Here’s a little lower Lat / Upper Lat combo intended for mass and an accessory to improve deadlift strength
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The first exercise is a Straight Arm Pulldown while in a bent over position that once the Lats are squeezed will mimic the range of motion in a conventional deadlift when the barbell begins to pass the knees
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At this point in a conventional deadlift it’s extremely important to “pull the bar into you” with your Lats ensuring the bar stays as close as possible to the body
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So, to emphasize that specific component, once I complete the Straight Arm Pulldown, I push up with my quads and squeeze my glutes pushing my hips forward towards my hands, mimicking the lock out of a deadlift
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Due to the direction of the cables there is no resistance to the leg involvement of the lock out in this exercise, but, it does emphasize the Lats flexing even harder to keep the hands close to the body as the body raises to an upright position
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With that hip movement if the Lats were to just statically hold the weight at the initial position when by the knees the hands would drift out away from the body while standing up, so, by adding that leg motion it forces the Lats to squeeze harder increasing the strength stimulus and better mimicking the active positioning of the Lats during the deadlift
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I superset these with Lats Pulldowns with a Wide Overhand Grip and only squeezing the top 3/4 of the pull so the focus remains on the top part of the Lats, right under the armpits
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This hits the top part of the Lats and when paired with the first exercise will target the Lats from top to bottom
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If you’re looking for the same concept, mass + strength accessory for the Lats, this may be a fun combination to try out
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