Homemade Lat Bar

Gym membership can be expensive and time-consuming.

Going to a gym or fitness center offers a lot of variety for your workout routine, but you can't beat the convenience and savings of working out at home. There are many ways to get fit at home without buying expensive gym equipment. For body builders and others looking to strengthen their back muscles, a homemade lat bar may be just the thing. The lats, officially known as the latissimus dorsi muscles, can be strengthened in many different ways, one of which is by using a pull down bar that you can make at home using just a few purchased items.

Things You'll Need

• Resistance tube with handles
• Sturdy bar
• Comfortable chair

Instructions

1. 

   Resistance bands are available online and in some sporting goods stores.

   Find a safe place to loop your resistance tubing. The top horizontal bar on a swing set or play gym is perfect. Be sure to choose a bar that can withstand a lot of resistance. If you choose to install a bar, make sure it is secure and ready to handle the force you will put on it once you begin exercising.

2. Loop the tubing over the bar so that the handles are hanging down. The rubber tubing should hang securely so there is no chance you will pull it down.

3. 

   Use a sturdy, comfortable chair, not one that wobbles or is on wheels.

   Place a chair so that the tubing handles are in front of you. If you are using a resistance band without handles, loop a metal or thick wooden bar through the band so you have something to hold onto.

4. Adjust the length of the tubing if necessary. The tubing should hang down so that when you sit in the chair with your arms straight overhead you can just barely grab the bar. Pull the handles or bar down in front of your face while bending the arms to work the lats. One variation is to perform a similar motion while standing, but keep your arms straight so that when you pull down the bar is a full arm's length in front of you.

5. 

   The lats are the triangular-shaped muscles that extend from the shoulder blades down to a point in the lower back.

   Try additional lat exercises that don't require gym equipment. Bodybuilding.com has a variety of exercises to work and stretch the lats, some of which require little or no equipment.

Tips & Warnings

• As with any exercise, make sure your doctor knows what you have planned and confirms that the exercise is safe for you.

• Be sure the bar over which you loop your resistance tubing is able to withstand a lot of force. If it were to give way while you were exercising, you could be seriously injured.

References

• Lat Bar
• Resistance Tube: Totally Tubing
• Bodybuilding.com: Lat Exercises & Lat Workouts