Lats are the largest and relatively thin muscles in the human body. They originate from the scapula & spinous parts of the vertebrae. These muscles wrap nearly the entire back muscles of the posterior torso. But remember- Trapezius muscles are not covered.
Some people have confused about the lats and the insertions. That’s why I am here with a comparison of high vs low lat insertions.
High lat insertion makes a wide upper back and a steeper v taper. Low lat insertion makes a full triangle shape with thicker arms. In high lat, the Thoracolumbar Fascia is larger so the Latissimus Dorsi is much shorter. In low lat, the lower back looks like a Cobra hood giving a powerful physique.
You will learn the differences and similarities between the two muscles here. You will also learn how you can grow them. So, stay till the end.
High vs Low Lat Insertions
Both high and low lat insertions determine the overall growth of your back. There are differences and some similarities between the two. You should know about them if you want the insertions to be successful.
Let’s start with differences.
Placement & Posture
Most people don’t know where are lats present.
The thoracic spine (T7) and lumbar spine (T5) make up the lower lats. The Lower lats insert into the upper arm bones, which produce shoulder and arm motions. Contrarily, High lats are far from the lower back.
The physique with the best lower lat development gives your back a Cobra Hood look. High lats do insertions far away from lower lats. This makes the backs of the people look like they are wider than normal.
Difference Of Growth Due to Insertions
For thicker lower lats, a combination of workouts such as pulling and rowing is necessary. The lower big lat is the indication of muscle strength.
However, with high lat insertions, your latissimus dorsi muscles will not develop larger. You’ll have a much larger Thoracolumbar Fascia. It means your lower back would be thinner.
Difference Between Exercises For Building The Muscles
Experts usually does good vs bad lat insertions. To grow these muscles, you should do specific exercises (described later). But they are different for low and high lats.
Here are the exercises’ differences:
How to Build Low Lat Insertion?
Bodybuilders often search, are low lats insertions good? Well, yes, if you want your back to look stronger.
For low lat insertion, you should follow a workout routine. You may do bent-over stretching, dumbbell exercises, cable row stretches, etc.
Doing back exercises is useful to get the lower lats. However, some precise workouts will certainly help you out as lower lat insertions. During these workouts, always arch your back and push your chest out.
Moreover, lower lats buildup is lenient if you have short tendons with long muscle paunch.
You should do the below movements focusing on strengthening the lower lats. These types of lat movements lessen the stretching of the biceps and forearms. In this, there’s less elbow flexibility.
Due to this, your lats have to pull down more weight. Therefore, this exercise helps to strengthen the lower lats more than the higher lats.
A wide grip of lats will improve the expansion of your back and shoulders. Some lat exercises you can do to build lower lats are:
- Chin-ups
- Pull-in
- Ring pull-ups
- Seated Banded Row
- One arm dumbbell
- Close grip T-bar rows
- Wide grip lat pulldown
- Hammer Strength Machine-one arm rows
You might now be wondering- Do push-ups help for the Low Lat?
Nope, push-ups don’t develop low or high lat. Latissimus dorsi muscles need movement towards the lower back. While push-up workouts just strengthen the chest muscles.
How to Build a High Lat Insertion?
People often ask, Are Big lats genetics?
Yes, high lats are genetically developed into your body. You can’t do anything to change your high lats into low lats.
However, you can still work on them to look muscular.
You only need specific effective lat exercises instead of doing multiple workouts. Remember, the buildup of your lats is directly bound to the strength of your muscles.
But once you start the workout, don’t give up until you get your desired results. You may adopt a combination of vertical & horizontal pulling workouts. These are definitely effective for the upper wider back (high lats).
These were the differences between the higher and lower lats. There are some things these two muscles have in common.
Common Stretches to Tighten & Strengthen Your Lats
The latissimus dorsi muscles provide shoulder & back strength. These muscles also protect your spine from injuries. Therefore, strengthening your lats is essential to building muscles. Plus, the spine is also strengthened.
