Lat stretching tips for new ROM

[Demetris M]

Hello!

I am working to get overhead flexibility as my main goal and yesterday I found out that pec minor is not really the issue, as I believed, but lats. The stretches I've been working on are from MTS, the ground pec and ground lat stretch.

The problem is that it's been about two months now that I do this lat stretch and I don't feel like I am getting new ROM. I can feel a very strong stretching sensation and get comfortable in it even after one or two contractions but I feel there is a limit to this particular exercise for me. It stretches my lats, but up to a point only, and I don't see increases in ROM.

Today I tried the Ring Side Bend stretch and I'd like some feedback about it. I get into the position and I feel it strongly in my obliques and little in my lats. When I relax more I feel it right on the spot where the muscles teres, triceps and lat connect (behind the armpit) and little bit more lats. That sensation is quite strong and has a very slight burning feeling too but it's not unbearable.

I am not new to strength training but my grip strength can only last so much, like one minute each time I hang so how should I approach this stretch and make myself comfortable in it?

Aside from that specific exercise is there anything else that is recommended to try on my lats to finally get them supple? Maybe another exercise? Maybe a cue? Maybe I got it all wrong and I need to focus elsewhere on getting overhead flexibility?

For reference, the way I realized I need to emphasize lats is this: 

I appreciate any advice. Consider me a beginner

[Kit_L]

Tie your hand/wrist onto the bar, if you can't hang for long enough; I have filmed this somewhere but can't find it! Use the same technique as power or Olympic lifters use to hold their hands onto the bar. A YT search should find this. Long hangs (Craig and I worked up to five minutes (30" x L hand; change to R hand) continuously had a powerful effect on the lats.

As well, make sure you do this:

 

This work lats and thoracic spine, together. 

[Francesco]

Hanging is good, but I feel that there is another great option that is not as limited by grip strength - Physical Alchemy's fascial lat stretches. See here for the basic one. The big advantage is that with this one you can play with many different options (eg. internal/external rotation of the humerus; stance width and orientation; flexion/extension of the spine) to target various areas of the lats. See here for an example. 

Also if you are on Facebook get into the group  "Walking through fire"; the admin recently posted a manual technique to increase overhead ROM that I've found to work very well.

 

[Demetris M]

Thanks a lot, just the answers I was looking for!

[Diego]

On 2/4/2017 at 9:27 AM, Francesco said:

Hanging is good, but I feel that there is another great option that is not as limited by grip strength - Physical Alchemy's fascial lat stretches. See here for the basic one. The big advantage is that with this one you can play with many different options (eg. internal/external rotation of the humerus; stance width and orientation; flexion/extension of the spine) to target various areas of the lats. See here for an example. 

Also if you are on Facebook get into the group  "Walking through fire"; the admin recently posted a manual technique to increase overhead ROM that I've found to work very well.

 

Sorry to revive an old thread. Do you perhaps have any of the videos that shows the exercises? In both examples the videos are deleted.

 

Thanks