Imagine, for a second, that I was to tell you that there’s a muscle that:

a) has serious growth potential

b) can dramatically increase your squat and deadlift poundages

c) can drive your bench press through the roof

d) can keep your shoulders, upper back, lower back, and hips healthy

e) can help you run faster

f) affects the way you breath

You’d probably think I was nuts. Surely the strength training community would’ve caught on by now, right? Well, I wouldn’t say that they haven’t caught on; I’d just say that they haven’t learned how to utilize this muscle — and it does exist — in the right ways. Perhaps the worst part is that this muscle has a big cross sectional area already, so it’s staring people right in the face.

I’m talking about the latissimus dorsi, lats for short. Let’s get to it…

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