The front and rear lat spreads are the two most difficult compulsory bodybuilding poses.
The front and rear lat spreads, in my opinion, are the two most difficult compulsory bodybuilding poses to master. They require great awareness and flexibility.
The attached video (Quicktime, 0.8 MB; Google Video, no download) shows me entering and holding the front lat spread. As I enter the pose I begin by bending my knees slightly. This allows me to fully flex my legs. To accomplish this I simply "separate" the floor using only my feet. This creates a very strong contraction through both legs (it also really elevates the heart rate). After my legs are set I can concentrate on the upper half ot the pose.
I enter the second half of the pose by sweeping my arms over my head in a circular motion. I start with my arms in front of my body and then bring them up over my head. As I bring my arms back down they should be behind my torso. As my hands approach waist level I hook my thumbs into my side and curl my fingers into a fist. At this point my palms should face the floor and my elbows should be pulled forward. I also make sure that my shoulders are not elevated (shrugged).
Pulling the elbows forward and achieving a complete lat spread are the most difficult points in this pose. This pose emphasizes chest, shoulders abs, legs and of course, lats and the width of the back.
Additional Links
- For further explanation on the front lat spread read this article.
- Did you know that at one point in time women were not required to do the lat spreads?
