14 Best Dumbbell Lat Exercises and Workouts to Build Muscle

Latissimus Dorsi (Lats) are thicker, larger, and v-shaped muscles on the back, which are spread from shoulder to waist.

They provide stability to your upper body, especially the spine, and are involved in various activities, from lifting objects from the ground to pulling weight from height.

Strong and wider lats enhance overall strength and improve upper body aesthetics.

In this article, I’ll show you how to build broader lats using dumbbells.

Take a quick look at the best dumbbell exercises that will help you train your lats from different angles and build a strong back without cables, bands, machines, or a pull-up bar.

1. Unilateral Row
2. Bent Over Row
3. Pullover
4. 45-Degree Incline Row
5. Dumbbell Deadlift
6. Incline Plank Row
7. Superman Row
8. Alternate Gorilla Row
9. Renegade Row
10. Pendlay Row
11. Yates Row 
12. Seal Row
13. Staggered Stance Row
14. Incline Reverse Superman

Below, I’ll show you how to perform each exercise step-by-step and explain their benefits.

These exercises are great for those who train at home with limited equipment.

Can You Build Your Lats with Dumbbells Only?

Benefits of Training Lats with Dumbbells:

1. Usability: The dumbbells are easy to grip, provide a full range of motion, and allow you to target your lats from multiple angles.

2. Variety of Exercises: You can perform compound and isolation exercises for the lats with dumbbells. Compound exercises, such as the deadlift, pullover, and bent-over row, help build strong and beefy lats, while isolation exercises, such as single-arm rows, chest-supported rows, and Gorilla rows, help improve muscle definition.

3. Mechanical and Metabolic Overload: Dumbbells, like machines and barbells, provide two types of overload (mechanical and metabolic) that lead to muscle gain. Mechanical overload is triggered by muscle contractions, which stimulate the repair process and lead to hypertrophy. Metabolic overload happens when you train your muscles until fatigue, leading to the adaptation of muscle cells to store more energy, which can increase muscle mass.¹ 5 Benefits of Dumbbell Training – Pete Call, 2015, American Council of Exercise (ACE), ²Krzysztofik M, Wilk M, Wojdała G, Gołaś A. Maximizing Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review of Advanced Resistance Training Techniques and Methods. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Dec 4;16(24):4897. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16244897. PMID: 31817252; PMCID: PMC6950543.

4. Unilateral Exercises: Dumbbells also allow you to perform unilateral lat exercises, using one arm at a time, such as single-arm row and renegade row. These exercises allow you to focus more on the weaker side of the back and help correct strength imbalance and muscular symmetry.

Dumbbells are effective for growing your lats at home. However, those who train in the gym should focus more on pull-ups, chin-ups, seated rows, and pulldown exercises for maximum muscle gain.

The 14 Best Dumbbell Lat Exercises to Build a Strong Back at Home

1. Unilateral Row

The unilateral row allows you to work on each side of the lat individually, helps you focus more on the inferior muscle, and builds a broad and symmetrical back.³ Mannarino P, Matta T, Lima J, Simão R, Freitas de Salles B. Single-joint exercise results in higher hypertrophy of elbow flexors than multijoint exercise. J Strength Cond Res. 2021;35(10):2677-2681. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000003234

Steps to perform a Unilateral Row:

1. Grab a dumbbell in your right hand, and place your left knee on a flat or incline bench. And put your right foot firmly on the ground beside the bench.
2. Keep your left arm straight on the bench and hold your right arm straight underneath your shoulder. That’s your starting position.
3. Bringing your elbow at your side, pull the dumbbell until it reaches chest level.
4. Hold for a second, then lower it to start. That’s one rep.

How You Can Make it Effective

• Keep your core tight throughout the movement.
• Squeeze your shoulder blades when you pull the dumbbell.
• Drive your elbow back and avoid flexing your wrist while pulling the dumbbell.

2. Dumbbell Bent Over Row

The bent-over row is a popular muscle-building back exercise that highly activates lats and helps increase muscle mass.⁴ Best Back Exercises by Holly Edelburg, B.S., John P. Porcari, Ph.D., Clayton Camic, Ph.D., Attila Kovacs, Ph.D., and Carl Foster, Ph.D., with Daniel J. Green – American Council of Exercise

It also works on the lower back, upper back, and abdominal muscles and helps promote spinal stability.⁵ National Academy of Sports Medicine. Three awesome row exercise variations.

Steps to Do a Bent-over Row:

1. Grab one dumbbell with an overhand grip in each hand and stand upright with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Bent forward, look down and keep your back as straight as possible.
3. Pull the dumbbells up to your sides, keeping the elbows close to your body until you feel the full contraction in the back muscles.
4. Hold for a moment, squeeze your back muscles, then slowly return the dumbbells to the start. That’s one rep.

