalances.

2. Excellent Range of Motion

Most dumbbell lat exercises offer an excellent range of motion, allowing you to stretch and shorten the muscle group effectively. For example, a dumbbell pullover stretches your upper back as you bring the weight behind your head and promotes an intense contraction at the top of each repetition.

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3. A Great Overload

Dumbbells provide an impressive overload. Beginners can start with the lightest pair and gradually progress to the top of the stack, building muscle and back strength along the way.

4. Pick from Many Activities

There are many effective lat exercises to include in your training. You can use various loads to target your lats from different angles, even if you only have a pair of adjustable dumbbells.

8 Dumbbell Lat Exercises For a Broad And Strong Back

1. Dumbbell Row

Rows are one of the most effective dumbbell lat exercises you can do, even at home.

How to:

1. Grab a dumbbell and stand tall.
   
2. Place your free hand on a sturdy object like a gym bench or chair.
   
3. Stagger your stance by bringing one foot forward and the other back.
   
4. Lean your torso forward by hinging at the hips. Strive to maintain a neutral back and have your upper body parallel to the floor.
   
5. Retract your shoulder blades, take a deep breath, and engage your abs.
   
6. Pull the dumbbell up and in until your elbow is at torso level and close to your body.
   
7. Pause at the top and slowly extend your arm as you exhale.
   
8. Inhale again and repeat.
   
9. Once finished, grab the weight with your other hand and do the same number of reps.

Quick tip:

Pull the dumbbell smoothly, striving to engage your lats on each rep. Avoid using too much weight, as that can force you to use jerking motions, taking the tension away from the lats.

2. Bent Over Row (Dumbbell)

Bent-over rows are among the overlooked lat dumbbell exercises, mostly because people prefer to do the single-arm row we reviewed above.

How to:

1. Grab a pair of dumbbells and stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart and chest out.
   
2. Lean your upper body forward by pushing your buttocks back. Have your torso parallel to the floor and your arms slightly bent.
   
3. Take a deep breath and engage your abs.
   
4. Pull both dumbbells up simultaneously, keeping your elbows close to your body.
   
5. Bring your elbows to torso level and squeeze your upper back muscles.
   
6. Slowly extend your arms without protracting your shoulder blades. Exhale.
   
7. Take another breath and repeat.

Quick tip:

Consider using lighter dumbbells for more reps (up to 15 per set). Doing so will make it easier to maintain your position and possibly reduce spinal loading.

Related article: 10 Compound and 4 Isolation Back Exercises for an Impressive V-Taper

3. Chest-Supported Incline Row (Dumbbell)

The chest-supported incline row is also among the best lat dumbbell exercises. Lying on an incline bench reduces the risk of using momentum because your torso is stationary.

How to:

1. Grab a pair of dumbbells and position yourself on top of an incline bench (set at 30 to 45 degrees). Alternatively, lie face down on the bench and then reach down to grab the weights.
   
2. Plant the balls of your feet on the floor for balance.
   
3. Retract your shoulder blades and have your arms straight and to your sides.
   
4. Take a breath and engage your abs.
   
5. Pull both dumbbells up simultaneously, bringing your elbows to torso level and squeezing your lats at the top.
   
6. Pause briefly and extend your arms as you exhale.

Quick tip:

Keep your elbows close to your body and row the dumbbells toward the lower end of your ribcage. Doing so can improve lat activation and emphasize the lower portion of the muscle group.

4. Dumbbell Renegade Row

Renegade rows are among the less used lat exercises with dumbbells. People mostly do the movement as part of a functional fitness routine, but it can also work as part of a gym program to promote lat growth.

How to:

1. Grab a pair of hexagonal dumbbells and get down on all fours.
   
2. Position the dumbbells roughly shoulder-width apart on the ground and parallel to one another.
   
3. Grab the weights and extend your body into a push-up position. Have your feet shoulder-width apart and your entire body straight as an arrow.
   
4. Retract your shoulder blades, take a deep breath, and engage your abs.
   
5. Tilt slightly to your left and pull the right dumbbell in one fluid motion, bringing your elbow to torso level.
   
6. Pause briefly and extend your arm, setting the dumbbell on the ground as you exhale.
   
7. Take another breath and repeat.
   
8. Once finished training your right side, tilt your body in that direction, and do the same number of reps with your left arm.

Quick tip:

Squeeze your abs to draw your ribcage closer to your pelvis. Doing so will prevent your lower back from arching and keep you in a safer position.

Related article: Barbell Back Workouts for a Strong and Muscular Back

5. Dumbbell Lat Pullovers

Pullovers come close to being the best dumbbell exercise for lats. However, unlike most other dumbbell lats exercises, these don’t include elbow flexion and involve the biceps to a smaller degree.

How to:

1. Grab a dumbbell and sit on the ground with a flat gym bench behind you (perpendicular position).
   
2. Place the weight over your hips and position your upper back on the gym bench.
   
3. Extend your arms and position the dumbbell vertically over your chest. Your palms should face the ceiling and be flat against the top weight plate, forming a diamond shape between your thumbs and index fingers.
   
