Train your lats

 3 Reasons to Love Your Lats 

The lats, or latissimus dorsi, are the largest muscles in the upper body and because of that they perform a lot of different functions. They connect at five different points including the spine, pelvis, ribs, scapula, and upper arm.

They work by bringing the arms from out at the sides in towards the body, rotating, and extending the arms, as well as pulling the arms back and down towards the hips. If you don't want to hunch then train your lats! 

 1. Posture 
What makes you look old apart from pushing a wheeled shopper? Shit posture! A strong back means you can actually stand up straight. 

 2. Strength 
The lats stabilise the neck, shoulder, the back, and the hips. Think of them as a stability powerhouse throughout your entire system. If you have weak lats then you will compensate with other muscles which can lead to pain or injury in other areas.

 3. Better progress in other areas 
It's an extension of number two really. You'll find you can train upper body (shoulders, arms, chest) much better if you're also working on the lats. You shouldn't just train the bits you can see at the front!

You can train at home with minimal equipment. A band can be trapped in the top of a door. A dumbbell for a row. It doesn't have to be super heavy - get the squeeze  of the muscle you want to train rather than relying on the weight to do the work. (In that third one I should have a soft bend in the knee - somebody tell me off.)