How You Can Make it Effective:

• Pause for two seconds at the top and feel the contraction in your lats.
• Maintain a flat back and remain bent throughout the movement.

It puts stress on the lumbar spine, so avoid this exercise if you experience pain or injury in your posterior chain muscle.

3. Dumbbell Lat Pullover

The dumbbell pullover is a compound exercise that simultaneously works on the chest and lat and helps build a jacked torso.⁶Marchetti PH, Uchida MC. Effects of the pullover exercise on the pectoralis major and latissimus dorsi muscles as evaluated by EMG. J Appl Biomech. 2011;27(4):380-384. doi:10.1123/jab.27.4.380, ⁷Electromyographic Activation of Pectoralis Major and Triceps Brachii during Dumbbell Pullover – Research Journal of the American Society of Exercise Physiologists

The pullover can be done at three angles: flat, incline, and decline. However, the flat one works best for lats.

Steps to Perform a Dumbbell Pullover:

1. Place a dumbbell in the standing position on the ground close to the end of a flat bench, and lie on it with your face up and feet firmly on the ground.
2. Keep your arms extended behind your head with a soft bend in your elbows.
3. Pull the dumbbell all the way from behind your head to over your chest.
4. Hold for a couple of seconds, and then slowly return to the start.

How You Can Make it Effective:

• Keep your body perpendicular to the bench with your hips slightly lower than the bench level to provide decent stretch on your lats.⁸ How To Do A Dumbbell Pullover By Jeff Cavaliere MSPT, CSCS – Athleanx.com
• If you lift a light dumbbell, aim for higher reps, and if you lift heavier weights, perform fewer reps.

4. Chest Supported Incline Row

The incline row hits multiple muscles at once, such as lats, traps, and rhomboids, and helps you build a stronger and more defined back.

It requires you to lie prone on a bench and avoid the involvement of the lumbar spine, making it an excellent alternative for those who feel discomfort while doing a bent-over dumbbell row.

To Perform an Incline Dumbbell Row:

1. Set a bench at a 45-degree incline position and grab a pair of dumbbells with a neutral grip.
2. Lie prone with your face down, your chest at the end of the bench, and your arms straight downward.
3. Grab the dumbbell with a neutral grip, with your palms facing each other.
4. Engaging your back muscles, row the dumbbells upward and then return to the start.

How You Can Make It Effective

• Keep your chest on the edge of the bench to put more stress on the latissimus dorsi.
• Experiment with different angles and head positions to see what engages your lats more.

5. Dumbbell Deadlift

The deadlift is a compound movement that works on several muscles, including the latissimus dorsi. The lats are contracted when you return to the upright position.

How to Do a Dumbbell Deadlift

1. Holding one dumbbell in each hand, stand upright in the hip-width stance.
2. Keep your arms straight in front of you with your palms facing inward.
3. Push your hips back, slightly bend your knees, and lower the weight until your shin and back remain flat.
4. Now, inhale and engage your lats, and push into the floor through your feet to return to the standing position, then exhale. That’s one rep.

How You Can Make It Effective:

• Focus on engaging your lats while lifting the dumbbells and returning to the start.
• Avoid going below your shin, as your primary focus is on the latissimus dorsi, not the legs.

6. Incline Plank Row

The incline plank row involves getting into an elevated straight-arm plank and rowing the dumbbell one side at a time. This exercise helps bolster the core and back simultaneously. and improve balance and flexibility in the upper body.

Steps to Perform an Incline Plank Row:

1. Stand against a flat bench, holding one dumbbell in your right hand.
2. Place your left hand on the bench with your arm straight.
3. Extend your legs backward until you’re in an elevated position. Make sure your body is straight from top to bottom, and your core is tight. That is the starting position.
4. Row the dumbbells at your side as many times as you like.

How You Can Make It Effective:

• Keep your feet wide and core tight so that you can efficiently contract your lats when you drive your elbow at your side.

7. Superman Row

This lat exercise needs no bench and no pull-up bar; all it requires you to do is grab a dumbbell in each hand, lie prone on the floor, and pull your arms towards you.

It bolsters posterior chain muscles, including the lower back, glutes, and hamstrings, strengthens lats, and helps improve posture and flexibility.

Steps to Perform a Superman Row:

1. Lie on the mat with your legs extended.
2. Grasp one dumbbell in each hand and keep your arms straight in front of you with palms down.
3. Lift your chest and legs off the floor and pull the dumbbells in until you feel the contraction in your lats.
4. Pause for a moment and return your arms to the beginning. Repeat for the desired times.

How You Can Make It Effective:

• Use baby dumbbells and perform each rep in a slow and controlled manner.
• You can keep your legs grounded to isolate the lats only.