4. Bend your knees and plant your feet flat on the ground.
   
5. Bring your shoulders back, take a deep breath, and engage your abs.
   
6. Carefully bring the weight behind your head while maintaining a slight bend in your elbows. You should feel a stretch in your lats.
   
7. Pause briefly and pull the dumbbell over your chest as you exhale.

Quick tip:

An excellent way to stretch your lats is by dropping your buttocks toward the floor as you bring the dumbbell behind your head. Then, as you pull the dumbbell toward the starting position, thrust your hips toward the ceiling, similar to a hip thrust.

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6. Dumbbell Seal Row

Seal rows are also among the most effective dumbbell lat exercises. The movement resembles chest-supported rows, but you must lie on a flat bench instead of one set at an incline.

How to:

1. Raise a flat gym bench at a height where you can fully extend your arms without hitting the floor when you lie face down. For instance, you can use a couple of plyometric boxes.
   
2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and lie face down. Extend your arms and have your wrists neutral (palms facing one another).
   
3. Retract your shoulder blades, take a deep breath, and engage your abs.
   
4. Row both dumbbells in one fluid motion, raising your elbows to torso level.
   
5. Pause as you squeeze your lats and slowly extend your arms while keeping your shoulders retracted.
   
6. Exhale near the bottom and repeat.

Quick tip:

Due to the stationary torso position, you can afford to use more weight for fewer reps. Ensure that you perform each repetition smoothly and avoid jerking the dumbbells up and down.

7. Kroc Row

Kroc rows resemble barbell rows because of the tremendous overloading potential. The difference is that the movement trains one side at a time, reducing the risk of muscle imbalances.

How to:

1. Grab a dumbbell and place your free hand on top of an elevated object––for example, on the back support of a gym bench set at an incline. The goal is to maintain a more upright torso.
   
2. Position your other hand to your side with your wrist neutral (palm facing your body).
   
3. Stagger your stance for stability, retract your shoulder blades, and engage your abs.
   
4. Take a deep breath and row the dumbbell toward your lower ribcage until your elbow is at torso level.
   
5. Pause at the top position, squeezing your lat muscle briefly.
   
6. Slowly extend your arm as you exhale.
   
7. Inhale again and repeat.
   
8. Once finished, grab the weight with your opposite hand and do the same number of reps.

Quick tip:

Don’t be afraid to use some momentum for the movement, especially on your last reps of challenging sets, but do so within reason. Using jerking motions on each rep can allow you to lift more weight at the expense of proper muscle activation.

8. Dead-Stop Dumbbell Row

Dead-stop rows make for an excellent dumbbell lat workout. The movement resembles Pendlay rows because the objective is to rest the weights on the floor between repetitions.

How to:

1. Place the dumbbells on the floor.
   
2. Lean forward and bend your knees to grab the weights without lifting them off the ground.
   
3. Retract your shoulder blades, take a deep breath, and engage your abs.
   
4. Pull both dumbbells in one fluid motion until your elbows are at torso level.
   
5. Pause briefly at the top and slowly extend your arms as you exhale.
   
6. Set the dumbbell on the ground, take another breath, and repeat.

Quick tip:

Set the weights on the floor for at least a second before initiating a new rep. One common mistake is bouncing the weights off the floor, which affects muscle activation.

Conclusion

The above are 8 of the best dumbbell lat exercises. Of course, you don’t have to do all of them, but it certainly pays to experiment and see what works best.

Pick the exercises that feel best, maintain proper form on every rep, consume enough protein, and maintain a slight calorie surplus (4, 5). Progressively overload your body by increasing your workouts’ difficulty and your lats will grow.

Hevy – Workout Tracker

Create and log your dumbbell lat exercises with Hevy and track your progress

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Hevy – Workout Tracker

Create and log your dumbbell lat exercises with Hevy and track your progress

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Check out the Hevy app if you’re looking for even more effective movements for each muscle group and a simple way to organize them into workouts.

FAQs

1. How to perform free weight lat exercises safely?

Focus on three key areas:

• Warm up well before each workout by doing some light cardio, dynamic stretching, and warm-up sets (gradually increasing the load over several sets) (6)
• Maintain proper form, striving to activate the correct muscles on each rep
• Recover adequately between sets to maintain high performance; up to 3-4 minutes of recovery might be necessary between your heaviest and most challenging sets (7)

2. What is the best way to activate your lats?

It mostly comes down to practice. A helpful mental cue is to imagine that your hand is merely a hook for the weight. Doing so allows you to pull through the elbow, improving lat engagement.

3. Why can’t I feel my lats during dumbbell rows?

Not feeling your lats on dumbbell rows or any other exercise likely results from improper form or the use of too much weight.

In such a case, reduce the load, slow down the tempo, and actively try to establish a mind-muscle connection with your lats.

4. How do I activate my lats before a workout?

One good option is to do various lat exercises (dumbbell rows, lat pulldowns, etc.) with light weights for multiple reps. Again, maintain a slow tempo, squeezing your lats as you pull and allowing them to stretch as you extend your arms.