How do I get pullups to really focus in on my lats? I have heard people saying that there’s different ways to change what you hit with them? I usually do them with a pretty wide grip, is there anything besides grip width that effects where they hit?
Just got to make sure you are engaging the muscle you are trying to hit.
You may not be strong enough to do that with a bodyweight pull-up. So, you could work back up to doing pull ups in a way that recruits the lats by doing
Assisted pull ups
lat pulls downs
One arm lat pull down machine
Rack chins
I like the rack chin option personally…nice smooth motion up with head and chest up, with a slow-ish negative. Look on youtube for demonstrations.
The lats need to be stronger and engaged for the pull up to be a good lat exercise.
Also, ask yourself whether you want your lats to be bigger or whether you just want to get better at pull-ups. If it’s the former, then just do the exercises I listed instead and see if they work.
are you asking how to engage your lats more during the exercise (instead of biceps)… or just more pullup variations?
[quote]Der Candy wrote:
are you asking how to engage your lats more during the exercise (instead of biceps)… or just more pullup variations?[/quote]
How to engage my lats more
i have found i feel it more in my lats when i do a supinated grip (palms facing you-chin up).
also, try pulling with your lats instead of through your hands. that makes little sense, but if you can derive from it what i mean, it helps with the whole mind-muscle connection…
[quote]AccipiterQ wrote:
Der Candy wrote:
are you asking how to engage your lats more during the exercise (instead of biceps)… or just more pullup variations?
How to engage my lats more[/quote]
If you skooch forward as much as possible so you are almost in front of the handles on the pull-down bar.
Oh wait you said pull-ups, my bad. In that case trying to lean your body forward so you are pulling at a slight angle…sorry this is hard to explain
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Pull with your back first then pull up, If you really want to hit it hold your shoulders back throughout the set. Most people don’t think about it and just start pulling up, which I’ve noticed works biceps more.
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you can start changing up your body position angles.
I dont think of it as pulling myself up, more along the lines of “Pulling my upper arms into my body”.
- Chest up and directly under the bar
- Shallow arch throughout the back
- Keep the elbows out
- ???
- Profit!
I try to think of my arms as simply ‘hooks’, and concentrate on pulling them into my body, like Goodfellow said.
Although you should experiment anyways, ellbows out is not a good idea, as it takes away lat activation.
Instead, imagine you’re ellbowing someone like in a bad martial art movie. You’re basically hitting with the point of the ellbow downwards. Try to focus on the ellbow pushing down.
Really? It’s worked well for me in the past. I do tend to be torso-dominant, so that might be why…
arch your back and puff chest out for a start.
It depends on your body structure, weight and how weight is distributed honestly. Maybe do assisted pullups while you play around with hand spacing and torso position etc.
you need to go to a dead hang/full stretch usually and initiate the movement with your lats…etc etc etc
Try rack chins instead if BBing is your goal. Pulldowns are always useful too.
Perfect.
[quote]trextacy wrote:
Also, ask yourself whether you want your lats to be bigger or whether you just want to get better at pull-ups. [/quote]
I find that trying to lean back slightly (maybe a 10-15 degree angle) is superior to straight up and down. And at the top of the rep, really clench the rhomboids together, like you’re trying to pinch a pencil between them, and squeeze. this should be while your CHEST is touching the bar. Don’t just aim for your chin over the bar…
Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve noticed better lat activation when I do pull-ups (or rows) with a suicide grip.
[quote]ctschneider wrote:
Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve noticed better lat activation when I do pull-ups (or rows) with a suicide grip.[/quote]
Not just you.
200 pullups a day, every day, for 4 weeks
[quote]Standard Donkey wrote:
200 pullups a day, every day, for 4 weeks[/quote]
I don’t know, man. That would just get you TOO huge. 
[quote]Standard Donkey wrote:
200 pullups a day, every day, for 4 weeks[/quote]
It got my back wider than Ronnie Coleman’s…the pic in my avatar was the before shot. I would have an after shot, but my camera broke.