Left Lat Not Growing? UPDATED 2022 – Here’s What To Do!

Even though muscle imbalances are common, it can be frustrating when the size and strength of muscles are different.

Take the left lat not growing the same as the right lat. This can often make you curious as to why. Generally, uneven lats or other muscles are more common among beginners who a new to bodybuilding. This is usually caused by incorrect form, where you use your dominant side more, creating an imbalance in strength and size of the muscle.

However, some other factors come into play, which we discuss in this article. So, if you are interested to know why your left lat is not growing as much as the right, keep reading.

Left Lat Not Growing? Here’s What To Do

There are many reasons why your left lat is not growing as much as the right. The main causes of uneven lats are:

– Poor technique
– Improper workout plan
– Bad posture
– Lack of mobility
– Poor flexibility

All of the above can cause uneven lats. However, poor technique and the wrong workout plan are often problems a beginner has. An elite or experienced lifter will likely suffer more from lack of mobility, poor posture, and flexibility. They will also tend to favor their more dominant side. Resulting in slightly uneven lats.

If you struggle with the left lat not growing the same as the right lat, there are some things you can do. These include:

– Dumbbell bench press.
– Dumbbell Bent over rows
– Single-arm rows
– Single-arm pull down
– Single-arm dumbbell deadlift

By working on the weaker and smaller side, you can start to equal out the strength and size of the muscle. Doing so will also help to correct any imbalance in the secondary muscles as well, such as your biceps and deltoids.

Right Lat Bigger Than Left? Here’s Why This Happens

For most people, their left side is the more dominant side. That means you naturally use the right side more when lifting, throwing, and doing general things. This often causes the right lat to be bigger than the left. Even though for most people the difference will be minimal. However, for the more trained athlete, this can be highly noticeable.

Most people when training does this symmetrically. That means they are often holding a barbell or similar. That means that the most dominant side (mostly the right side for people) will take on more weight than the left side.

However, by focusing on unilateral exercises like the dumbbell press you can focus on one specific side more, without the other side bearing more of the load.

Then once you feel like your left side feels and looks the same as the left side, you can move back into bilateral exercises again.

 

A Simple Solution To Lats Not Activating

There are many reasons why your lats may not be activating as well as they should. One of the causes is from using a grip that is too narrow or when your palms are facing in the wrong direction. This ends up lowering the amount of lat engagement during the pull-up. However, it is also important to know when using a narrower grip, you may also cause over-activation of the biceps and anterior deltoids.

The other cause is poor technique and form. When your form is incorrect you may cause the lats to function less. If you are unsure about your technique during lifting, talk to a personal trainer who can check over your current form during the movement.

Best Lat Activation Exercises

The best lat activation exercises are the wide-grip pulldown and the seated row. These two exercises have been shown to produce the highest levels of myoelectric activity in the trapezius/rhomboid muscles

However, other exercises like below are a great way to activate the lats.

– Single-arm dumbbell row
– Kettlebell Rack Hold
– Lat-pull down
– Renegade Row
– Chin-ups
– Hex bar deadlifts
– Landmine rows
– Straight-arm pull-downs

While there are more exercises to activate the lats, the above are the most popular and for good reason. this is because there are fewer exercises that can target the lats as well as these.

 

Lat Activation Warmup

If you are prone to favoring one side, there are some lat activation warmup drills you can do to help. These include:

Prisoner rotations – The prisoner rotations are a great way to activate the lats before going into more intense training.

Lat release – The lat release helps to warm up the latissumis dorsi muscle. Warming up the muscle which can help to stabilize the body with all dynamic movements. To do to this exercise, start by:

1. Lying on your side.
2. Place a foam roller under your armpit
3. Move up and down. this will allow the roller to mobilize the latissimus dorsi muscle and its tissue.
4. Next move your arm forward and backward in a pinching motion. Then gradually work your way up and down too.
5. Do this for around 30-45 seconds or until the tension in the muscle has relaxed and warmed up properly.

Next is the Active floor stretch. The active floor stretch can help stretch and warm up the lats before more specific lifting.

1. From a kneeling position, move your hips back so they sink, and then place your right forearm on the floor.
2. Next shift your weight onto your right arm, and then stretch out your left arm.
3. Hold this position for 5-10 seconds and then return to the starting position.
4. Repeat this on each arm for a total of 10 repetitions.