How to do the Overhead Lat Stretch
Step by step
- Grab a squat rack upright, a sturdy bar, or the top of a door frame at about head height with one or both hands.
- Step your feet back and sink your hips down and away from the grip.
- Let your chest drop between your arms so you feel the side of your back lengthen.
- Breathe slowly and hold, letting the tension ease with each exhale.
The thing people get wrong
Sink the hips back and breathe into the stretch rather than forcing it - let it deepen slowly on the exhale.
Coaching cue
Shift your hips slowly side to side to find the spot where the stretch bites most.
Stay safe
Only hold something fixed and solid; a loose door or an unracked bar can swing or fall on you.
Make it easier or harder
- Easier: Hold with one hand at a time so you control how much you lean.
- Harder: Sink the hips lower and away, and turn slightly away from the hand you are holding with.
Muscles worked
- Primary: Lats
- Secondary: Upper Back
Daily Coach builds this into a real weekly plan. It picks the exercises for your equipment and experience, swaps around injuries you tell it about, and tracks what you actually lifted.