There's quite a bit of disagreement regarding the importance of strong lats for the bench press. Some lifters say lats are the primary muscle groups necessary for a strong bench press; others believe they don't matter at all. What's the answer?
For this week's Table Talk, Dave responds to the following question from Instagram user stoney2: What do you recommend for movement and sets/reps to build up the lats for the raw bench press?
Dave's first response is to make sure you know for a fact that your lats are weak and that is what's holding back your bench press. Most of the time, the solution is technical. So first make sure that your technique is on point.
RECENT: The Education of a Powerlifter
The primary function of the lats in the bench press is to help a lifter stay tight, stabilize the load, and control the eccentric. If you don't know how to keep your lats and upper back tight, it doesn't matter how strong they are. If your body position isn't correct for yourself and your technique, you aren't going to actually know whether or not your lats are the problem.
That said, if you do know that your lats are weak, Dave has several recommendations. You need to do rows in the same plane as your bench motion. You need to pull with your elbows (not your hands or biceps) and make sure you're contracting your lats on every rep. You need to do vertical pulls. You need to work your traps.
In addition to that, Dave also shares several cues to help with back tightness and lat use in the bench press:
- Pull your shoulder blades together.
- Put your shoulders in your back pocket.
- Bend the bar.
- Pull the bar apart.
WATCH: Table Talk — The Early Days
