The latissimus dorsi (lat) is a shoulder muscle that connects the shoulder all the way to the hip! It attaches from the humerus to the scapula, ribs, into the spine and hip. It’s a massive mover.
Lat is active anytime you bring your arms toward your body from superior or anterior positions. On some people you can see this muscle on the sides of the body just below the armit, especially on swimmers. Every time the arm goes forward in a front crawl and pulls back through the water lat is working.
Keep reading to learn about lat’s role in Pilates, Yoga, Exercise, Stretching and Massage Therapy.
Drawing Latissimus Dorsi (Lat)
To visualize the latissimus dorsi muscle in 3-D on a real body, draw it on yourself or a partner. Here’s a video on how to. So simple, anyone can! Get a washable marker or paint.
I hope you enjoy the music as much as I do :)
Uniqueness about latissimus dorsi
Lat brings the arms to the sides. It is likely involved in spinal movements in addition to it’s role at the shoulder. Sidebend, torso rotation, spinal extension.
Origin: Inferior scapula, last 3-4 ribs, thoracolumbar fascia, iliac crest
Insertion: Intertubercular groove of humerus
Actions: Depress, abduct and downwardly rotate the scapula at the scapulothoracic (ST) joint, assist to elevate the thorax during forced inhalation
Source: Trail Guide to the Body
latissimus dorsi in Yoga
Anytime the body is being supported by the arms anterior from the body, the lat is working: Plank, Downward-Facing Dog, Cobra, Crow, Rooster.…
latissimus dorsi in Pilates
The same for Pilates, when the arms need support in front or for anchoring into scapular depression, pec minor is there. Planks, The Hundred, Single Leg Stretch, Spine Stretch Forward…
latissimus dorsi Exercises
Common movements in the gym to strengthen latissimus dorsi are pull ups, lat pull downs, lateral adduction with a cable and planks.
latissimus dorsi Stretching
Bringing the arm away from the body in the frontal plane of motion and shoulder flexion are two great ways to stretch. We see this with backbends in yoga and positions such as side-angle with a reach or mountain pose. Lot’s of great lat release in yoga! Deltoid is a direct antagonist to lat, so when strengthening this muscle you get a natural relaxation response for lat through reciprocal inhibition.
latissimus dorsi Massage
Following the fiber direction of latissimus dorsi helps to get specific with releasing this muscle. It is superficial to the erector spinae so it’s fairly easy to access, yet knowing origin, insertion and fiber direction is always key with locating muscles in massage therapy.
If you want to learn more about lat and all the ways to work with this muscle, check out one of my Integrative Anatomy CE courses. Live workshops in person and online are available and the online course you can take anytime at your own pace. I’ve been teaching anatomy for almost 20 years and I still learn something new and fun every time I explore it!