The best way to warm up these muscles is through stretches. Here are some of the simplest & effective lat stretches that you can practice every day.
- Active floor stretch
Sit on the floor at the knee position and place your forearms along the floor. Insert your weight onto the right arm and stretch the left arm. Hold this posture for a moment, then return to the initial position. Repeat this stretch ten times and do this on the left side.
- Foam rolling
Foam rolling is one of the easiest workout stretches. You’ll have to get a foam roller to do this exercise. Put this roller on the ground, and lay down on it at your right angle. Restrain your right arm straight and left arm bent. Now roll back and forth slowly with the above posture.
Continue this posture for one minute and repeat on the contrary side.
- Practice ball stretch
Get an exercise ball and place it on the floor. Squat on your knees on the ground and keep your hands on the ball. Make sure you are in such a direction that your arms would be straight.
Roll the ball by stretching your arms and pulling down your whole upper body. Hold this posture for 30 seconds. You may also do this workout to stretch your belly fat.
- Wall press
Stand about two feet away from the wall, confronting it. Bend forth and put your palms on the wall by tightening your limbs and back muscles. You can also do a dumbbell press or bench press.
Stay with this posture for one minute and reiterate it at least ten times.
- Yoga stretches
You should adopt a simple yoga routine to strengthen your lats. It’s pretty much clear that yoga poses help ease stress, pain, anxiety, and panic attacks. You may do an upward salute stretch, eagle pose, and simple squat pose.
You can also do an Upward Salute Posture. For this, stand straight and lift both arms upward. Then, unite them above your head vertical. This posture amazingly helps you to keep your spine relaxed.
You may also practice the eagle pose to strengthen your lats and spine.
- Backbending stretch
The back bending pose is also known as the upward-facing dog posture. Lay down on your paunch on the floor by stretching your legs straight. Now bend your arms beside your waist by placing your palms on the floor.
Breathe and raise your upper torso off the floor while straightening up your arms. Repeat this posture 10-15 times.
Diet is The Same for Effective Lat Insertions
Intake of the right food is essential for lats growth. Doing workouts only won’t be that effective if you don’t take care of the diet. Diet including grains, fruits, vegetables, and fibers is essential to get stronger lats.
Daily, you must take the specific grams of protein per pound of your body weight. Protein has a significant role in the development and strengthening of body muscles.
Generally, experts recommend pulse as a pre-workout diet. It enhances energy level, improves stamina, and increases body strength.
Get advice from a dietician and follow the diet plan given. You can have pre workouts like acg3 or c4 when doing exercises.
Follow The Same Precautions While Working On These Lats
Following the precautions is crucial for smoothly developing lats. You must avoid lifting the heavyweight improperly because you get an injury.
Moreover, you should acquaint your lats for insertion twice or thrice a week. Don’t assume stronger muscles don’t need any workouts or exercises. Your muscles just grow stronger when you train them, Not when you rest them.
Never do any workout forcefully that causes distress or back pain. Always do those stretches for which your muscles are affluent. Here are some of the best exercises for back development, body strength, and buildup.
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FAQs
What is the largest upper human body muscle?
Latissimus dorsi is the largest muscle in the upper human body. The Latissimus dorsi is commonly known as lats.
Can we switch between the High & Low lat insertions?
No, you can’t switch between High Lat and Low Lat insertions. You can struggle with what you have received from your genetics. So, try hard to build up the lat that you already possess.
How to get low lat insertion fast?
Pull-in is the best workout for low lat development faster. Other exercises, stretches, diet, and precautions you follow also help.
Final Words
Knowing all about lats is important if you want to look muscular. People generally know the low and high lats names only. But knowing about their comparison is what makes the workout journey easy. That’s why I did High vs Low lat insertions.
The differences between the two lats are clearly visible. These differences make the muscles react differently to insertions. Also, the exercises described above are super important for stronger back muscles.
Know you know everything to make your back look muscular.
