Lat Strength Importance For CrossFit Athletes
When people talk about hip and knee health, the ‘glute’ muscle group is most often included in that conversation. Strong gluteals have been shown in the research to provide stability to the hip joint, motor control at the knee, and secondary associated stability for the lumbar spine. This also means the glutes can be good to include in low back pain rehab! But we are here to talk about the upper body… and more specifically what has been slowly discussed as ‘the gluteals of the upper body.’ This is the Latissimus Dorsi.
In the sport of CrossFit along with overhead athletics in general, the ‘Lat’ muscle isn’t glorified.. but it is highly important. An arm extensor, the stability and force needed to ‘pull down’ the arm is significantly valuable for power production. In CrossFit, this is for pull-ups, bar muscle-ups, and barbell stability in the initial pull of a clean or deadlift. In other overhead athletics, this force production is important for a tennis serve or volleyball kill (spike), as well as a swimming stroke or baseball/softball throw to name a couple.
With majority of the focus in shoulder strength at the rotator cuff or the pec group, the lat is not targeted as much as we at Loon State Physical Therapy believe it should be. Many people will perform the traditional Is-Ts-Ys exercise, which are good in concept, but only one of those targets the biggest muscle group of the shoulder. Arm extension work should be, in our opinion, a staple in shoulder rehab for overall strength building. With strength builds stability, and since the shoulder is inherently quite mobile, we need as much stability as we can get!
It is time to target those lats and build up a more robust shoulder rehab and performance program! Need assistance in your shoulder recovery? Let’s chat! I would be happy to discuss further how Loon State Physical Therapy can be a teammate in getting you back to moving and feeling your best! Our convenient Minneapolis physical therapy and Edina physical therapy locations will happily see you to get you back to moving at your best. Call us at (612) 405-8503 or book with us online at www.loonstatephysicaltherapy.com for an in-person or virtual appointment.
Let’s get to it!
Andrew Eccles
Owner and Physical Therapist at Loon State Physical Therapy