8. Alternate Gorilla Row

The Gorilla row is an isolation exercise that targets the back muscles, particularly the latissimus dorsi (lats) and the rhomboids. It also activates the biceps, core, and forearms to some extent and develops a sturdy torso.

However, this exercise requires a strong core and flexible spine because it involves staying in a hip hinge position throughout the movement.

Steps to Perform Alternating Gorilla Rows:

1. Grab a dumbbell with a neutral grip in each hand and stand with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Push your hips back, bend your knees, and hinge at your hips until your hips and torso are parallel to the floor.
3. Keep your core tight, back flat, and arms straight below your chest with your palms facing each other.
4. Pull your right elbow behind you until your lat is engaged.
5. Pause for a moment, extend your elbow to the start, and repeat on the opposite side.

How You Can Make It Effective:

• Put on a belt if you’re going to lift heavy.
• Try dual arm row also and see which works best for you.
• Keep your core tight and back straight throughout the movement.

9. Renegade Row

If you want to bolster your lats while improving balance and muscle coordination, you should add a renegade row to your workout.

The renegade row is a compound workout that increases strength and mobility and builds lean mass throughout the upper body, including latissimus dorsi.

Steps to Perform a Renegade Row:

1. Start in a plank position with your hands on dumbbells, your feet shoulder-width apart, and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
2. Brace your core, maintain a flat back, and row one side of the dumbbell up to your side while maintaining a plank position.
3. Lower the weight back down to the starting position, then repeat the movement on the other side.
4. Continue alternating sides for the desired number of reps.

How You Can Make It Effective:

Maintaining good form while performing this movement is important to avoid imbalance and ensure that you are targeting the correct muscles. Keep your core tight and back straight throughout the exercise, and avoid letting your lower back arch or your hips sag.

10. Pendlay Row

The Pendlay row bolsters many muscles simultaneously, such as traps, rhomboids, posterior delts, arms, and lats, and helps improve speed, strength, and balance.

It looks similar to other rowing exercises, but it has a different stance and ascent and descent phases. It also involves lifting weight off the ground after each rep and using more leg and core stability.

It is done at a quick pace, holding a light pair of dumbbells compared to other dumbbell rowing exercises.

Steps to Perform a Pendlay Row:

1. Grab a dumbbell with an overhand grip in each hand and stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
2. Bend at the hips and knees, lowering your torso until it’s almost parallel to the floor.
3. Keep your core tight, back flat, and arms straight below your trunk.
4. Pull the dumbbells until they reach the sides of your chest.
5. Lower the dumbbells on the ground, then repeat.

How You Can Make It Effective:

• Keep your back straight and your elbows close to your body throughout the movement.
• Wear a weightlifting belt to protect your lower back from injury.

11. Yates Row

The Yates row is another effective dumbbell exercise for targeting back muscles, primarily the latissimus dorsi.

It requires you to grip the dumbbells with an underhand grip, unlike an overhand and neutral grip, which makes this exercise slightly different.

Steps to perform a Yates Row:

1. Holding a dumbbell in each with an underhand grip, stand upright with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Slightly bend at the waist, lean forward, and keep your arms straight at your sides.
3. Pull the dumbbells up to your sides until your lats are engaged.
4. Lower your arms to the start and repeat for the desired times.

How You Can Make It Effective:

1. Use light dumbbells than you lift during bent-over row and perform more reps.
2. Avoid jerking your body, focus on keeping your torso still, and perform each rep slowly and deliberately.

12. Seal Row

The dumbbell seal row is a part of military training that bolsters the back and biceps and builds up a sturdy upper body.

It can also be a good addition to your dumbbell lat workout because it helps sculpt back muscle without hurting the lower back. plus, it puts you in a position where you can’t use momentum or other muscle groups to do the work.

Steps to Perform a Dumbbell Seal Row:

1. Place the feet of the bench on the elevated object.
2. Grab a dumbbell with a neutral grip in each hand and lie on the bench with your face down. This is your start.
3. Pull the dumbbells at your sides until you feel the full contraction in your lats.
4. Pause for a couple of seconds, then extend your arms. That’s one rep.

How You Can Make It Effective

• Hold the dumbbells that are heavy enough to lift with a full range of motion.
• Keep your core, glutes, and thigh tight so you can stimulate the lats effectively.
• Drive your elbows back in a way that the dumbbells reach close to your pockets

13. Split Stance Single arm Dumbbell Row

This exercise is suitable for those who don’t have a workout bench. It requires you to stand in a split stance, bend forward, and pull the dumbbell at your side.

It helps build a strong back, improves core stability, and enhances overall balance.

Steps to Perform a One-arm Row:

1. Holding a dumbbell in your right hand, stand in the split stance (like you do in a lunge position).
2. Keep your chest up, core tight, back flat, and arm straight at your side. It’s the start.
3. Pull the dumbbell up to your side, keeping your elbow close to the body.
4. Once you feel the contraction in your lats, extend your arms and repeat for the desired times.

