blasting the lats

[Backlash]

Deads won't do crap for your lats. You should do them anyway, but don't make them a chief lat movement if lats are your focus.

I agree. They're not really a pulling motion at all, your arms should hang down (or you could tear a bicep), right?. They will make your back bigger, though, since they build up your erectors nicely.

 

[Dave949]

Your lats are working big time when doing deads. They may not be contracting as far as ROM but they are without a doubt contracting statically. It is your lats contracting statically that are keeping your shoulders and arms from ripping out of your torso when you are lifting the weight off the floor and the stronger you get in the deadlift the STRONGER and BIGGER your lats have to get to COMPENSATE. But don`t take my word for it. Next time your doing deads reach down and grab the bar with just one hand and try to lift the bar and with the other hand reach under and around your torso and feel the lat on the side you are trying to lift the bar with. It will be hard as a rock and a hard muscle is a muscle that is contracting.

 

[casualbb]

Would you do overhead presses for abs? No. Same reason you don't do deadlifts for lats: there's no load. No weight is being applied to the muscle.

A muscle contracting is NOT a sufficient condition for growth; it must lengthen under load. Lats neither lengthen nor are loaded during a deadlift.

 

[Dave949]

you don't do deadlifts for lats:

I humbly and respectfully disagree bb.

For the sake of a healthy debate, let me lay a hypothetical on you.

Lets say we have a 20 year old average size male who never lifted weights in his entire life.

Lets say he is 5` 9" and weighs 160 lbs. He is put on a weight lifting routine consisting of JUST DEADLIFTS. No other exercises are done what so ever. Just deads.

His workouts are every 5th day. His workout intensities are occasionally cycled to avoid overtraining. No AAS are used (sorry guys).

It is based on progressive poundages utilizing a pyramid rep scheme. Any time he is able to increase his training poundages (load) he does so.

After one complete year would you say there would be NO INCREASE in the size of his lats ?

 

[JOKER47]

Would you do overhead presses for abs? No. Same reason you don't do deadlifts for lats: there's no load. No weight is being applied to the muscle.

A muscle contracting is NOT a sufficient condition for growth; it must lengthen under load. Lats neither lengthen nor are loaded during a deadlift.

Just for the sake of argument on your "no load" statement, try some HEAVY zercher squats and tell me how your abs feel. I think you will be surprised at how hard your abs work with "No load".

I don't always, but have occasionally have had my lats become very sore from heavy deads. (I know soreness doesn't equate to growth, but that not my point.)

Note: This is not a smart-ass post. I am dead serious. (If it WAS a smart-ass post, you would know it.)

BTW, I wouldn't do OHP's for abs, but I WOULD do them for upper and lower back. (Standing OHP, that is.)


Carry on..........

 

[BOOEY]

I humbly and respectfully disagree bb.

For the sake of a healthy debate, let me lay a hypothetical on you.

Lets say we have a 20 year old average size male who never lifted weights in his entire life.

Lets say he is 5` 9" and weighs 160 lbs. He is put on a weight lifting routine consisting of JUST DEADLIFTS. No other exercises are done what so ever. Just deads.

His workouts are every 5th day. His workout intensities are occasionally cycled to avoid overtraining. No AAS are used (sorry guys).

It is based on progressive poundages utilizing a pyramid rep scheme. Any time he is able to increase his training poundages (load) he does so.

After one complete year would you say there would be NO INCREASE in the size of his lats ?

I agree, you would see some growth in his lats. But let's say he also incorporated a pulling down exercise; his lats would be a lot bigger/stronger. I think the point casualbb was trying to make was that deadlifts alone do not provide sufficient growth for the lats. Other exercises are needed.

 

[Dave949]

II think the point casualbb was trying to make was that deadlifts alone do not provide sufficient growth for the lats.

And the point I am making is the statement that deads don`t do "crap" for your lats is
(no disrespect intended) a bunch of CRAP.

Peace Bro

 

[casualbb]

Well that's your opinion buddy and you're entitled to it. As long as you also do some sort of pulldown it's all a moot point anyway.

 

[Debaser]

Also one is going to have a hard time empyrically proving deadlifts for lat efficacy, since I don't know a single person who deadlifts but does no form of rowing or pullup/pulldown.

I agree with casualbb for the most part. I won't say that your lats wouldn't grow PERIOD, but their growth would be laughable compared to the direct stimulation of a pulldown. By the same token, biceps also play a stabilization role in the deadlift, but they're not going to be stressed as much as in, say, a supinated pullup or barbell curl.

 

[Dave949]

Also one is going to have a hard time empyrically proving deadlifts for lat efficacy, since I don't know a single person who deadlifts but does no form of rowing or pullup/pulldown.

I totally agree and understand. I was not attempting to COMPARE pulldowns, chins or rows to deadlifts. Of course deads will not engage the lats nearly as much as chins or rows but to claim the deads will have (no) effect on the lats what so ever was my point of contention.