Lat Stretch

The lat stretch is a static mobility drill for the sides of your back and your shoulders. It targets the lats and gives the shoulders more room to move overhead.

Set up facing a rack, doorway, or sturdy object you can hold. Hinge at the hips and fold forward until your torso is roughly parallel to the floor. Grip the support with both hands, arms straight, and let your head drop between your arms.

From your setup, reach your arms long and sink your chest toward the floor. Keep a soft bend in the knees if that feels better. You should feel a stretch along the sides of your back and into the shoulders. Hold the position for 30 to 60 seconds per side.

Breathe slowly into the side of your ribs. To make it easier, bend the knees more or lower the hands. To make it harder, sink the chest lower or take the hands higher.

Fault: Rounding only the upper back without moving the hips back. Fix: Push your hips back and reach your arms forward so the stretch comes from the lats, not just the upper back.

Fault: Holding the breath and tensing up. Fix: Breathe into the side of your ribs on each inhale, and let the chest sink a little lower with each slow exhale.

Fault: Bending the elbows and shrugging the shoulders. Fix: Keep the arms straight and let the shoulders relax away from the ears as you reach long and sink the chest.