How You Can Make It Effective:

• Keep your front foot firmly on the floor and your abdominal muscles tight throughout the movement.
• Use light to moderate weight dumbbells and aim for higher reps instead of lifting heavy ones.

14. Incline Reverse Superman

The reverse Superman is another good way to hit your latissimus dorsi with dumbbells. It requires you to lie prone on the bench and pull your arms back to contract your lats.

It may not be as effective as other lat dumbbell exercises, but it is worth trying.

Steps to Perform an Incline Reverse Superman:

1. Set the bench to 30-degree height, grab a pair of dumbbells with an underhand grip, and lie on the bench with your face down and arms straight below your shoulders.
2. Slightly lift your chest off the bench and raise your shoulder blades. That’s the start.
3. Pull your arms back until you feel the work in your lats.
4. Pause for a moment, and then return your arms to the start.

How You Can Make It Effective:

• Keep your arms straight and focus on engaging your latissimus dorsi throughout the movement.
• Keep your chest slightly off the floor and ensure your head stays still during the exercise.

How to Design a Dumbbell Lat Workout Routine

To design an effective lat workout routine, you need to choose a combination of compound and isolation exercises, heavy and light dumbbells, and higher and fewer reps.

I’ve crafted a few dumbbell workout plans that you can use to build strong and broad lats.

Workout A

• Bent-Over Row: 4 sets x 12-15 reps
• One-arm Row: 4 sets x 10 reps per side
• Superman Row: 4 sets x 8-10 reps
• Lat Pullover: 4 sets x 10-12 reps

Workout B

• Deadlift: 4 sets x 10-12 reps
• Yates Row: 4 sets x 10-15 reps
• One-arm Row/Alternating Gorilla Row: 4 sets x 8-10 reps on each side
• Incline Prone Row: 3 sets x 10-15 reps

Workout C

• Bent-Over Row: 4 sets x 12-15 reps
• Superman Row: 4 sets x 8-10 reps
• Incline Plank Row: 4 sets x 10-12 reps per side
• Seal Row/Pendlay Row: 4 sets x 10-12 reps

Please Note: Perform warm-up exercises before lifting heavy dumbbells to help reduce your risk of injury and improve your performance. You can do cobra pose, shoulder-pass through, the world’s greatest stretch, and cat-cow to activate your back muscles and prepare them for lifting.

Wrapping it Up

The main exercises for cultivating wider lats are machine rows, lat pulldowns, pull-ups, and barbell deadlifts.

However, if you don’t have access to the machine and barbells and the only equipment you train with is dumbbells, you should try the following dumbbell lats exercises:

Best	Better	Good
Bent-Over Row	Dumbbell Pullover	Incline Prone Row
One-arm Row	Dumbbell Deadlift	Renegade Row
Superman Row	Incline Plank Row	Pendlay Row
Yates Row	Alternate Gorilla Row	Reverse Superman
Split Stance Row	Seal Row	–

These exercises can help you target your lats from every angle and help build a strong, defined, and aesthetic back.

Whichever exercises you do, make sure you maintain proper form to elicit maximum contraction in your lats.

You should also increase the intensity, load, and reps over time to grow your strength and muscle mass.

Also, Read: 20 Best Back Exercises for Ultimate Mass Gain

References

• 1
  5 Benefits of Dumbbell Training – Pete Call, 2015, American Council of Exercise (ACE)
• 2
  Krzysztofik M, Wilk M, Wojdała G, Gołaś A. Maximizing Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review of Advanced Resistance Training Techniques and Methods. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Dec 4;16(24):4897. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16244897. PMID: 31817252; PMCID: PMC6950543.
• 3
  Mannarino P, Matta T, Lima J, Simão R, Freitas de Salles B. Single-joint exercise results in higher hypertrophy of elbow flexors than multijoint exercise. J Strength Cond Res. 2021;35(10):2677-2681. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000003234
• 4
  Best Back Exercises by Holly Edelburg, B.S., John P. Porcari, Ph.D., Clayton Camic, Ph.D., Attila Kovacs, Ph.D., and Carl Foster, Ph.D., with Daniel J. Green – American Council of Exercise
• 5
  National Academy of Sports Medicine. Three awesome row exercise variations.
• 6
  Marchetti PH, Uchida MC. Effects of the pullover exercise on the pectoralis major and latissimus dorsi muscles as evaluated by EMG. J Appl Biomech. 2011;27(4):380-384. doi:10.1123/jab.27.4.380
• 7
  Electromyographic Activation of Pectoralis Major and Triceps Brachii during Dumbbell Pullover – Research Journal of the American Society of Exercise Physiologists
• 8
  How To Do A Dumbbell Pullover By Jeff Cavaliere MSPT, CSCS – Athleanx.com