Latissimus Dorsi (Muscle of the Month, March 2021)

affiliate • Mar 02, 2021

Oh the Lats. Probably one of my favorite muscles. My coach used to say that anybody can have abs or big arms, but if you have big lats, you’ve earned those. The latissimus dorsi is a large, flat muscle on the back that stretches to the sides, behind the arm, and is partly covered by the last month’s muscle, the traps, on the back. It is the largest muscle in the upper body, and quite literally means “broadest [muscle] of the back” if you are keeping up with your Latin.

Functionally, the latissimus dorsi muscle plays a huge role in scapular motion. Pretty much any movement that your shoulders can and do make is aided by the lats: extension, adduction, horizontal abduction, flexion from an extended position, and internal rotation of the shoulder joint. In layman’s terms, pressing and pulling in pretty much any position. It is also one of the main stabilizers of the spine during its various movements.

Interestingly enough, the lats are not used strenuously in common daily activities. However, it is an important muscle in many exercises such as pull-ups, chin-ups, lat pulldowns, and swimming (Crossfit). The lats are one of the main drivers of the kipping motion that we utilize in Crossfit, as well as a major player in pulling motions for movements like pull ups, rowing, and snatches. Pretty much anything we do in class will either directly or indirectly train the lats, but if you are looking to target them specifically, incorporate lat pull downs, strict pull ups, rows with barbells or DBs, and movements with a wider grip.

Previous WODs

By affiliate 02 Nov, 2021
Finally on our tour of the macronutrients are Fats! Another term you might be familiar with that is similar is Lipids, and the distinction is that lipid is a broader term. Kind of a square-rectangle relationship if you will. While fat has been the villain in the past, it is making its way back into ... The post Nutrition 101 – Fats (November 2021) appeared first on CrossFit Hakkapeliitta.
By affiliate 02 Nov, 2021
We have a couple new members we would like to introduce. If you see Tony or Mike at the gym, please welcome them! Here is a little bit about them, and what brought them to CrossFit Hakk! Tony DuPont Tony has lived most of his life in the UP, outside of about 6 years affiliated ... The post October New Member Spotlights appeared first on CrossFit Hakkapeliitta.
By affiliate 02 Nov, 2021
Before we get to the definition, I want to finish off the remaining three defining characteristics of foundational movements: Universal Motor Recruitment Patterns – How similar are the movements? Functional movements have tremendous carry over and skill transfer to other functional movements, and by training functional movements you will get better at other things. For ... The post Functional Movements Part 2 (October 2021) appeared first on CrossFit Hakkapeliitta.
By affiliate 02 Nov, 2021
Things just keep getting better – this is biggest committed club of the year so far with 24 of our members attending 15 or more classes in October! Here are the members that made it in October! Renee Hiller Angela Price Katie LaCosse Rochelle Spencer Clint Johnson Amanda Hoffman Sharon Colbert Aaron Persenaire Hannah Soumis ... The post October Committed Club appeared first on CrossFit Hakkapeliitta.
By affiliate 04 Oct, 2021
Here we have our Committed Club members (attended 15+ classes) for September! Renee Hiller Katie LaCosse Rochelle Spencer Hannah Soumis Joanne Coponen Moira Tracey Sunit Girdhar Julie Jalkanen Sandi Mattson Michelle Miller Gerald Huffman Amanda Hoffman Gavin McBride Kartik Iyer Angela Price Sharon Colbert Nicole Heinonen Dana Norman Tanya Kangas Kim Dunnebacke Clint Johnson Laura ... The post September Committed Club appeared first on CrossFit Hakkapeliitta.
By affiliate 19 Sep, 2021
Wow – where has the summer gone?! Here are some very belated celebrations for member accomplishments in the back half of the summer… First – our committed club members for July! Remember – committed club status requires attending at least 15 classes in any given month. Here are the members that achieved this in July: ... The post July and August Committed Clubs and 100 class Milestones appeared first on CrossFit Hakkapeliitta.
By affiliate 03 Sep, 2021
We say that Crossfit utilizes functional movements, but what does that really mean? Plugging the word “functional” into the Google machine gives two definitions, the second of which I like better: “designed to be practical and useful, rather than attractive.” However, this is still not good enough for us in Crossfit and therefore, we have ... The post Functional Movements Part 1 (September 2021) appeared first on CrossFit Hakkapeliitta.
By affiliate 03 Sep, 2021
August Post: Nutrition 101 – Carbohydrates Continuing our macronutrient discussion From June, we will delve into Carbohydrates this month, affectionately referred to as Carbs. Much like protein, carbohydrates are composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms, however, they do not contain nitrogen atoms. Their primary role in humans is to serve as an energy source ... The post Nutrition 101 – Carbohydrates (August 2021) appeared first on CrossFit Hakkapeliitta.
By affiliate 03 Sep, 2021
Katie Kozma Katie is originally from Hesperia, MI (a small town in the lower peninsula), but now resides in Baraga. She decided to join CrossFit because she was looking to restart her fitness journey and she decided to complete a Spartan race and thought CrossFit would be the perfect thing for training. Her favorite part ... The post New Member Spotlights! appeared first on CrossFit Hakkapeliitta.
By affiliate 13 Jul, 2021
What is Intensity? When looking at the definition of Crossfit, we are presented with three distinct parts. Constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity. We discussed “constantly varied” in March, and now we are going to tackle the last part – intensity. And you can probably see where we will be going after that… ... The post What is Intensity? (July 2021) appeared first on CrossFit Hakkapeliitta.
More Posts

Stop missing out

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. 

Start My Free Trial Today
Share by:
Wodify Iframe