8 Best Lat Exercises With Dumbbells (Have a Thicker Back)

The single-arm dumbbell row is among the most functional dumbbell lat exercises.

It follows the same movement pattern and effectively targets your lats, traps, rear delts, and bicep muscle. It's also great for improving unilateral strength and balance.

How to Perform a Single-Arm Dumbbell Row

1. Pick one dumbbell of appropriate weight and hold it in your right arm. Ensure you can perform between 6-8 repetitions of this exercise.
2. Find at least 1 square meter of free space and assume a standing position with your feet shoulder-width apart.
3. Bend your torso forward, so it becomes parallel to the floor while maintaining slight flexion in your knee joint.
4. Start the exercise by rowing with your right hand towards your hips while maintaining elbow flexion of 90 degrees.
5. When the dumbbell reaches the hip level, hold that position in isometric contraction for one second.
6. Reverse the whole range of motion to return to the starting position.
7. After you finish up to 8 repetitions, switch the working arm.

3. Dead-Stop Dumbbell Row

The dead-stop incline dumbbell row is a variation of the traditional bent-over row, perfect for more athletic endeavors.

It is among themost dumbbell lat exercises for building explosive strength in your lats, traps, and rear delts, so you can punch faster, throw the ball further, and similar.

How to Perform a Dead-Stop Dumbbell Row

1. Find a dumbbell of appropriate size and hold it in your right hand. Make sure you can perform up to 4 or 5 repetitions with each hand.
2. Place a flat bench in front of you and your left or non-working arm on it to support your body weight.
3. Your body should be parallel to the ground, your left arm on the bench, and your feet shoulder-width apart with your knees flexed slightly less than 180 degrees.
4. Start the exercise by rowing the dumbbell from the floor to your hip level.
5. Immediately put the dumbbell back on the floor without stopping and repeat the same process.

The cross-bench dumbbell pullover is an excellent and functional exercise that builds stability in your core and lower body.

It is one of the most effective dumbbell lat exercises for isolating the latissimus dorsi.

How to Perform a Cross-Bench Dumbbell Pullover

1. Pick a dumbbell in both hands to perform at least 8 repetitions.
2. Place a flat bench behind you and lie with your shoulder blades on it, so your head hangs off the bench.
3. Bring your hips up in the bridge position while holding the dumbbell with both your hands right above your chest (elbows fully extended),
4. Start the exercise by lowering the dumbbell behind your head while extending your elbows fully.
5. When the dumbbell reaches the line of the bench, return to the starting position by reversing the whole movement.

Also Read: How To Do Dumbbell Pullover Properly

5. Kroc Row

The Kroc row is a variation of a single-arm dumbbell row. The exercise is performed in a split stance, and your non-working arm supports your body weight by being placed on an elevated surface, for example, a bench.

How to Perform a Kroc Row

1. Pick a dumbbell of appropriate size in your right hand and find a flat bench or a plyo box at least the height of your hips.
2. Put your non-working arm on the box, bend your torso forward, so it is almost parallel to the floor, and place your feet shoulder-width apart while maintaining your knees slightly flexed.
3. Start the exercise by working the dumbbell with your right hand towards your hip.
4. When you reach the hip level, hold for one second and slowly return to the starting position by flexing your shoulder and extending your elbow.

The three-point dumbbell row is a single-arm row variation where your non-working arm supports your body weight, and your feet remain parallel.

It is one of the most effective dumbbell lat exercises for building your lats and strength in your pull movement pattern.

How to Perform a Three-Point Dumbbell Row

1. Find a dumbbell of the appropriate size to complete at least 8 repetitions.
2. Place your non-working arm on the bench or a ply box at the height of your hips and keep your feet shoulder-width apart and parallel while maintaining your knees flexed.
3. Start the exercise by rowing the dumbbell with your working arm towards your hips while maintaining your elbows’ angle at 90 degrees during the mid and end portion of the exercise.
4. When the dumbbell reaches the level of your right hip, hold the position for a second and then return to the starting position by extending your elbows and flexing your shoulders.

7. Bird Dog Row

The bird dog row is one of my favorite rowing dumbbell lat exercises since it requires enormous stability in your core.

It will effectively build your lats, traps, rear delts, and bicep while also improving the function of your core musculature. It is similar to a renegade row but better for building a more stable trunk.

How to Perform a Bird Dog Row

1. Pick a dumbbell of slightly lighter weight than usual and find a flat bench.
2. Assume kneeling with your left leg on the flat bench and keep the dumbbell in your left arm.
3. Your right hand should support your body weight by being placed on the bench, and your right leg should be fully extended in the air and parallel to the floor.
4. Start the exercise by inhaling, bracing your core, and rowing the dumbbell to your left hip.
5. When you reach the level of your hips, hold the position for one or two seconds, and then reverse the whole motion to return to the starting position.

The bench-supported dumbbell row is the easiest way to isolate lats.

You can focus on only contracting your lats since the bench will provide enough stability to not spend extra energy on keeping your body balanced.

How to Perform a Bench-Supported Dumbbell Row

1. Pick two dumbbells of the appropriate size and find an adjustable bench. Set the inclination of an adjustable bench to a height that will be enough to row the dumbbells without them touching the ground.
2. Lie on the adjustable bench on your stomach and keep your feet on the ground to provide additional support and enable you to isolate necessary muscles. Also, keep your arms straight and pointing towards the floor.
3. Start the exercise by rowing the dumbbells towards your hips to isolate lats and ensure to squeeze your shoulder blades at the top portion of the movement.
4. When the dumbbells reach the level of your hips, begin the eccentric phase by lowering them toward the ground, extending your elbows, and flexing your shoulder.

To progress your lat training, you must implement the principle of progressive overload into your workout sessions.

Progressive overload means increasing the weight, reps, or sets from session to session to ensure your lat muscles adapt to external stressors.

For endurance, the best way to progress your dumbbell lat exercises is to complete more than 12 repetitions for as many sets as possible and rest as little between the sets [1].

For hypertrophy, the best way to progress your upper lat exercises is to stay in a rep range between 6-12, do 3-4 sets, and rest no more than 90 seconds between the working sets [2].

For strength, it is recommended to do as little as 1 and as much as 5 repetitions for up to 4 sets of your dumbbell lat pullovers exercises and rest for more than 2 minutes between the working sets [3].

For power, you may complete as little as 1 to 3 repetitions for 3 sets and rest as much as you need to repeat the same effort.

"When we want those wings, we have to train into a pretty serious stretch. We need to train using a heavier load, especially when performing pull-ups."

- Dane Miller, Owner & Founder of Garage Strength Sports Performance