Last updated September 2026
I talk to people all the time who can’t build a big back. They can’t understand why their lats won’t grow despite all the wide-grip pull-ups they do. Sure, their biceps are growing, but they want a V-taper.
I mean, the muscle magazine said the best way to build lats is wide-grip pull-ups.
What gives?
I’m going to share something I learned training clients years ago, back at the Tallahassee Gold’s. This tip changed the way I approach every back exercise.
This article is going to tell you how to build wings.
How to grow your lats: the short version
- Set your shoulders on every rep. Start each pull by pulling your shoulder blades down, not by bending your elbows.
- Use a full range of motion. Let your lats fully stretch at the top of every rep.
- Pick lat-friendly exercises: pulldowns, pull-ups, one-arm cable rows and dumbbell rows.
- Don’t obsess over grip width. Wide grips don’t magically make wider lats.
- Do enough work: roughly 10 or more hard sets for your back each week, adding weight or reps over time.
What your lats actually do
Your latissimus dorsi are the biggest muscles in your upper body. They run from your lower and mid back up into the front of your upper arm. Their main jobs are pulling your arm down and back toward your body and pulling your shoulder blades down.
That’s why any exercise where you pull your elbows down (pulldowns, pull-ups) or back toward your hips (rows) can train your lats. And it’s why the way you start each pull matters so much.
Two parts of every pull: shoulders and arms
The most important thing a novice lifter can learn is how to set their shoulders. Some people call it “packing the shoulder.” Others call it “proud chest.” Whatever you call it, it’s an important skill in every single exercise you do.
Setting the shoulder means pulling your shoulder blades down and back and engaging your lats to make the shoulder joint stable and strong. You can (and should) do this from any arm position.
Watch the video below to learn this skill, and practice it.
The second part of any pulling exercise is the arms.
If you’re reading this, you probably already do this part well, and that’s exactly why your lats won’t grow. If you only set your shoulders on the first rep, then just bend your arms for the rest of the set, you’re skipping the part of the lift that grows your lats.
Set the shoulders, grow the lats
That setting motion is what actually builds big, strong lats.
On pulling exercises, every rep should start with your lats going from relaxed and stretched to fully engaged, and end with them relaxing and stretching again before the next rep.
In every other exercise, your lats should stay engaged the whole time. That goes for squats, deadlifts, bench presses, tricep pushdowns, Romanian deadlifts and more.
Back exercises are your chance to build the muscles responsible for setting the shoulder, namely the lats.
Isolate your lats
Once you know how to set your shoulders with no weight (because you’ve watched the video above and practiced it many times), it’s time to strengthen that motion.
If you’ve been training a while without setting your lats on each rep of your pulling exercises, you’ll need to help them catch up.
The best way to do that is the reverse shrug, a lat isolation exercise.
Relearn to pull
Now that you know what setting the shoulder is and you’ve strengthened the pattern, it’s time to build it into your pulling exercises.
The first exercise we teach clients learning vertical pulls is the neutral-grip pulldown. Start every rep by pulling your shoulder blades down, then drive your elbows down toward your back pockets.
And about that wide-grip pull-up advice: when researchers compared narrow, medium and wide grips on the lat pulldown, lat activation was similar across all three. Use whatever grip lets you get the best stretch and the strongest pull.
If you’re looking for even more exercises, read The 6 Best Vertical Pulling Exercises.
My favorite lat builder
The best lat builder I know of is the one-arm cable row. It lets you put the lat through an enormous range of motion while still using a heavy load. Check it out:
If you need more mid-back work, read The 6 Best Horizontal Pulling Exercises.
How much lat training do you need?
Technique gets the right muscle working. Volume and progression make it grow. Research shows a dose-response relationship between weekly sets and muscle growth, so more hard sets (up to a point) means more growth.
| Sample week | Exercise | Sets x reps |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Neutral-grip pulldown | 3 x 8–12 |
| Day 1 | One-arm cable row | 3 x 10–15 each side |
| Day 2 | Pull-up (or assisted pull-up) | 3 x 5–10 |
| Day 2 | Chest-supported dumbbell row | 3 x 8–12 |
| Warm-up, both days | Reverse shrug | 2 x 10–15 |
Take most sets to within a rep or two of failure, and add a little weight or a rep or two whenever you can.
Coach’s tip
If you feel back exercises mostly in your biceps, think about your hands as hooks and pull with your elbows. Start every rep by pulling your shoulder blades down an inch before your arms bend at all.
Now go grow
That’s it. That’s the secret. You might have to lower the weights while you reprogram your pulls, but I promise it’s worth it.
Your lats will thank you.
Your deadlifts will thank you.
Frequently asked questions
Do wide-grip pull-ups build wider lats?
Not really. Grip width makes little difference to how hard your lats work. Wider lats come from bigger lats, and bigger lats come from good technique, full range of motion and enough weekly sets.
How long does it take to grow your lats?
Most people notice changes in their back within 8 to 12 weeks of consistent training, with bigger changes over months and years.
What’s the difference between lat width and back thickness?
Width comes mostly from your lats and shows up from the front and back. Thickness comes from your lats plus your traps, rhomboids and spinal erectors, and shows from the side. Pulldowns and pull-ups lean toward width. Rows lean toward thickness. Do both.
Can you train lats every day?
You don’t need to. Two or three back sessions a week, spread out, is plenty for most people to recover and grow.
Get a program
Check out The Seriously Strong Beginner Program and The Seriously Strong Intermediate Program. We’ve built the best program for your skill level.
Download The Seriously Strong Beginner Program Download The Seriously Strong Intermediate ProgramWant a coach to teach you to feel your lats working? Book a free strategy session at our Tallahassee, St. Petersburg, or Tampa gym.
More exercise guides: browse the full Exercise Library.